Surface Design Show

As a womenswear designer, I travelled between the East Midlands region and London on a very regular basis, usually to visit customers. When I spotted that there was a trade show which is very relevant to my current work, I followed my excitement and intuition back down to the capital.

I arrived at the Business Design Centre within three efficient hours of leaving home. I had a lovely feeling of nostalgia as I approached the historic building which dates back to the 1860’s. The interior did not disappoint either. There was a lively buzz of international exhibitors and visitors. I had a good look around the three packed floors of companies displaying sleek flooring, innovative lighting, large tactile wall panels, unusually textured bricks and my own personal favourite; tiles.

As I had imagined, the show was geared up for big business and large quantities. I am not quite at this stage so I looked around to assure myself that my work, particularly the tiles, is in line with the current mood of interiors.

There was a handful of smaller companies on the top mezzanine who were exhibiting under the banner, “New Talent”. This section was good to see and I enjoyed talking to a young designer who had studied graphics and had then gone on to design and make unique glass panels. He had joined forces with his Father who had worked with glass for many years. His work and creative skills had lead on to designing interiors for his customers.

I was also heartened to see a loud presence of companies displaying their sustainabilty credentials and goals. Eco friendly raw materials and circular production cycles were beautifully visible.

I collected business cards and leaflets from my favourite stands for future reference. I headed off for food and drink and a bit of a wait for my off peak train back to Nottingham. I enjoyed glorious St Pancras and managed to find a lovely lady to have a chat with. It turned out that she is in her second year at Central Saint Martins….yep studying ceramics :)