May Design Series returns to London’s ExCeL for its third edition, from 17-19th this month. This year, the event will present more international exhibitors than ever, as well as offering some of the best in new British design – all alongside a complementary CPD-accredited seminar and conference programme. Furniture News explores a few of the highlights visitors can expect to find …
Promising to be the biggest edition yet, the show will offer networking opportunities and an array of products across five interiors sectors: Furniture; Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms; Lighting; Decor; and DX, a pavilion featuring products using new materials and technology.
Aimed at the retail, interior design, architectural and property communities, the show takes place at the finale of the international show cycle, allowing its numerous international participants to present their newest, shop-ready collections.
In the Furniture sector, new exhibitors Casamatera, Gualtorres, Two.Six, La Ebanisteria, Novaluna, Serca Furniture, Alma De Luce and Dall’Agnese join the show’s roster. Alma de Luce is a new Portuguese brand offering unique hand-crafted pieces made with Swarovski crystals, while Dall’Agnese manufactures a wide range of furnishings for the living and bedroom areas, including occasional furniture and accessories.
They join Egoitaliano, an upholstery manufacturer that hails from Matera in the south of Italy, and Sma Mobili, which will bring its contemporary furniture collections to ExCeL. Also from Matera is Calia Italia, which boasts the largest automated warehouse in Europe for finished upholstery.
Fine furnishing fabric brand Swaffer will be present in the Fabric and Wallcoverings Pavilion, where it will present a range of designs encompassing prints, weaves, embroideries, sheers and innovative velvets suitable for curtains, bedspreads, upholstery and loose covers in both domestic and contract applications. Swaffer will also present a range of textile designs from Spain’s Alhambra International.
Treniq – profiled in the March issue of Furniture News – will bring a carefully-selected range of hand-crafted furniture and home accessories from luxury brands and designers, while contemporary furniture designer and maker Graham Ikin will present his contemporary designs that employ traditional techniques.
Joining these exhibitors are Alphason, Ancient Mariner, Authentic Models, Besp-Oak Furniture, Eco Furniture, Furniture Clinic, Greenapple, Homestyle GB, Hyder Living, Ideal Furniture, Jade Furnishers, Kozmo Furniture, Protect-A-Bed, Storm Furniture and Wilde Java, among others.
Exhibitors in the Lighting sector include Clifton Lighting, Astro Lighting, Habitech iD, Chad Lighting and Lladro, while the Decor section will feature Morris Mirrors, and Rug Maker, among many others. The latter will celebrate 150 years of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in the form of two designs, reproducing some of John Tenniel’s artwork from the British Library’s original collections under exclusive license.
May Design Series will also be home to a number of exclusive features themed around design and commerciality. The New Design Britain Awards at the entrance to the show will display the work of 30 finalists across six categories: Interior Design, Architecture, Furniture, Fabrics, Surfaces and Accessories, with the winners revealed live on Monday 18th May. A selection of New Design Britain alumnae will also be exhibiting as part of the feature.
The show will partner with CEDIA (the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) to create a new audio visual and home automation area, with names including Savant Europe, Habitech and Face to Face Digital already confirmed. May Design Series will also welcome 40 of the UK’s top designer/makers, presenting bespoke product designs ready to buy or commission.
The programme is busy with other highlights, including a selection of products from new talents curated by the editor of Fiera Magazine, Katie Treggiden, who has trawled the fairs of Stockholm, Frankfurt and Copenhagen in her quest.
In a new partnership with Bucks New University, there will be a collection of students’ work that has been influenced, inspired by or designed in collaboration with the industry, while Birmingham City University has again teamed up with Global Color Research and digital wallcovering brand, Tektura, to bring students from the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design to the show.
The event’s extensive conference and seminar programme will cover topics from the macro-economic factors impacting the design industry to new insights from thought leaders across the industry.
Abigail Ahern, who has built an international business as a designer, author, speaker and taste maker, will share her experience of becoming a recognisable global brand, while another session, led by Andrew Bolitho of the British Retail Consortium, will explore the latest in-store technology improving customer experience and boosting sales.
A conference debate amongst contributors including Marion Roberts, Professor of Urban Design at the University of Westminster, will tackle the issue of creating high streets of the future with increased footfall, improved dwell times and better shopper experiences.
Design as part of the solution to the UK’s housing crisis will be explored on day two of the conference when Sebastian Conran and Pocket Living’s Russ Edwards will join a panel to debate if compact living can help and, indeed, if it is desirable, while the relevance of the circular economy to the furniture industry will be explored by speakers from FIRA and Herman Miller.
The show will include companies from over 25 countries, promising a floorplan evenly allocated to British and overseas exhibitors. Furniture News will be present on stand G50 in the Furniture sector – read on to discover a few of the product highlights of this year’s edition …
This article was featured in the May issue of Furniture News magazine.
