Sleep + Eat was greeted with widespread plaudits last week when it was staged for the first time at London Olympia and introduced a restaurant and bar component to its highly respected hotel design focus. Welcoming a record number of designers and buyers from across the
hospitality sector and a wide diversity of overseas visitors, including an increase of 24% in international visitors, the event was praised by exhibitors for maintaining the all-important quality of attendees. The Sleep Conference and Development Roundtables, this year joined by an Eat Conference, played to packed theatres and the level of concept room installations once again astonished and inspired their audiences.

“Sleep + Eat 2018 was a pivotal moment in the show’s 13-year history. Not only did we relocate to Olympia London, but we introduced the restaurant and bar design element and it appears that our timing was spot on; 73% of our attendees stated they were interested in both hotel and in R&B design. I am delighted with the tremendous feedback we have received from the entire hospitality design community and look forward to building on the show’s amazing success for 2019.”
Mark Gordon, Brand Director, Sleep + Eat

Exhibition highlights

Moment from Sleep + Eat 2018: Quasar

With more than 150 international exhibitors, this year’s showcase launched over 50 new collections from around the world. This year’s theme of ‘Recognisable and New’ featured iconic brands, newcomers, cutting-edge products and gorgeously crafted items which between them will undoubtedly help to define hospitality design in 2019.

Moments from Sleep + Eat 2018: Flair Showers (above left), DCW éditions (below left), GROHE (right)

“Sleep + Eat 2018 has provided another year of resounding success for our brand, with plenty of opportunity to develop exciting leads, build new business relationships and continue to forge our presence within the hospitality sector. Our decision to strengthen brand awareness around all of our products aligned perfectly with the expansion of the show’s vision. After 13 years as Founder Sponsor of the show, our relationship with the event and the industry continues to go from strength to strength and we are excited at the prospect of working on many more spectacular projects globally in 2019.”
Ina Sielemann, General Manager, GROHE UK, Sleep + Eat’s Founder Partner

Best Stand winners – Plinths London and Dedar Milano

Two best stands – Plinths London and Dedar Milano – were announced this year, judged by last year’s Sleep Set designers Vince Stroop of Stonehill Taylor, Maria Vafiadis of MKV Design, and Gilberto Vizzini of Il Prisma London, joined by Mark Gordon.

“Sleep + Eat was recommended to us by the design community as the ideal place to connect with the world of hospitality – and that’s definitely been the case. We are very pleased with the response we’ve had,” says Richard Rektor-Morris, Co-Founder & Sales Director of Plinths London.

For the first time this year, NEWH Student competition’s finalists displayed their work at Sleep + Eat 2018, positioning them within the very heart of Europe’s hospitality design scene.

Moments from Sleep + Eat 2018 (left to right): Dornbracht, Style Library Contract, Benott

The Sets
The ever-popular concept guestrooms, Sleep Sets, were this year were joined by three immersive Eat
Sets. 3Stories created a fantasy restaurant in collaboration with Different and Fileturn and encouraged
visitors to experience the future of dining though virtual reality Oculus glasses. Inimitable, unique
visuals featured food products in unusual colours and let the eye wander around a fantasy array of
mountains of hamburgers, pineapples in pastel hues and floating champagne bottles.

3Stories

Another set by 3Stories – café Anticaff – also proved a huge draw. In shades of yellow and looking like a cinematographic set, it tempted visitors to stop and stay, to contemplate the playful interpretation of the traditional concept of the British caff, or simply to use the mirrored ball above the table for an Instagram moment.

3Stories

Technostalgia by Shalini Misra in collaboration with Silver Interiors Design and Build was a vivid tribute to 1980s nightclubs, featuring the decade’s distinctive colours and geometric patterns, eclectic furniture and infinity mirrors to conjure up an optical illusion and a creative journey back in time.

