LONDON.- designjunction returns to the spectacular King’s Cross site in September (21-24 September) for this year’s annual London Design Festival. Following the success of the 2016 edition, which attracted 27,000 visitors over five days, designjunction will expand across new King’s Cross locations for its flagship London show.
Taking place across five destinations including Cubitt House and Cubitt Park, The Canopy, Granary Square and The Crossing - a mix of global furniture, lighting, accessory, material and technology brands will exhibit alongside pop-up shops, installations and interactive features.
designjunction presents more than 200 of the world’s most iconic design brands to the world’s leading design professionals. It’s a junction connecting the industry – a place to meet, do business and be inspired.
GRANARY SQUARE
Granary Square will feature headline projects including a new collaboration with Renault UK. Renault will showcase their design philosophy in a unique and playful way, creating an immersive experience around the concept ‘Beautiful Life’. Renault TreZor, voted the ‘Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year’ by the Festival Automobile Jury will make its UK debut at the show. Distinctive detail such as the analogue volt-meter and the animated honeycomb cooling vents on the bonnet make this concept a must-see for designers. Also on display will be the results of Renault’s collaboration with Central Saint Martins’ MA Industrial Design students, who are undertaking a brief on the future of modularity in car design.
Turkishceramics will create an installation in the central fountain space on Granary Square that celebrates the rich history of ceramics in Turkey. Representing over 30 individual ceramic manufacturers, Turkishceramics has previously collaborated with prestigious partners such as the Royal Academy of Arts, Zaha Hadid Architects and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners as well as emerging practices vPPR and Studio Weave.
CUBITT HOUSE AND CUBITT PARK
Cubitt House and Cubitt Park will present a stellar line-up of international design brands including Lammhults, Design House Stockholm, Friends and Founders, Fredericia, Icons of Denmark alongside Channels, LSA, Decode, Another Country and Very Good & Proper.
Lightjunction - the decorative lighting section - returns with a curated mix of leading global lighting firms. Since its inception, lightjunction has attracted world-class brands including Artemide, DCW Èditions, FontanaArte, Marset, Northern Lighting, Örsjö and Slamp.
The Material Collective - a collaboration with material experts the SCIN gallery - will form an exciting new showcase exploring materials both of today and of the future.
THE CROSSING
The Crossing will house installations from Corian, Kirkby Design, Blackbody and partnership projects. This year designjunction has teamed up with design-led watch brand Rado, to launch the first-ever UK edition of the Rado Star Prize design competition.
The Rado Star Prize UK will target the next generation of young British designers working across interior, industrial and technology design, culminating in a spectacular exhibition and awards ceremony at the show.
The Rado Star Prize UK will explore the theme: Design meets Time - searching for innovative, timeless product concepts. To enter, candidates can submit their projects online at radostarprize.rado.com/uk. The competition is open to final year design graduates and emerging designers who do not yet work professionally.
THE CANOPY
The Canopy will be a temporary pop-up venue for premium retail brands and emerging design labels, selling everything from fashion accessories to technology, ceramics, glassware and stationery.
The line-up includes Areaware (Under Stone Marketing), Moxon, One We Made Earlier, Tom Pigeon, Sarah Straussberg, Oggetto and Dashel.
TALKS PROGRAMME
This year, designjunction launches a brand new talks programme at The Office Group in King’s Cross. The space, designed by Universal Design Studio, will host presentations discussions and demonstrations across two days set to challenge, provoke and engage with 21st century design.
