Design-Calendar Does London: 100% Design
By alexandra
Design-Calendar hopped across the pond this past weekend to check out London’s 100% Design show. A few transfers on the tube and an unintentional detour into the EuroGamers Expo (“The U.K.’s biggest dedicated video games event”) area of the Earl’s Court exhibition center, we finally arrived at 100% Design.
It was still early for a Saturday morning, but the show was in full force with crowds buzzing about the new products on display.
There was quite a lot to see, but we spotted some major standouts and innovative creations. The M400 staircase in the Sentou Edition booth caught our eye and seemed slightly familiar. A reissue of a 1966 design by prolific French industrial designer Roger Tallon, the staircase is fully adjustable and is both functional and decorative.
Next up, we went over to Swiss furniture manufacturer Mossa’s space. They were displaying the Stabella chair, an iteration of the traditional rustic Swiss chair originally designed in the 16th century. Boasting the same basic silhouettes, the Stabella chairs are toned down, modernized versions of their predecessors, but still feature charming cut-outs. Our favorite cut-out was the heart design.
We are huge fans of color, so when we spotted this voluminous, vibrant and comfy looking couch we had to investigate. Italian manufacturer MYYOUR was responsible for this modern design.
Turning around the corner, we thought we were back at the EuroGamer’s Expo, as a giant orange robot came into view. Turns out, we had discovered “RoboFold,” a truly cutting- edge product that has a unique patented method to form metal directly with six axis industrial robots. In layman’s terms, it offers an efficient, sustainable and cost effective way to manufacture metal panels.
Our next find was a line of inflatable “pop-up” structures from the company aptly named “Inflate.” Their “Inflate Light” range that was on display consisted of structures meant to enhance any indoor or outdoor space. We thought they would be perfectly suited for event and exhibit venues.
Finally, one of our favorite collections from 100% design was easily the Ovo range by French company Morph in Design. The “Philosoeuf” was the first creation by the company and the inspiration for a smaller line of “Philoseoeufs.” Designed by Frédéric Verdys, the original large Philosoeuf has the capacity to hold 12 books. The smaller Philoseoufs, named Ovos, are highly sculptural and multi-colored magazine racks that were much buzzed about at the show.