Design Junction - September 2016

The move of the London design show Design Junction to a new home at the King's Cross development had proved to be a great success, as organisers reported a record-breaking attendance to its 2016 edition (22 - 25 September), which attracted 27,000 visitors, including architects, designers and consumers from the UK and overseas.

As part of this year’s London Design Festival, the show took over key locations in its new King’s Cross home – from Granary Square and The Canopy, to The Crossing, The Gallery (Stable Street) and Lewis Cubitt Square.  designjunction2016 was most attended by UK visitors (74%), while 26% of visitors were international, with visitors from 89 different countries.

Home to a stellar line-up of international furniture and lighting brands, Cubitt House boasted a spectacular super façade – the world’s largest GRID installation (W70m x H7m) – designed by London-based Satellite Architects, alongside Danish design curators, Icons of Denmark. Exhibiting brands included Design House Stockholm, Sony’s Life Space UX, Bethan Gray, Christopher Jenner, Charlene Mullen, Isokon Plus, Bolon, Deadgood, Very Good & Proper, Another Country, Channels, Northern Lighting, LSA International, VITA Copenhagen, Brokis, String, Haberdashery and Verena Hennig amongst others.

Deborah Spencer, managing director of designjunction said, “This year has been our most exciting and ambitious show to date with more than 200 brands represented across the show. King’s Cross is the perfect home, an area so connected with the design and architectural community – representing London’s industrial past and pioneering creative present. Moving designjunction2016 to King’s Cross has been an overwhelming success and we hope to have a footprint on this vibrant and exciting area for many years to come.”

Life Space UX

Haberdashery's Leaf Eddy

Indeed the 67-acre King’s Cross site's a rich history and a unique appeal added to the vibrant atmosphere of the fair. This former industrial heartland is being transformed into one of the capital’s most exciting creative hub, with the redevelopment of the area creating 1,900 new homes, 20 new
streets, 10 new public parks and squares and 3 million square feet of commercial office
space as well as cultural attractions.  

In line with its leading theme #immersedindesign, designjunction2016 collaborated with the King’s Cross Development and Central Saint Martins, UAL, to deliver a four-day programme of design exhibitions, installations, retail experience, events and workshops.

The show set up beautifully designed pop-up venues across the King’s Cross site – from its trade destination, Cubitt House on Lewis Cubitt Square, and dedicated retail hub, The Canopy, to a newly added space, The Gallery on Stable Street, as well as The Crossing and Granary Square.

Samuel Chan's flexible stacking shelfing system. 

In The Canopy, there were more than 70 independent design brands offering everything from contemporary design objects and home textiles, to fashion accessories and stationery. Tom Pigeon, Floor Story, Future and Found, Sekford, Dorothy, Bloomon, GF Smith, Melin Tregwynt, Void Watches, Yod & Co/OMMO, Little Greene, Dyke & Dean, Sygns, Laura Springs, William Branton, The City Works and Marby & Elm were some of the exhibiting brands in this section. Visit thedesignjunction.co.uk to view the full exhibitor list.

The Gallery on Stable Street housed the Florian Dussopt-designed Giant Twitter Machine from Transport for London (TfL) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the TfL Johnston typeface, while The Architectural Review set up an exhibition space for its latest Notopia campaign where visitors were invited to sketch their suggestions for change that would make a great city.

TfL

Running through the Granary building, The Crossing offered not only the main registration point created by Danish wood specialists, Dinesen, but also creative installations from leading brands including Native Union, TfL, Tala, Kirkby Design and BLACKBODY.

Last but not least, the centrally located Granary Square played host to seven giant, Monopoly-style houses – designed by Michael Sodeau – to showcase the inaugural Dyslexic Design exhibition, as well as a range of immersive projects and live activities from Dornbracht, EIZO, four23, Houzz, Dezeen Watch Store and Not Another Bill.

designjunction2016 also saw the launch of the King’s Cross Creative Quarter (KXCQ), in partnership with the London Design Festival, Knowledge Quarter and King’s Cross Development. This brand new initiative, organised by the team behind designjunction in conjunction with the show, brought together some of the best local restaurants, hotels, high-street retailers, architectural landmarks, and cultural institutions for a four-day event, with special events and exclusive offers for visitors to enjoy. The 2016 headline hotel partner was St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

All photos © Lucia Carpio