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As we step into 2025, it is the perfect time to reflect on a year that redefined the world of interior design. What better way to celebrate the creativity of 2024 than by revisiting the year’s most influential design events? These gatherings served as vibrant hubs where design professionals connected, shared ideas and reimagined the future.
From Milan’s showcases of sustainable innovation to Tokyo’s seamless blend of tradition and technology, 2024’s events were a melting pot of creativity and practicality. These events sparked breakthroughs, became an inspiring space for collaborations, and unveiled innovations that are already shaping the industry.
In this wrap-up, we will take you through the standout moments that defined the year, exploring trends, technological advancements, and visionary ideas that are pushing the boundaries of design. Let’s dive into the highlights of 2024, a year of true innovation and inspiration.
Why should you attend international design events?
From staying ahead of industry trends to building valuable networks, there are countless reasons why participating in these events is essential. Here are some compelling reasons why you should make design events a priority:
- Staying ahead of trends: By attending well-known design events, you get a firsthand look at avant-garde concepts, cutting-edge interior design materials, and revolutionary design techniques that haven’t yet hit the mainstream. For instance, last year’s Tokyo Design Week showcased an intriguing collaboration between Perrier-Jouët and FormaFantasma, blending design, nature, and fine champagne in a remarkable display.
- Networking opportunities: International design events attract professionals from around the globe, providing a unique opportunity to connect with fellow designers, suppliers, manufacturers, and potential clients. Building these relationships can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and business growth.
- Continuing education: Attending workshops, seminars, and presentations by industry leaders allows you to gain insights into the latest practices, tools, and methodologies. Continuous learning is essential to stay competitive and enhance your skills.
- Inspiration for new projects: Events like Dubai Design Week, which last year featured over 500 designers and brands from more than 40 countries, expose you to a diverse array of cultures and design philosophies. This multicultural exchange broadens your perspective and can significantly enrich the way you approach your projects.
As Paul Smith famously said, “You can find inspiration in everything. If you can’t, then you’re not looking properly.” Whether it’s a groundbreaking material or a unique design approach, these design events ensure you’re always inspired and ready to innovate.
Top design events of 2024
Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and maybe even a little awestruck by the sheer creativity on display in the top design events of 2024.
Milan Design Week
📍 Milan, Italy
📅 April 15–21, 2024
Held in April with the theme ‘Where Design Evolves,’ The 62nd edition of this renowned trade fair featured approximately 2,000 exhibitors and welcomed over 300,000 visitors from around the world. The event emphasized evolution and innovation as pivotal concepts for the global design industry.
While every corner held a surprise at the Milan Design Week, three groundbreaking concepts captured everybody’s imagination.
AI-Powered Furniture: Philippe Starck, in collaboration with Kartell, unveiled the A.I Lounge and A.I Console. These pieces, made from recycled plastic, demonstrated an intriguing dialogue between artificial intelligence and sustainable materials.
Image Credit: Kartell
Sustainable Luxury: A research-based design studio led by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, Formafantasma’s “Earthic Lab” installation for Cosentino turned production waste into luxury surfaces. The studio challenged traditional aesthetics by utilizing debris from manufacturing processes and cooking oil in resin while incorporating recycled glass and plastic.
Credit: Formafantasma
Immersive Experiences: Samuel Ross’s “Terminal 02” for Kohler captured imaginations with its ginormous scale and surrealist take on bathroom fixtures. The maze-like brutalist installation at Palazzo del Senato featured a giant orange lavatory and twisting industrial pipes, marking the launch of Ross’s first product, Formation 02.
Image credit: Kohler
When to attend in 2025: This year, the event is expected to be held from April 7-13, 2025.
Tokyo Design Week
📍 Tokyo, Japan
📅 October 16–22, 2024
Tokyo Design Week was a vibrant celebration of creativity and innovation. Under the theme “Emotions,” the festival showcased art and design that evoke sentiment, featuring installations, exhibitions, and talks across various locations in Tokyo. In this playground of creativity, three visionary concepts emerged as true trendsetters:
Eeyo by Saki Takeshita: These chairs look like they’ve been painted with heat. Takeshita’s innovative process involves dying softwoods and exposing them to hot air, creating a stunning array of colors while maintaining the wood’s natural texture. It’s a fresh take on upcycling that gives old furniture new life.
Credit: Design boom
Nest by Straft: This design duo is revolutionizing the use of rice straw. From chairs to chunky clothing, they’re creating modern objects from this traditional material, proving that sustainability can be both innovative and stylish.
Credit: Dezeen
The Bathtope: This ingenious creation from LIXIL Corporation is a portable, foldable bathtub that transforms any shower into a luxurious bathing experience. It’s the perfect solution for small urban apartments.
