The Surface Design Show 2024 features the latest trends in the world of design, and helps us gain valuable knowledge about cutting-edge surface design materials and surface solutions. It’s also an excellent opportunity to network with our trusted suppliers and gain insights into the latest trends and developments in surface design.

This year’s core theme was ‘Mindful Living’ and it focused on the ambition to design well while doing good, with a conscious effort to protect our planet by aiming for zero waste and embracing the vital role materials play in design. Exploring the balance between design intuition and analytical thinking to achieve progressive solutions, emphasising the influence of the natural world on the design industry and the use of material substitutes.

“The natural world remains a key influence on the design industry, inspiring new techniques and processes, as well as offering a wealth of material substitutes.”
Nickie West, Managing Director, Surface Design Show

In this article, we will explore KAI Interiors personal key takeaways:

Exhibitors showcased a commendable array of eco-friendly innovations, from recycled materials to energy-efficient designs. The conscientious approach to sustainability demonstrated a shared responsibility among designers for creating aesthetically pleasing surfaces with a minimal environmental impact.

Technology stole the show with smart materials, interactive surfaces, and digital wizardry taking centre stage. Attendees had the opportunity to experience surfaces like never before, with mind-blowing interactive elements that felt like something out of a sci-fi movie.

If you’ve been yearning for a breath of fresh air in interior design, look no further. The Surface Design Show was bursting with biophilic beauty. Think textured surfaces mimicking the great outdoors and organic materials bringing the outside in.

This embrace of biophilic principles not only enhanced visual aesthetics, but also reflected a thoughtful consideration for human well-being by bringing the serenity of nature into designed spaces. The show most definitely celebrated the enduring appeal of biophilic design.

Art found a voice in every nook and cranny of this year’s Surface Design Show From hand-painted tiles to avant-garde wall coverings, the show demonstrated how surfaces can be transformed into canvases for artistic expression. This fusion of art and design added a sophisticated layer to the overall ambiance, showcasing the capacity of surfaces to convey a narrative beyond mere functionality.

Collaboration was in the spotlight as architects, interior designers and artists joined forces to create interdisciplinary designs. The power of collaboration resulted in beautiful installations that seamlessly blended different design worlds. This cooperative spirit demonstrated the industry’s ability to break down silos and create truly holistic design experiences. Teamwork truly made the dream work. A good example of this is the ‘Interior Design declares’ pledge, which calls for a shift in our behaviour when working in the design and construction industry, meeting the needs of our society without breaching the earth’s ecological boundaries.

These highlights truly resonated with KAI Interior’s vision of creating unique spaces that are immersive, emotionally engaging and inspire human connection. As we reflect on our experience, it’s clear that the future of surface design is dynamic, innovative and filled with endless possibilities.

If you have a challenging interior design project you’re struggling to conceptualise and bring to life, do get in touch. We’re here to help you shape your design journey.

For millions of us, logging in remotely for some of the working week is now routine and this flexibility is valued by employers and employees alike. Because of this, there’s never been more of an importance placed on the work space. At Kai Interiors, we see how much the impact of workspace design can have on people, it can affect wellbeing, employee retention and customer satisfaction.

Now that businesses have found new ways to communicate across the globe, from Zoom to Google Hangout, it has given employees the possibility to work from remote locations and still enjoy inner city salaries. With more of a focus on a better work life balance, people are thinking twice about their career and where they live and this has hugely impacted the workplace. As a result, many massive global companies have closed their vast office spaces, preferring to work from smaller spaces or using different locations for weekly or monthly meetings in person.

As designers this means we have to reconsider everything we previously thought of when it comes to creating work space. ‘Office design’ no longer refers to the functional and decorative elements of a workspace, like furniture and equipment. It now takes into account the overall office experience, the wellbeing of those who use the space and the level of collaboration businesses hope to encourage.

