In under one week, the Surface Design Show (SDS) will open its doors at the Business Design Centre in London, welcoming the architecture and design industry to explore the future of materials for the built environment. This year’s show, taking place from 4-6 February 2025, centres around the theme of “Creative Conscience,” emphasising sustainability, technological advancement, and the human experience.
The Surface Design Show 2025 will host over 180 exhibitors, all dedicated to furthering material innovation. The show aims to inspire professionals from across the architecture and design sector to discover new materials and gain insights into the latest trends, while encouraging meaningful connections to the world around us. The show’s theme, Creative Conscience, highlights the fusion of sustainability and ingenuity within architecture and interiors, and encourages designers to offer more sophisticated, adaptable, and user-centric solutions.
Exhibitors Embracing Creative Conscience
Several exhibitors at this year’s show are leading the way in sustainable and innovative design, embodying Creative Conscience. Here are a few examples of companies that are embracing this theme:
Gill and Franks specialise in luxury surfaces for high-end hospitality, retail, and residential spaces, representing the Pintark wall surfaces brand. They are committed to sustainability, ethically sourcing materials, and collaborating with local artisans to produce bespoke surfaces of exceptional quality. They are launching several new designs in the UK at the SDS 2025, including Perla and Floret from the Surface Artwerk Collection, Aves, Nami, Straw Marquetry Wall Art, and Trada.
Gill & Franks – Pintark Straw Marquetry Wall Art
Barcelona-based company Transformad is dedicated to the manufacture of high-tech surfaces for home furnishings, interior decoration, and wall cladding. Driven by innovation and sustainability, their mission is to provide precise tools to enable architects, interior designers, and distributors to transmit sensations through their products. Their three flagship collections, Tmatt, Crystal and Strati, have all been developed to offer aesthetic and functional proposals.
Ecohardwood was founded by a former forester with over 25 years of experience perfecting the art of oak woodworking. They source oak trees, aged 120 years or older, from sustainably managed forests. They craft oak floors, doors, stairs, walls, and panels designed to last for generations. Their oak parquet collection includes Diamond parquet, Art Deco parquet, Arrows, and Storm, as well as Velvet oak doors and Flemish oak doors.
Kava Surfaces produces eco-friendly, multi-use interior surfaces made from coffee grounds, organic waste fibres, and bio binders. Their unique surfaces suit both commercial and home settings and are available in a range of colours.
Kava Surfaces
Elena Drew – Green Grad
REHAU develops innovative furniture components and cabinetry that focuses on flexibility, quality and aesthetics. They combine flexible workability with beauty, the highest quality and longevity with a holistic approach in design and engineering.
Show Highlights
In addition to the exhibitors, the Surface Design Show 2025 will feature:
Material Matters: who have joined forces with NOVAVITA to create a bookshop at the show, selling books aimed at the architecture and design community.
Surface Spotlight: A curated selection of surfaces, finishes, and materials that embrace the 2025 show theme, “Creative Conscience”.
The Innovation Gallery: A platform for discovering groundbreaking materials and concepts from up-and-coming material innovators, including submissions from the Royal College of Art.
The Green Grads: A collection of recent university graduates who are confronting the world’s most pressing eco-issues.
Commercial Interiors UK (CIUK) will be launching its Supplier Finder Material Library at SDS, a curated collection of groundbreaking materials from its members.
A series of talks and debates: The speakers’ programme will include a variety of industry experts discussing topics such as the power of AI in A&D, designing for wellness, and material passports.