- 100% DESIGN, 2008
The fabulous 100% Design show was held again at Earls Court, London, in September 2008, and we sent our spotters along to check out the latest designs and trends in contemporary interiors. Here is a selection of what they came back with.
A new take on the sofabed
Newly formed company Zed&Co, based in Cornwall, were showing their award-winning sofabed with its clean, contemporary lines. These stunning sofas come with or without padded armrests and the cushion fabric can be customised to suit your interior scheme. Conversion to the bed mode is one of the simplest we've seen. The company may be new, but founder and designer, Alan Zoeftig, has a long pedigree in furniture design.
Funtastic furniture
The Scottish based design group, Outgang, have garnered a reputation for expanding the frontiers of design. It's almost as if they have thrown away the design guide book and started from scratch to create furniture that is both functional and fun. Here you can see the amazing XP Chair and the geometric SpaceTable.
Clean lined bathrooms
There was a lot of cutting edge bathroom design on display in keeping with the trend to make the bathroom as design conscious as the rest of the house. There were minimalist taps with blue and red LED's that switch the colour of the water as it turns from cold to hot and walk-in showers with large rain shower heads. But what turned a lot of heads was this oval island bath from Castello Luxury Baths. It's no wonder as it features in the Le Touessrok Hotel in Mauritius, award winner for the most beautiful bathroom in the world.
The hotest radiators
Radiators have come of age. You no longer have to be satisfied with a panel or column radiator that sits on the wall taking up space without being exactly easy on the eye. Radiating Style is one of the companies at the forefront of the new revolution in radiator design, turning a functional object into something akin to a work of art.
Leaders in LED
Lighting was big this year with a lot of companies scrambling to take advantage of using LED lights in their designs for their minimal size and high efficiency. But we were struck by the lighting on the Ochre stand, somehow their lights have a timeless vintage appeal but are also bang up to date in their styling. Here are their arctic pear lamp and double wave chandelier.
Precious tiles
There are so many types of tiles out there now, from ceramic and natural stone to metallic to handpainted, but have you seen these before? They may be more pricey than the average tile, but you don't need so many to create a perfect feature tile area in the bathroom or kitchen. They are handcrafted by Maybury Home from mother of pearl laid into resin on a ceramic back, the result is a lustrous tile that reflects the light in a jewel-like way. Colours range from elegant greys and browns to opulent gold and cream.
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Going up the wall
This year there was a plethora of artist-led wallpaper designers at the show. They cater for customers that require exclusivity, in the same way that high-end fashion designers cater for those who want to be sure that no-one else will be wearing the same dress. Their designs are often customisable to match in with the colour scheme of the room. We particularly liked the bold, uncompromising work of Scottish artist, Johanna Basford. She produces handprinted wallpaper featuring intricate black and white designs.
The next 100%Design show will be from 24 -29 September, 2009 and is open to designers and specifiers in the contemporary interiors and architectural market. For more information, visit 100percentdesign.co.uk. |
