The month of August is all about preparing for the month ahead - as Summer is winding down and we begin to plan for the design-packed month of September, here's our overview of the must-attend industry design events and exciting industry news!
August itself is notoriously scarce of design events as the momentum builds for September. But not to worry; if you've got design-withdrawals this month, we've found a selection of news and events which will wet your appetite with industry insight ready for September.
2nd August
SBID Scotland: Colour Inspiration Event - Scotland, UK
SBID Scotland hosted an evening of Colour Inspiration, supported by contemporary luxury textile design label, Mairi Helena and the UK’s oldest paint manufacturer, Craig & Rose, in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Mairi Helena, the Scottish Designer shared insight into the inspiration behind her latest collections and the design process, inviting audiences to get hands-on to create their own moodboards with Craig & Rose paint, together with fabric and wallpapers from her Collections.
If you missed it, keep an eye out for more SBID events, talks, workshops and CPD's running througout the UK!
22nd August
SBID South West: Possibilities for Porcelain - Bournemouth, UK
If you're interested in discovering the possibilities of designing with porcelain, SBID South West is hosting an event with PietraCasa on Wednesday 22nd August. PietraCasa is a specialist in large format porcelain tile supply, cutting and fabrication. They will be sharing their expertise with an exclusive Tiling workshop to explore how to handle and work with large format porcelain tiles.
For more information click here, or email [email protected] to register your interest in attending!
29th August - 2nd September
São Paulo Design Weekend - Brazil The only major event taking place in August, The DW! São Paulo Design Weekend is a celebration of Latin American design. The Weekend is a major urban design festival composed of hundreds of independent events, curated to promote Design and its connections with Art, Architecture, Urbanism, Decoration, Social Inclusion, Aggregation of Value, Business and Innovation.
Announcement of Vectorworks Annual Design Day
The Vectorworks Annual Design Day has been announced at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London on 2nd October from 9:30am - 5:00pm. The event is designed to showcase the capabilities that Vectorworks software brings to help streamline your workflow. Whether you are a current user or wanting to discover how Vectorworks can offer your practice a real alternative for 2D/3D/BIM workflows, there will be lots to hear and see. Key personnel from Vectorworks in the USA and UK will be on hand to show the latest tools and workflows and existing customers will also be taking to the stage to share their knowledge through project case studies. In addition, there will be breakout sessions aimed at individual industries such as, Interiors, Architecture and Landscape, which ensures that content is totally relevant and rewarding.
Click here to register for the whole event and select which breakout session you wish to attend!
Kitchen Design is now a recognised profession, well paid and high status!
Bucks New University offers a three year, blended learning course to study it at degree level. Students attend three high-impact residential weekends per year and carry out assignments around full or part-time work. They are taught at the highest level by industry experts that include Johnny Grey and Craig Matson of Roundhouse. The three-year course covers kitchen design, multi-generational, accessible and ageing design, sales & marketing, business management, materials knowledge, project management, design history, philosophy, psychology and understanding of related design industries.
Applications are still open for the academic year beginning in September 2018. For more information, click here
Bentley launches new Home Design competition for turning 100!
As part of the 100-year anniversary of Bentley Motors next year, the leading luxury car company is launching a global competition to find a young designer to create an exclusive furniture design for the centenary celebrations. The winning design will be launched at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy, in 2019 alongside the Bentley Home collection, and a limited edition of 100 pieces will be made and sold globally.
For more information about entry and deadlines, click here
The month that designers, creatives, architects and buyers alike have been eagerly awaiting is almost upon us and we've got you covered with the month's highlights of key industry events, giving you plenty of time to save those dates and plan those visits!
7th - 11th September
Maison&Objet - Paris, France
Maison&Objet opens its doors next month with a new layout, new areas, new purchasing experience and even more design inspiration! From 7th – 11th September design professionals from across the globe will be descending upon Paris to see the best in creative excellence and innovation. The new layout focuses on inspiring designers with two main hubs and 11 sectors, cementing its position as the leading home decor fair connecting the international interior design and the lifestyle community.
SBID are delighted to offer SBID members complimentary tickets to Maison&Objet! Tickets are limited and must be claimed before 3 September 2018. To claim your tickets email [email protected] with your name, membership number and the title 'Maison&Objet tickets'.
15th - 23rd September
London Design Festival - London, UK
London Design Festival (LDF) returns for the 16th year this September, celebrating 10 years at the V&A as the official Festival hub, announcing an impressive series of unmissable projects across the city! London will be transformed with an inspiring programme of landmark projects, installations and events from 15th - 23rd September with a vision is to celebrate and promote London as the design capital of the world. In 2017, the Festival welcomed a record-breaking 450,000 individual visitors from over 75 countries. During the 9-day-design-frenzy, the Festival stages five major industry trade shows, known as 'Design Destinations' for designers, manufacturers, buyers, specifiers, the media and design enthusiasts to discover new product releases and identify current trends.
London Design Fair: 20th - 23rd September
The London Design Fair will take place in the iconic Old Truman Brewery. The Fair provides a valuable forum for showcasing international design and will host 13 country pavilions this year. SBID Colour Council would also like to invite Interior Designers and SBID members to an exclusive Colour Walk during the event on Thursday, 20th September from 9am - 12pm. Click here for more information and email [email protected] to register your interest.
designjunction: 20th - 23rd September
In it's 8th year, designjunction is a curated show of cutting edge design, taking place across three key sites on the South Bank; Doon Street site, Oxo Tower Wharf and Riverside Walkway for LDF. Expect to discover 200 international brands and boutique shops, hundreds of product launches, and outdoor installations in addition to delicious pop-up eateries and bars.
