Our Trip To Design Junction & 100% Design - London Design Week 2016

Hello, This is Rhiannon from Think Furniture.

Yesterday, myself and Tony took a trip up to London for London Design week and visited a couple of the Design Exhibitions taking place. Our first visit was to Design Junction in Granary Square. There was many different manufactures displaying their products at both exhibitions so we got to view a wide variety of products and companies. The first section of Design Junction we visited was mainly lighting manufactures displaying their products, new and old. There was a mixture of the type of lighting being displayed from abstract to modern to industrial, etc. I was only able to photograph one image of a lighting display but this display was most definitely the most noticeable and eye catching due to its size and beauty.

When we entered the second area of Design Junction, it was a lot more furniture based and had much larger displays. We saw Humanscale, Allermuir, Lammhults & many more manufactures. We visited Humanscale and had a look at their new Horizon table light colour selections and their new Trea chair. The new colour selection for the Horizon Table Lights is really bold and colourful which allows them to link with different colour schemes, the colours are Twilight Blue, Bronze Gold, Dusk Pink, Sunrise Orange, Morning Pink, Jet Black, Arctic White & Silver. The Trea chair is suitable for many environments such as cafeterias, home offices, dining rooms, etc. The Trea is available in a variety of base, upholstery and finish options. 

We also visited Allermuir and tried out their Famiglia chair product on a tilt frame which was extremely comfortable and relaxing to sit in. This product is not yet advertised on our website but does have a selection of different bases and fabric or leather finishes. I was also able to see the Allurmuir Baudot range in person, both Strings and Zero. The Baudot collection is advertised on our website. When i was able to view them in person, they're much bigger than i first visioned but they are great quality and look very abstract.

After Allermuir, we moved on and found the Lammhults display where we were introduced to their new conference table which is very uniquely designed. This product is called the Attach Table. What gives this product its unique touch is the construction of the table and how the legs are linked to the table top. The Attach table was given its name purely based on the simplified and unique construction of the product, this is the attachment of the table legs to a sleek extruded aluminium beam along the table top base. The legs can be positioned along the beam to accommodate the users numbers and functions.

We later moved to a different area of Design Junction and found a few smaller displays offering many weird and wonderful creations. We found a small company called PikaPlant who create and sell hand-picked plants that are sealed in a humid jar and left to continuously recycle water and air. The plant then adapts to this environment and grows for years on the same piece of recycled water and air. I also spotted Modus, who are a large company who manufacture a product called Casper which is a simple stool made from recycled cork designed with two finger holes which make its easy to move and pick up but also gives it its 'Casper the Ghost' similar appearance. 

After leaving Design Junction, we went off to the next exhibition which was 100% Design at the Olympia, London. This event was much larger and had a wider range of products such as lighting, office furniture, household furniture, bathroom facilities, electrical components, fabric wall panels, upholstery and a few others. When we were there we saw NowyStyl, Johanson, Aeris and Flex Cube. We first stopped at the NowyStyl stand for a quick browse and noticed their very abstract and colourful Tapa product which is a collection of poufs made from 95% High Quality wool making them long lasting and very soft. These poufs can be moved around to create different shapes and sizes to suit the environment it is in. This product is built to be used as a chair, ground seat cushion, interior decoration or extra seating in an office breakout area. They would be great in an office breakout area because they are comfy and give the area a splash of colour and excitement.

We then moved on and noticed the Johanson stand where we had an in depth look and introduction to the products being displayed. The product from this display which i was really attracted to was the Haddoc EC Lounge Chair. This product was very appealing due to its overall appearance and comfort. The product has proved very popular with universities in their breakout areas and would be suitable in an office break out area. This product has a larger range of different colour finishes on its metal frame, 200 RAL colours to choose from. For the seat upholstery there is also a wide range of materials and colours to choose from.

Once we had finished at the Johanson display, we made our way through and spotted the Aeris stand where we were introduced to their new chair product the Oyo and their first ever product the Swopper Stool. The Oyo chair is their newest product, it is very different in shape and style giving it a very abstract look. The product is made from a glass-fibre reinforced plastic shell with a special soft foam material for the seat area, it is then on a tubular steel frame in a polished chrome finish. The Oyo has a selection of 6 colours to choose from which are Graphite, Kiwi, Red, Pacific, Sandstone and Orange. This chair is suitable for many environments such as conference rooms, meeting areas or even within the home. The other Aeris product was the Swopper Stool which was their very first product they created, the Swopper is a stool with an air seat cushion and tilting spring mechanism in the base. When you sit on this product it has a spring in the stem of the base allowing 3D Movement at all times, this was included to help posture and ease aches and pains. The spring mechanism also allows core muscles of the back and abdomen to be active and tightened whilst seated. The Swopper is extremely comfortable and enjoyable to sit on, it is great for break out spaces and also to be used at the desk.

As we were on our way to leave the exhibition, we noticed the FlexCube stand which we hadn't heard of before but was extremely interested in. FlexCube creates a modular cube system made from a stainless steel frame, available in three different colour finishes, and both glass panels or metal panels to create drawers, cabinets, shelves, bookcases, bars, office storage, reception areas, counters, etc. The FlexCube product is very flexible in terms of what you can create and use it for. There is a wide range of colours for the metal panels which allows it to suit certain colour schemes depending on its environment. It was very interesting to look at and see the different creations you can come up with. 

I really enjoyed my time in London Design Week getting to have a look at lots of different manufactures and products. I found so many nice new styles of products and met some lovely people, hopefully I can get to go again next year to find some more amazing new products on the furniture market.  

Rhiannon Little | Business Development