Coppiced Hazel, Jacob Marks
Sophie O’Sullivan | Senior Researcher, Woven Spaces
Reishi™, MycoWorks
This year’s Material Matters fair, part of the London Design Festival, unfolded inside Space House in Covent Garden—a bold 1960s brutalist building reborn as an award-winning BREEAM workspace. Its transformation perfectly mirrored the fair’s spirit: celebrating reuse, reinvention, and the lasting impact of thoughtful design.
“With thought-provoking installations, engaging workshops, and a carefully curated marketplace, Material Matters champions a more responsible approach to design and encourages collaboration across the industry.”
Caroline Olah, Co-Founder, REDDIE
• The circular economy took center stage at the fair, with exhibitors showing how waste can be reimagined as a creative resource. FILIE transformed plastic film from broken car windscreens into leather-like surfaces and flexible foam, while MycoWorks showcased its Reishi material, a myceliumbased composite used for interior panels and furniture.
• Architect and interior design firm Tp Bennett partnered with The Furniture Practice to present In The Making, an exhibition that explored the evolving relationship between materials, geography, people, and supply chains in the commercial sector.
• Craft and context: Emerging voices challenged conventional material use, highlighting the importance of texture, regional identity, and sensory connection — for instance, Jacob Marks explored pine‑resin in his lighting and furniture work, drawing on a raw natural material with deep craft roots to create pieces with both tactile richness and a strong sense of place.
• The Material Way is a collective platform for materialbased research, founded by multidisciplinary designer Bonnie Hvillum and curator Rita Trindade. It brings together artists and researchers from around the world to explore innovative, nature-led approaches to materials. Over30 projects were showcased at Material Matters 2025, highlighting the creativity, diversity, and collaborative spirit of the global community. From seaweed composites to agricultural waste, the programme reimagines how materials are sourced, shaped, and valued.
Spanish Chair, Normann Copenhagen
We see material intelligence as a powerful tool in delivering spaces that are both commercially resilient and rich in character. The fair reinforced that true innovation lies not just in what’s new, but in how creatively and responsibly we work with what’s already there.
Material Matters 2025 made one thing clear: the future of material design isn’t about more — it’s about doing more with less, and doing it with clear design intent.
“Material Way is all about curiosity, collaboration, and community. Our practitioners—whether in the jungle, the desert, or the city—explored local habitats, using natural, waste, and historically or culturally significant materials to create innovative projects. We focused on shared learning, mentorship, and experimentation, helping makers develop their ideas and grow together. This year, the final projects from our global programme were showcased at Material Matters, offering a glimpse into the creativity and diversity of our community.”
Bonnie Hvillium, Founder, The Material Way