The LDF lighting destination is back: 19th - 20th September
darc room is a creative lighting exhibition for specifiers and designers. Returning for the second year during LDF , darc room will offer inspiration and solutions for lighting, featuring lighting suppliers, creative lighting installations and a high-quality speaker program. To celebrate the second year of its launch, darc room are offering SBID members a free 12-month digital subscription to darc magazine. To apply for your copy, simply email [email protected] with your name, membership number and the title 'darc mag'.
For more information about London Design Festival 2018, click here
16th - 18th September
The Flooring Show - Harrogate, UK
The Flooring Show, the industry’s flagship national event will celebrate its 56th edition in 2018, and continues to be the best-loved and biggest event on the industry’s calendar. Bringing together all areas of the industry, including the retail and contract sectors – exhibitors and visitors alike get together for three intensive days of business activity and networking.
On 18 September, the Flooring Show will be hosting a special networking event for interior designers to meet the flooring designers from key exhibiting companies, including Ulster Carpets and global LVT specialists Karndean. It’s the perfect opportunity to hear what new flooring developments are underway from the teams who are creating them. For example, attendees will have the chance to meet designers from luxury carpet specialists Ulster Carpets and also be able to listen in to a 30 minute Trend Briefing from Laura Greenwood of Scarlet Opus, a leading trend forecasting agency specialising in trend insights for workplace, retail & residential interiors. This event is supported by the SBID, whose representatives will be attending, but non-members are welcome to attend.
Click here for more information and send your details to [email protected] if you are interested in attending
4th - 7th July
One of the largest London design events bursting with ambition and radical ideas, New Designers 2018 unveiled the imaginations set to shape the design world of tomorrow. Spanning every discipline in modern making, the event presented the work of more than 3,000 design talents in education. Every year, many of the world’s most respected brands flock to New Designers in search of the fresh minds that will fuel their creative futures. Fashion brand, Joules, has drawn many of its design team from the exhibition’s textiles and fashion graduate pool.
"Over the years the exhibition has proven pivotal in helping us to find brilliant up-and-coming designers who have gone on to work with us for many years, so it’s great to give something back." – Laura Douglas, Head of Concept at Joules
New Designers design events also acts as a platform for the Top 100 new design businesses in the UK with the showcase, One Year In, curated by Rheanna Lingham – gathering the most promising and intriguing designers, studios and entrepreneurs who have recently launched their own businesses. This year, once again, designers are seen to be developing and implementing new ideas in sustainable production – including Robert Hunter Ceramics, whose hand-fired vessels are glazed using self-sourced local materials such as seaweeds, plants, rocks, ashes and clays; Manchester textile artist Kate Whitehead, whose work protests against today’s throwaway fashion by returning to traditional methods of making and repair; product designer Kuniko Maeda, who transforms discarded single sheets of paper into digitally designed, hand-finished lampshades in a zero-waste process; and YSD Design who designed a collaborative time piece using discarded marble slabs to minimise marble waste with an aesthetically pleasing solution.
19th - 22nd July
Décor + Design 2018 - Melbourne, Australia
Decor + Design is established as Australia’s No. 1 interiors trade event! This year the leading interior design event celebrates it's 15th year of providing the industry with a wealth of interior inspiration at their infamous design events. Bringing together interior designers, decorators, retailers, architects and manufacturers, last year’s event attracted over 11,500 trade personnel over the four-day event, all in search of the latest interior products and furnishings from over 300 of Australia's leading brands. Décor + Design aims to inspire visitors, source the latest products, stay up to date on the trends and developments in the industry and network with peers.
The event boasts an extraordinary list of exhibitors. A few which caught our keen eye for design include About Space, known for their creativity, decorative design & new lighting styles, encompassing the very latest in sustainable LED technology; Easygreen Interior, dedicated to bringing the outdoor indoor with no constraint as they specialise in the preserved mosswall and vertical gardens; INARTISAN, harnessing a strong commitment to creativity, the environment and ethical production by valuing individual craftsmanship and artistic integrity over mass-production; Kachet, incorporating modern technology with nature, achieving complex forms from bamboo plywood using CNC (computer numerically controlled) routing; and many more. View the full exhibitor list.
For more information, click here or register to attend now!
30th - 31st July
The Hotel UK Forum 2018 - Manchester, United Kingdom
The Hotel UK Forum is the leading business forum for the UK's leading hotels. Set to be held at The Midland Hotel in Manchester and attract hotel purchasers from across the UK, the forum allows senior buyers to meet with key suppliers of the industry to discuss supply arrangements, potential cost savings and establish fundamental business relationships.
For more information, click here.
Designjunction has announced it's move to London’s South Bank for September 2018!
The eighth edition of the award-winning designjunction will transport to the cultural hub of London’s South Bank, presenting more than 200 of the world’s most iconic design brands alongside some of the world’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Across three key areas - the Doon Street site, Riverside Walkway and Oxo Tower Wharf - designjunction will showcase a series of show-stopping installations, hundreds of product launches, a curated mix of pop-up shops, bespoke bars and eateries, as well as a stellar talks programme.
Expect to discover leading international furniture brands such as New Tendency, Erik Joergensen, Deadgood, Nolii, Petite Friture, Northen, VitrA, Icons of Denmark, Lammhults and many more. Also expect to see stunning lighting displays by brands such as Wästberg, Catellani & Smith, Bethan Gray, AND Light and Ochre. Unique to London Design Festival, designjunction also presents a dedicated retail area with more than 70 boutique pop-up shops selling homewares, ceramics, textiles, accessories, prints and jewellery. See the full directory of exhibitors.
Register now for your free trade pass.
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