Trends in surface design

When we talk surface design , most people think of wallpaper. Well there is so much more to it than that.

At the Surface Design Show in London a wide range including stone, wood, ceramic, leather and glass were on display in addition to the expected fabric and paper.

Giles Miller’s corrugated cardboard relief pieces showed an interesting use of a traditionally lowly material. Corrugated cardboard has been proposed for furniture but not  for walls where I’m sure the insulation properties could be put to good use.

On a more commercial note I loved the textured stone effect walls by Decorative Stone Panel Ltd. Yes, it’s cladding but this works for me as an internal finish rather than on the front of my house.

It is called PANEL PIEDRA, a registered brand name for resin and stone powder mix – so much lighter than the real thing.

I also liked Tabu’s FSC approved wood veneers (sorry, no photo here). Apart from looking good they also meet LEED*** standards: so very important these days.

Fellow NEWH members VESCOM presented some glamorous wall coverings. Vinyl is very much in demand in the contract sector but still has some way to go before being called environmentally friendly.  Vescom assure me that they are making headway on this and, given their general environmental credentials, I believe them. I look forward to hearing more on the progress of that one.

Artwood Floors have a range of oil, lacquer and paint finishes for their wooden floors with this dramatic one on their stand. There were lots more good products but I can only talk about a very few here.