With over 400 exhibits including furniture, lighting and materials, 100% Design, which is on at London's Earls Court exhibition centre as part of this week's London Design Festival, is one of the UK's leading contemporary design events. But is the festival's biggest show still essential viewing for designers and architects?
We visited Earls Court yesterday and found attendees broadly positive about the show, with first-time visitor Jung-Kuo Lin saying, 'There is so much to see and learn about here and I hope to come back next year'.
Company director Maximo Riera agreed: 'I was here last year, and this year's show is just as great as before,' he said. 'If you're in the design world, this is the place to be.'
However, some seasoned visitors weren't quite so impressed.
Architect Rebekah Hieronymus said this year's show was 'smaller and less daring' than in previous years, while architect Samuel Price said it needed to be 'more responsive to current trends'. 'It doesn't really give a sense of what era we're in,' he added.
Alongside regular features 100% Materials, and Futures - a focus on emerging talent - highlights from this year include the first look into sound based artwork from Turkish design company Nef. The company debuted three large sound sculptures that resemble elongated and twisted brass musical instruments that have been specially created for 100% Design. The event also saw the first outing of Director's Cut, an area featuring the best of contemporary British Design, including the Tip Ton chair by design practice BarberOsgerby.
Alongside plenty from the UK, other unique exhibits showcase the talent from Norway, China, and Italy.
The show is also open to students (Saturday and Sunday) and the general public (Sunday only).
