Uncover the latest trends in material innovation at Surface Design Show 2023

The theme for the 2023 Show is ‘Shaping Communities’; with an ambition to improve the surroundings for all, through collaboration and meaningful design solutions.

Located right in the centre of the Show, Surface Spotlight Live (SSL) features ground-breaking materials for visitors to touch and feel, giving a truly ‘hands-on’ experience for architects and designers to enjoy and learn from.

Curated by trend expert Sally Angharad and sponsored by CDUK, SSL will present a selection of surfaces, finishes and materials that celebrate the power of creative thinking, demonstrating how ethical innovation is providing positive design solutions.

Sally explains:

“This year’s selection of materials celebrates finding a common ground between the latest innovations and ideas that have a positive impact on people and places. New conversations are showing how human experience and a community’s identity are central to design development”.

Exhibitors from across Surface Design Show have been selected in the following categories at SSL: Common Ground, Let’s Talk Tactility and Collective Thinking.

Common Ground – Exploring processes and applications that balance aesthetics with sustainability so we can live in harmony with our environment

Cemher (stand 301) deliver superior performance and appearance without exception. They offer a wide range of microcements to suit different uses. Microcement is a seamless surface finish that offers a unique alternative to tiles. It is applied continuously by hand-trowel, so there’s no need for joins or grout lines. The cement-based finish is incredibly strong, durable and 100% waterproof. It can be applied to a wide range of substrates creating floors, walls, bathrooms, wet rooms and worktops with a finished depth of 3-4mm.

Rough Old Glass (stand 260) handle countless pieces of antique mirror glass, which portray the unique qualities of old mirror glass. Perfect for the use of decorative wall panels, their classic antiqued mirror finishes can also be toughened for use as a kitchen splash back or a tabletop. From the lightest Foxed finish to heavily degraded Really Rough finish, all their antiqued mirror glass is cut to the client’s specifications and hand- silvered, resulting in unique designs and patination. Rough Old Glass’s products are suitable for both commercial and residential interiors.

Let’s Talk Tactility – Nature inspired pattern and texture creates emotional connections through our sense of touch, enhanced by the interaction of light.

Ketley Brick (Stand 242) link inside and outside spaces seamlessly with their clay quarry tiles.  They appear to be integral to the building, like they have always been there and with a range of natural clay colours and sizes available, there is great scope for different designs and laying patterns. With Ketley’s range of Staffordshire brick products, specifiers can combine traditional construction methods with modern systems to gain efficiency, creating exciting textured facades, using solid and special shaped bricks and using modern lightweight construction methods with extruded brick slips where appropriate.

Designer Walls (stand 462) is dedicated to offering interior decorative wall panels with surface texture beyond imagination. They offer innovative wall panel solutions from exclusive European designers and manufacturers which use the finest materials known. Using natural products with modern twists to suit today’s designs and architectural requirements with a healthy appetite for recycled products. The Faux Stone & Slate range uses a system of panels that fix to the wall, giving the effect of exposed stone walls. A natural warm timeless look which works well in a home or hospitality setting.

Collective Thinking – A conceptual approach sees post-consumer waste stay out of landfill, with materials combined onto new colourful offerings

COAT Paints (stand 261) are the first and only paint company to receive the prestigious B Corp Certification, supporting their anti-greenwashing ‘speak in facts’ ethos in the market. They make their paints using high-calibre raw materials, meaning that they use quality pigments, lots of good resin and high-grade titanium dioxide. Coat’s Luxury Eco Paint hides imperfections and covers them effortlessly. The paints are water-based, low VOC, deeply coloured and durable too.

Smile Plastics (stand 368) is the UK’s leading material design studio producing 100% recycled and recyclable decorative panels for retail, interior, furniture, and product design. The reimagined materials have gained a substantial following in the design industry, building an enviable variety of clients from award-winning gastro-start-ups to luxury brands including Christian Dior.

Spared® is a start-up by design agency Volume Creative (stand NT30), born from a desire to support brands in re-using their own waste in their environments by turning waste into beautiful objects, furniture, art and surfaces, spared from landfill.