Surface Design Show Preview

SHOW PREVIEW SURFACE DESIGN SHOW 7-9TH FEBRUARY 2023

DISCOVER THE LATEST MATERIAL INNOVATIONS AT SURFACE DESIGN SHOW 2023

Held from 7 to 9th February 2023, the Surface Design Show will once again be showcasing the best in material innovation. A well-established part of the design calendar for nearly 20 years, the show returns to London’s Business Design Centre. It provides the perfect opportunity for material experts and the architectural and design community to come together under one roof.

Visitors to the Surface Design Show 2023 will be inspired by over 150 exhibitors, many of whom will be launching new products, plus diverse displays of surface-based installations and a comprehensive speaker programme featuring accomplished industry professionals who are passionate about the future of surface design.

Supporting emerging material designers has always been important to the Surface Design Show. That is why the New Talent section will, for the fourth year in a row, be held in partnership with Trendease International. Its Chief Creative Director, Jennifer Castoldi, will be curating over 30 ‘New Talents’ this year. The section will inspire and excite visitors with the ‘class of 23’ showcasing a fascinating mix of biomaterials, natural materials, digital print, textiles, furniture, wallcovering, weaving and biopolymers.

Located right in the heart of the exhibition, the Surface Design Show welcomes back Surface Spotlight Live (SSL). This area gives visitors a chance to touch and compare the latest material prototypes. Centred around this year’s theme, ‘Shaping Communities’, SSL will highlight the importance of new exchanges between surfaces, people and environments. This section of the show will again be curated by leading trend and colour expert, Sally Angharad.

The talks programme is always a particular highlight of the Surface Design Show. The Main Stage, designed by Emily Skinner of recycling pioneer Smile Plastics, will host 18 different presentations and feature more than 40 speakers, inspiring a professional audience of architects and designers.

Setting the tone for the live events programme will be the Opening Night Debate, hosted this year by Jonathan Smales, Executive Chairman of Human Nature, a leading proponent of sustainable development. The debate, which has CDUK as the official partner, will question how architecture and interior design professionals are dealing with the show’s theme of Shaping Communities.

Over the two and a half days, the Main Stage will host a range of debates, panels, trend forecasts and insights into the latest surface design innovations. It will also be the venue for the Legends Live series of ‘in conversations’ in partnership with Mix Interiors, where industry leaders interview someone they admire.

Another popular element of the show is the Surface Design Awards. Now in their 11th year, they continue to set a benchmark for architectural and design achievements across the world. More than 110 projects were entered into the 2023 Surface Design Awards, coming from an impressive 24 different countries. The BAFTA headquarters in London by Benedetti Architects, which scooped the Supreme Winner award in 2022, set the standard for excellence in surface design. Following the success of its debut last year, the Architectural Photography category returns once more for 2023.

Surface Design Show 2023 builds on the success of the event, which has been running for over 15 years, as a place to encourage a meaningful exchange of ideas between manufacturers and the marketplace to further material innovation.