Because of hybrid working, offices now need to be places that encourage people to come in as much as possible and to offer amenities they cannot get at home. We know, for example, that wellness and wellbeing are at the top of most businesses’ agendas for their employees. A forward-thinking workspace helps people to be healthier, happier and more productive. That doesn’t mean just offering fruit bowls and an occasional early finish on a Friday, it means designing spaces within an office where employees can feel valued. This could include meditation rooms, plush lounge spaces and fitness areas, as well as incorporating biophilic designs so people feel re-energised by water and nature throughout their day.

Let us explain the concept, which works two-fold. Firstly, it’s where people shunning traditional rented housing move into a functioning hotel for a longer and more permanent stay, with some hotels developing residences for people to live in for a year at a time.
Secondly, it’s the rise of existing hotels being repurposed and redesigned to create co-living spaces – which is where the importance of interior designers comes into play. As designers, we thrive on working on large scale projects and because we have so much prior knowledge about the evolution of the hotel, transforming a traditional hotel or designing a new one to incorporate co-living are things we are best placed to advise on.

Why are more people wanting to experience co-living? At its core, co-living provides individuals with fully furnished and well-equipped living spaces within a shared environment. This concept is different from traditional serviced apartments or houses because it prioritises community, convenience, an affordable cost of living and an enriched living experience.
According to the Financial Times in June 2023, a multi-million joint venture between asset manager PGIM Real Estate and co-living operator Weave acquired Rosedale Hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong, with the intention of converting the 435-key property into a co-living property. Meanwhile, in Singapore, real estate management firm LHN Group has invested USD$65.5 million over the past three years to acquire properties under its co-living brand Coliwoo.

This proves there is a clear demand for co-living in spaces that plug the gaps and inefficiencies of traditional housing. With the rise of remote work and more people adopting a more nomadic lifestyle, co-living has become a brilliant solution to continually soaring rents and unattainable mortgages. In turn a co-living hotel can become the hub of community life, offering spaces and services that cater to the needs of the local residents.

One big trend we’ve seen recently is the decline of the mini bar. The world’s first minibar was introduced at the Hong Kong Hilton Hotel by manager Robert Arnold in 1974 and it was once heralded as the height of luxury. These days every good hotel has a mini bar in its rooms and as dated as they can sometimes look and feel, they still make a great addition to a hotel room. When we work on hotel designs, we always try to add mini bars in to secret cocktail cabinets or desk elements to create fun features for guests to discover should they need a drink or snack in their room.

However, it seems the mini bar could soon be a thing of the past, to be replaced by a maxi bar. “What is a maxi bar?” we hear you ask. Well, thanks to the rise of travellers looking for a more bespoke and personal experience, the maxi bar is a variety of things. Firstly, some hotels are offering actual bars in hotel rooms – in a Soho House bedroom for example you have access to spirits, lemons and limes, ice, a cocktail shaker and even vermouth spritz so you can mix the perfect martini once the clock strikes 5pm. At the original Raffles in Singapore, a drinks trolley roams door to door early in the evening serving up any drink you desire from a cold beer, to a bubbling Champagne or a vintage vin rouge and in Baccarat Hotel in New York, the maxi bar features an entire Ladurée selection.

The concept of the maxi bar allows hotels to customise items tailored to individual preferences – something which has proven to result in customer loyalty and repeat booking.
When you’re a fan of the mini or the maxi, a strong interior design team like ours can suggest the best ways to appeal to customers for the most unique stay possible.

The emergence of sleep tourism is a response to the fact that most of us don’t get enough shut eye, that eight hours is illusive for a reason. As a result, ensuring we sleep well, even while travelling for work or for pleasure, has become more important than ever.

As interior designers, we know from working with hoteliers that the key to a successful hotel is having brilliant bedrooms. Whether working with a vast property, or a boutique B&B, a core emphasis of our design work is to create the most tranquil bedrooms that make the best use of light, texture and space.

Hotels and other types of accommodation are adjusting their services to cater to this growing sleep tourism trend, with many offering sleep-focused programmes, sleep-inducing spa treatments and even sleep retreats where guests can choose bespoke items from pillow menus, duvet options and sleep related literature to promote restful sleep and overall well being. It’s like taking your usual holiday siesta and making it the theme of your entire trip.