Design genius and renowned architect Ab Rogers will transform the show experience at May Design Series this year, following a successful collaboration with the inaugural edition of the show in 2013.
Ab Rogers Design, which has previously catered for high profile clients including the Tate Modern, Pompidou Centre Paris, Selfridges, Comme des Garçons and COMO Hotels, will be creating the interiors for go-to show destinations such as the show entrance, DX Bar, VIP area and the Conversation Series theatre.
This year, Ab plans to design the show under the theme of sustainability by constructing his design from 100% recyclable materials – primarily cardboard tubes which form the basis of his vision for a “powerful dynamic vista” that will welcome visitors to the show. In essence, strong visual landmarks, vibrant colours and interactive spaces can be expected.
The design guru promises that the exhibition space will incorporate a vibrant spectrum of colours with practicality in terms of sound absorption and screening for areas such as the Conversation Series theatre. Ab explains: “We’re using bright multi-coloured cardboard tubes, placed closely together, to create an acoustic separation. The cardboard tubes are of various scales of thickness and dimensions, inviting visitors to engage and move in and out of the spaces around them.”
The same system will be used for the DX Bar area, where Ab plans for the cardboard tubes to support the structure of the bar itself. The DX Bar feature will also be lit up by an extraordinary illuminated cloud, which Ab is working to create with LG Chemical. As LED is such a thin material, Ab explains that he is able to create an illuminated canopy which will shed a “diffused glow of light” over the exhibition, and believes this to be the first time that such a canopy will be created on this scale. The canopy will also feature in the VIP area.
May Design Series will introduce a preview of The Furniture Show this year, following the migration of Interiors UK to create the UK’s definitive furnishings fair. Ab Rogers is confident that the move will provide scope to continue to grow both the show and its aesthetic boundaries in the future, and commented: “I think it’s fantastic – the grander we can make it the bigger it becomes; the more of an experience visitors will get. It will start to feel like a European trade show – I believe that in collaboration with May Design Series we can create an international impact.”
Ab Rogers is available upon request for interviews discussing his plans for May Design Series. Ab is the director of Interior Design at the Royal College of Art. He is also creative director of Ab Rogers Design, a multidisciplinary practice based in London working across the commercial and cultural sectors.
May Design Series will take place at London’s ExCeL from 18-20 May this year.
