Surface Design Show, the premier UK event that provides a platform for architects, designers and specifiers to explore the best in interior and exterior surface materials, returns to London’s Business Design Centre from 11-13 February 2020
A key theme for this dynamic show is Stone Gallery – home to a range of exciting stone exhibitors from around the globe.
Stone Gallery is an industry-leading event for architects and designers to meet and specify natural stone, and is officially supported by Stone Federation GB, whose Stone Knowledge Hub forms the focal point for the event.
New for 2020, award-winning practice Squire and Partners has created the Stone Knowledge Hub, designed to highlight innovative uses and applications of stone.
The bespoke installation table, made in collaboration with Italian furniture maker Lema SpA and high-end natural stone supplier SolidNature, will showcase a variety of stone types from a host of leading suppliers. Exploring innovative textures, light, colour, pattern and sustainability to create a tapestry of inspiring materials from around the world, the display will be illuminated by independent lighting specialist Atrium.
Squire and Partners and Stone Federation GB will host ‘talks round the table’ on all three days of Surface Design Show at the Stone Knowledge Hub.
This year’s show has the chosen theme of ‘Close to Home’, which looks wholly at a sustainable approach to design. The theme addresses the current climate emergency debate in the context of the surface and materials sector, for both the UK and international markets.
Many Stone Gallery exhibitors are exemplary examples supporting the theme through home grown products in countries renowned for specific materials. This includes Italian marble producer Marmi Faedo; owner of the only Grolla marble quarry in the world, which is located a short distance from the company. Mármoles Serrat, a Spanish family business founded in 1965, has a Gris Pulpis quarry in close proximity, highlighting the use of the area’s natural materials without a reliance on importation. LSI Stone is a Portuguese natural stone supplier whose limestones are extracted from the best Estremadura quarries, located in the most important repository in Portugal. With sustainability at its heart LSI Stone’s recycling system is organised to allow the complete reuse of stone, letting what once was considered waste for the company to be reborn as a raw material to other industries.
Natural stone supplier and exhibitor Amarestone, members of the Ethical Stone Register and the Stone Federation Great Britain, have highlighted a trend that customers are increasingly interested in where materials are coming from, the production methods and their impact on the environment. This customer movement in the stone industry towards sustainable and ethical production is a common theme with the Surface Design Show exhibitors.
The theme in enhanced through Main Stage talks such as: ‘Setting the bar for sustainability – Less bad isn’t good enough’, taken by Hani Hatami, Humanscale on 11 February from 4:45pm – 5:15pm; ‘Close to Home: Locally sourced, sustainable and recyclable’ with Natasha Marshall, Natasha Marshall Interiors, chaired by Rodney McMahon Morgan Furniture and hosted by Design Guild Mark on 11 February from 5:30pm – 6pm; and ‘Close to Home: Consciously Creating Spaces from Concept to Completion’ on Wednesday 12 February with Nicola Keenan from Boxx Creative from 3:15pm – 3:45pm.