Design is one industry that would be better described as a community. People inspire each other as much as they thrive on competition. Each year, leading global markets, Dubai included, host week-long design events geared to inspire, communicate and create business. This is my pick of 2017’s most anticipated design events.
Stockholm Design Week (February 6-12)
Re-programme your understanding and appreciation of Scandinavian design with Stockholm Design Week. The event centres on Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair which attracts around 40,000 visitors and 700 exhibitors from all around the world. The Swedish capital will be abuzz throughout the week.
Design Shanghai (March 8-11)
One of the most influential industry events in Asia, Design Shanghai attracted over 42,000 visitors in 2016. Showcasing the best design brands and galleries from across the globe, Design Shanghai provides a platform for regional and international designers and stakeholders in the design community to network and establish long-term business relations with Asia’s top architects, interior designers, property developers, retailers and private buyers.
Salone del Mobile, Milano (April 4-9)
If you find your creative friends MIA in April, chances are they are in Milan. Regarded as one of the most sought after events, Salone del Mobile has long served as a vehicle for the hottest trends, the hippest new brands and emerging designers with some serious creative muscle. This year, around 2,000 exhibitors from will be showing their wares across an area exceeding 200,000 square metres. Euroluce showcases the best the world of lighting has to offer with focus on environmental sustainability and light pollution. For the twentieth year running, Salone Satellite will offer young designers from five continents to present their works to a global audience. Don’t miss A Joyful Sense at Work. Curated by Cristiana Cutrona, the presentation offers a glimpse into the future of office environments depicted through four installations by leading international designers.
Design Miami (Basel, June 13-18; Miami, December 6-10)
For a country dotted with design fairs, Design Miami presents itself as more than just a marketplace for design. It is in fact, a global forum bringing together some of the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami each December and Basel, Switzerland each June, Design Miami is a repository of museum-quality exhibitions of twentieth and twenty-first century furniture, lighting and objets d’art. The world of design, architecture, art and fashion converge at the event for an exciting roster of talks, screenings, even concerts – last December, pop superstar Madonna performed a sold out stand-up auction show to benefit her philanthropic efforts in Malawi.
Paris Design Week (September 9-16)
Missed the January edition of Maison et Objet? Fret not. The September Maison et Objet coincides with Paris Design Week, kicking off the early-autumn season with style. A series of talks, special collaborations, design awards, specially commissioned installations executed by a host of design stars makes this city-wide celebration of design a must on any self-respecting designer’s travelogue.
London Design Festival (September 16-24)
First held in 2003, the annual event designed to strengthen London’s repute as a global hub of design features more than 400 events and exhibitions staged by organisations and design communities from across the globe. At the heart of the fair’s programme is the Victoria & Albert Museum that plays host to a wide spectrum of especially commissioned design installations and custom-curated exhibits. Each year, London Design Festival is marked by a selection of never-seen-before installations that engage the city with design and creativity. Last year saw the V&A Green Room transform into a lyrical timeclock at the hands of the design studio Glithero. In 2014, Zaha Hadid Architects delivered a shimmering aluminium bridge, Crest, across V&A’s John Madejski Garden. 2016 also marked the first edition of the London Design Biennale at the Somerset House. Set to the tones of Sir Thomas More’s classic, a curated exhibition featuring entries from 37 countries explored the inaugural theme – Utopia by Design.
