Curated by material, design & trend expert Sally Angharad and located at the heart of the show is Surface Spotlight, a recurring highlight of the show. Surface Spotlight is a showcase of the latest innovations and themes influencing interiors, architecture and beyond.

Surface Spotlight will be returning to Surface Design Show this year to showcase a curated table that matches this years theme: Material Evolution. Carry on reading to have a look at some of the products that Surface Spotlight has displayed in previous years and the themes of each year's show that match them.

  Below are the themes we have covered so far and look forward to our theme for our 2026 Show.

Shaping Communities aims to improve the built environment through collaboration, design solutions, and exploring an open dialogue among industries and brands to build stronger relationships between people and places. It holds that our built environment should inspire conversations where human experience and community identity are paramount. SDS23 highlighted that design decisions not only create pleasing areas but evoke emotional responses and enhance productivity and mental wellbeing. It emphasized that sustainable practices are imperative to positive human and environmental outcomes.

Mindful Living embraces intuitive design and analytical insight to craft meaningful spaces, recognizing materials, tangible or digital, as cornerstones of multisensory experiences. As technology and creativity converge, virtual and physical realms blur, inviting a rethinking of the built environment. By balancing human and machine intelligence, designers pioneer innovations, such as AI driven research and immersive digital aesthetics that respond to our evolving world. In 2024, this approach highlights the ambition to design well while doing good, emphasizing zero waste manufacturing and sustainable alternatives.

The theme for 2025 is Creative Conscience. Creative Conscience embodies a drive and commitment to sustainable, ethical, and innovative design. This forward-thinking attitude explores the harmonious fusion of colour, sustainability and ingenuity in surface design for architecture and interiors. Harnessing creativity while encouraging meaningful connections to the world around us, designers can offer more sophisticated, adaptable, and user-centric solutions. Creative Conscience not only enhances functionality and aesthetics but also promotes a deeper connection to sustainable living.

Material Evolution celebrates thoughtful design and redefines what it means to be new - expanding the idea of innovation to embrace rediscovery, reuse, and contextual creativity. 

While evolution often implies novelty, Surface Design Show 2026 reframes it as a process of renewal, rethinking, and responsible transformation, where materials evolve through science, technology, culture, heritage, and circular design. 

This year’s show invites us to explore breakthrough ideas while revaluing existing materials through creative application and material storytelling. 

From recycled surfaces and reimagined waste streams to regenerative materials and nature-based innovation, SDS26 highlights design that is future-facing while celebrating past and present practice. 

Drawing inspiration from the fashion industry’s advances in sustainability, the theme champions circular systems, material transparency, and inventive reuse. In doing so, Material Evolution bridges disciplines and encourages the surface design sector to adopt a more nuanced, regenerative approach to the future.