Shalini Misra

For the Sleep Sets, AB Concept in collaboration with The B.S.C. Group of Companies and Guardian Interiors delved into the sweet world of Pierre Hermé Paris’ patisseries, revealing a multi-layered pastel fantasy full of fashion references including a dreamy swing occupied by a pair of Tom Ford pumps, extravagantly curvaceous forms and an oversized “macaroon” installation on the mirrored “selfie wall”.

AB Concept

Yasmine Mahmoudieh with Artisan Collective and JD Interior Solutions explored the soul of Penguin Books to design a multi-sensory sanctuary combining sound, scent, materials and lighting. A poetic and introspective mood was struck with warm and sandy tones, multiple sources of indirect light, and softly chanted quotes from literary masterpieces.

Yasmine Mahmoudieh

By contrast, Denton Corker Marshall’s muse was West Ham Football Club and the designers sought to capture the side of the club that’s not seen in the press – the stories and rituals of the fans. Dressed in the club colours of bold magenta and lemon yellow, the concept was a minimal structure enfolding a bed, the place of sleep and memories. “We wanted visitors to take away a sense of what it is to be a WHFC fan,” said Angela Dapper of Denton Corker Marshall, who created the set with together with Phelan and HW Specialist Joinery.

Denton Corker Marshall

HBA London with Ahsap Ürün and Robin’s Design took on the challenge of creating a guestroom inspired by the Natural History Museum. “It was a great opportunity to show our approach to designing with a lifestyle brand,” says Constantina Tsoutsikou, Creative Director of HBA London. “We enjoyed collaborating with hand-picked suppliers to create unique pieces, from sculptural washbasins to exquisitely detailed furniture, engraved fittings and collections of books from Ultimate Library. Our selections were very conscious; everything was long-lasting, traceable and with the lowest possible
footprint, proving I hope that it is possible to do and still be beautiful.”

HBA London

Sleep and Eat Conferences

“Designing for Millennials” panel at Eat conference (left) and Creative Duos session with Muza Lab at Sleep conference (right)

The free-to-attend two-day Sleep and Eat conferences revealed some of the latest hospitality design trends and emerging ideas, recent success stories, and the experiences of international design leaders. The Eat Theatre, designed by Wilson Associates and bright potato, suggested a rooftop bar on a summer evening, and was a perfect space to hang out and learn. The Eat Conference introduced the delegates to Artificial Intelligence in hospitality design, the latest headline-grabbing London openings and new spaces in Eastern Europe that are setting the pace in restaurant and bar innovation. The Sleep Conference looked into the science of sleep, hosted a Development Roundtables session offering delegates the chance for discussions with leading industry names, and delved into the luxury hospitality experience with the duo behind London based interior design studio Muza Lab.

“This was my first Sleep + Eat and I was impressed by the breadth and depth of what I saw – both when it came to the exhibitors and the participants. I had several interesting first talks with hoteliers and designers and I’m convinced those initial meetings have the potential to develop into long-lasting contacts.”
Michael Ingemann, Chairman, Claus Meyer Holding, and Eat conference speaker

Other speakers included the directors and creatives of such renowned companies EPR Architects, Sydell Group, The Park Hotels, Conran & Partners, Livit Design, Wilson Associates, and Gorgeous Group. Over 1,200 delegates attended the Sleep Conference and more than 500 delegates attended the Eat Conference.

Priya Paul delivering a keynote talk at Sleep conference

“It was wonderful to attend Sleep + Eat… to meet old friends and discover many new connections. I found the seminar topics extremely enriching at both the Sleep and Eat Conferences. In fact, I had a tough time choosing what to attend!”
Priya Paul, chairwoman, The Park Hotels, and Sleep conference speaker

Discussions and conversations continued outside both conference stages at the event’s social hub, the Sleeper Bar, designed this year by Brooklyn-based Jun Aizaki, founder of CRÈME, and in the VIP lounge created by GROHE.

Highlights from Sleep + Eat 2018 by CUBE video

Sleep + Eat will return to London Olympia next year on 19th-20th November. Register your interest now
at https://www.sleepandeatevent.com/visit/register-your-interest