Sintered stone brand Neolith recently hosted a live panel event called 'Creating Spaces for the Future' as part of the official London Design Festival programme.
This event which was chaired by interiors editor, Pip Rich, took place at Moley Robotics in Wigmore Street which is clad floor to ceiling in Neolith Calacatta.
The panel included 2024’s Scottish lifestyle influencer of the year, Wendy Gilmour; senior designer for Bristol based kitchen company, HUSK, Freya Gibbons; and Toni Black, interior director and partner of commercial design firm, Blacksheep.
Early on in the discussion, Toni Black said: “For me, timelessness is about being forward thinking and more responsible, rather than leaning into a particular aesthetic. It can mean repurposing timber from a derelict home or using suppliers that will provide long term maintenance for products, such as re-upholstery of furniture in ten years’ time.”
Toni added that sustainability should be sold to the customer as part of a narrative and that designers being more responsible in their selection of materials is the key to the industry becoming more sustainable.
Sharing her unique view in the residential sector, Freya Gibbons added: “Ultimately, certain elements of the kitchen, such as appliances or worksurfaces, are like jeans. You want them to be here in many years’ time and they hold an outfit together. So, this is where it’s worth investing. Some customers want to embrace the new. Others want the comfort of a gas hob. It’s our job as designers to get them excited about ways their new kitchen can be more sustainable.”
The showroom at Moley Robotics in London.
Demonstrations of Moley Robotics’ AI-powered kitchen prompted the panel to discuss the role of technology in design. And Wendy Gilmour who has Neolith worktops in her own home, detailed how she feels she is an early adopter of design advancements, opting for a completely invisible hob in her family kitchen.
Wendy said “As a consumer, research is everything. It would have been easy for me to listen to my designer and take the straightforward route of an induction hob. But I knew I wanted something different. Thanks to the community I have created online through my Instagram account I was able to speak with a follower in Germany for advice on an invisible hob, which was great as information was so scarce. Fast forward to today and I am chopping and heating up pans directly onto my Neolith surface!”
Rounding up the influence that the commercial and residential industries have on one another, Toni Black shared how she believes that consumers are looking for a “home feeling” and comfort when they step into a hospitality space, a sentiment which was backed up by Freya Gibbons who added that “the home will never go out of fashion.”
Ross Stewart, UK senior sales manager for Neolith UK concluded: “We organised this event to facilitate insightful conversation and to connect further with our partners. We’re delighted that such forward thinking panellists joined us to discuss these topics. Neolith is a product that can be used fluidly across commercial and residential design applications, but it’s rare we get to hear how these two industries directly influence each other. Neolith, as both a product and a sustainability concept, has a strong affinity with discussions about the future of design thanks to its world leading approach to circularity that is actively pushing the industry forwards. It is not just a surface, but a challenge to the status quo, which is evident in our recently awarded Cradle2Crade certification.”