LDF 2024: Exhibits that made us Smile.

Phew! We’re just back from a whirlwind week at London Design Festival 2024, and my, didn’t we get the weather for it!

It was lush to see so many of you at Oxo Tower Wharf for this year’s instalment of Material Matters. Our Earth-inspired design for the bar went down a treat, and it was fantastic to be able to celebrate 30-years of Smile Plastics with such a joyous crowd of inspirational people – thank you!

If you didn’t catch it, our installation featured curved planks crafted from materials in our Earth Collection, including Quarry, Brecon, Slate and Grey Mist, culminating in a rich textural palette of coral, grey and gold.

While most of our time was spent chatting with visitors, we did manage to grab an hour or two to whizz round the rest of the festival to check out what else was on offer. From wooden vases to blending the senses, here are the top spots that caught the eyes of our founders, Rosalie and Adam.

Taking place as part of the Brompton Design District’s programme, The Practice of Learning – curated by Jane Withers Studio focussed on wood; and, more specifically, the unique properties that have led to it being integral to contemporary design.

Wooden vases by Nic Webb were formed out of a 'co-design' process, where the timber acts as an active collaborator and guides the designers’ creations.

The Morris Chair by Full Grown takes a similar stance, with hanging roots and bare textural bark twisted into the form of a practical seat while allowing the full organic matter to hang loose.

Peter Marigold’s Bleed 87 cabinet, made of cedar wood and steel nails sees a sophisticated transformation for the humble raw matter, with a slick geometric build and polished finish. The original material is still celebrated here, albeit through a different approach.

This level of versatility made the exhibit a thoroughly engaging one, allowing an in-depth exploration into the most cherished and useful of materials.

Translating function to form, Fabio Hendry’s new body of work seeks to shed light on an often-overlooked material present on most building sites – rebar nets. Through his investigations, Fabio puts his spin on the fundamental to bring it to the fore in order to create a new visual language. A self-taught method sees Fabio “freeze moments of broken and fragmented beauty”.

Re Bar showcases the next chapter of the designer’s “transmutational process” of bonding discarded powder in the 3D-printing process onto wire substructures – a technique he’s refined over a 10-year period. The result, exhibited during LDF as part of The Practice of Learning programme curated by Jane Withers Studio at Brompton Design District, is both conceptual and sculptural.

In the true spirit of London Design Festival, RCA showcased its very latest in material development, centred on climate action and the integration of AI with design to fuel better practice.

One project that particularly caught our attention was Zest by Che-Ju Tsai. A wearable accessory, Zest has been designed for music enthusiasts. The device has two parts – a watch-like component worn on the hand and a small item to be placed inside the mouth. The wearable component detects movement, and dance, and generates varying levels of electric currents to produce taste. All in a bid to enhance experience.

The concept seeks to allow self-learning, to help us see things from new perspectives and illustrate that, even in the most seemingly ordinary, there are always new angles to explore.

Over in Southwark, we discovered the new Asafo range from Amechi Home – a design brand based in the city. Inspired by the brightly coloured flags of Ghana’s Fante people, the collection comprises five jacquard-woven blankets that are a true celebration of African culture and heritage.

Every blanket tells a story, with humour woven into the playful patterns to “spark curiosity”. As well as being a visual delight, the pieces are also practical, making them ideal for cosying up under during the nearing autumnal nights.

We were, quite literally, drawn in by Marjan van Aubel’s illuminating installation – The Sun, My Heart – inspired by the designer’s Sunne solar lights and embodying our vital connection to the sun’s rays.

This immersive exhibit was commissioned by LDF to expand visitors’ awareness of our relationship with this celestial body through synchronising their hearts with solar rhythms. The installation triggered the brain’s theta waves – emitted during deep relaxation - to invite reflection.

Combining sustainability, design, and technology to imagine a sun-powered future, Marjan made her point - beautifully.

Bold primary colours collided with striking geometrics in Sons of Beasley’s furniture collection exhibited as part of SCP’s The Heart of the Matter showcase.

We particularly loved the dining table and bench combination, which paired bold and pastel hues with pared back, reclaimed ply. As well as being fans of the aesthetics of these contemporary ranges, we’re also keen on the low-impact manufacturing model that produces the collections, designed by the brand founders, Carl Clerkin and Alex Hellum, using offcuts to breathe new life into the discarded.

Continuing on this theme, Daniel Eatock ’s collaboration with art material supplier, Winsor & Newton, explored the nuances and complexity associated with colour. Reuse underpinned the process, which very much appealed to us – with empty paint tubes refilled with new paint mixtures.

Applying the paint to wooden canvases with a rolling pin to create unique pigmentation and shape, the finished results remained a mystery until completion.

Designed to address the growing disconnect between people and the origin of their food and flavours, Joe Slatter’s Origin Salt & Pepper Mill exists as a material study into the home of the spices we use every day.

He has created a salt mill carved from pure white Himalayan rock salt, and a pepper mill, crafted from Sapele wood – native to the tropical location that black pepper is typically grown. As well as having a beautiful origin story themselves, the pieces are extraordinarily stunning.

As well as exhibition hopping, we also managed to squeeze in a panel discussion hosted by The White Building and Studio Omelette. The conversation accompanied an exhibit comprising an innovative glaze made from used wine bottles, sourced at Silo Restaurant, plus the contributions of 22 London-based potters, who all added their ceramic pieces to what was a unique collection. We found it outstanding!

Reclaimed: The Silo Collection talk saw founder of Silo, Douglas McMaster, in conversation with Haeckels founder, Dom Bridges, sustainable leaders in architecture, Nina Woodcroft (friend of Smile Plastics!), and Ana Rita Martins, and Notpla founders, Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, and Pierre-Yves Paslier. They discussed the importance of adopting sustainable practice in both design, and everyday life.

The insights shared, particularly from Douglas, Nina, and Ana, we found to be extremely inspiring. When it comes to the lasting values of materials, we very much agree that while narratives are important, facts are key!

Huge thanks again for a fantastic LDF 2024 – if you spotted one of our materials at the show and wished you’d taken a sample, here’s your chance!

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