Credit: Designboom
When to attend in 2025: Designart Tokyo 2025 is slated for October 31 to November 9, 2025. Accommodation books are up fast, so plan early! You will want to immerse yourself fully in this celebration of design and innovation.
Dubai Design Week
📍 Dubai, UAE
📅 November 6–12, 2024
Dubai Design Week 2024 celebrated its tenth anniversary with a diverse range of installations, exhibitions, workshops, and talks. The event welcomed over 500 designers, brands, and creative leaders from more than 40 countries.
The event also featured Editions, the region’s first limited-edition art and design fair, and the Abwab program, which supports designers from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Across the arena, three revolutionary ideas demanded attention:
The Warp: This is essentially a traditional Japanese tea house, but with a twist. This 3D-printed wooden structure by WASP and Kengo Kuma pushes the boundaries of sustainable architecture. It’s a perfect blend of ancient wisdom and futuristic technology.
Credit: Designboom
Vernacular Innovations: Local designers showcased how traditional materials like palm fronds can be transformed into modern, functional objects. It’s a brilliant example of upcycling that honors cultural heritage while looking to the future.
The Regenerative City: This thought-provoking installation explored how cities can become self-sustaining ecosystems. From vertical gardens to waste-to-energy systems, it offered a glimpse into a more sustainable urban future.
Credit: AD Middle East
When to attend in 2025: The Dubai Design Week 2025 is expected to happen from 4-9 November 2025.
Singapore Design Week
Singapore Design Week 2024, held from September 26 to October 6, celebrated Singapore’s distinctive brand of creativity under the theme “People of Design.”
The event honored everyday visionaries who make meaningful contributions to society through design. It featured a rich and thought-provoking program curated around three pillars: Design Futures, Design Marketplace, and Design Impact.
While every corner held a surprise, these three pioneering designs stood head and shoulders above the rest:
Design Futures: This flagship event featured keynote speaker Cathy Hackl, known as the “godmother of the metaverse,” alongside segment curators such as venture capitalist Debra Langley and Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director of Het Nieuwe Instituut. The forum dived into design’s critical role in emerging technologies, sustainability, and care, fostering discussions on how design can prototype a better future.
Design Marketplace: The Design Marketplace at Singapore Design Week 2024 featured FIND – Design Fair Asia, held at Marina Bay Sands from September 26 to 28, which united global lifestyle trends with Southeast Asia’s vibrant design community. Showcasing country pavilions from Italy, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Indonesia, the event fostered cross-cultural exchanges and presented the latest in furniture, interiors, and design. As part of FIND, EMERGE @ FIND, curated by Suzy Annetta of Design Anthology, spotlighted over 50 emerging and established Southeast Asian designers. Centered around the theme “These Precious Things,” the showcase delved into concepts of internal and external value.
Credit: Wallpaper
Homecoming Showcase: Curated by Tony Chambers and Maria Cristina Didero, it featured designers like Christian+Jade and Gabriel Tan, who examined the influence of emerging technologies on design and manufacturing, and how these advancements shape society and the planet.
Credit: Design Singapore
When to attend in 2025: The event is set for September 11 to 13, 2025. Early bird registration usually opens in June, so keep an eye out!
New York Design Week
📍 New York, USA
📅 May 10–18, 2024
New York Design Week 2024 transformed the Big Apple into a playground of creativity and innovation. The city buzzed with energy as designers, artists, and enthusiasts flocked to witness the latest in cutting-edge design.
Three standout highlights that captured the essence of this year’s event:
Lindsey Adelman’s Ethereal Oil Lamps: Unveiled at the TIWA Gallery, these delicate creations drew inspiration from ancient religious rituals. Their mesmerizing glow transported viewers to another world, blending art and functionality in a truly unique way.
Source: Wallpaper
Colony’s Expanded Space: This design co-op made waves with its new location on West Broadway in Tribeca. The gallery’s curated selection of independent designers offered a fresh perspective on contemporary American design, proving that creativity knows no bounds.
Credit: Azure Magazine
In Common With’s Quarters: This 8,000-square-foot concept space quickly became the talk of the town. Combining a gallery, boutique, and wine bar, Quarters established itself as the go-to spot for design aficionados looking to discover the next big thing.
Credit: Dezeen
When to attend in 2025: This year, New York Design Week is set to take place from May 15-21. Registration typically opens in early March.
London Design Festival
📍 London, England
📅 September 14-22, 2024
London Design Festival 2024 once again proved why it is a cornerstone of the global design calendar. The city came alive with a kaleidoscope of installations, exhibitions, and events that celebrated the power of design to shape our world.
Three innovative highlights that stole the show:
Rio Kobayashi’s Olympia Pavilion: Standing at the heart of the festival, this striking structure drew inspiration from traditional Japanese wooden homes. It offered visitors a moment of tranquility amidst the bustling festival atmosphere and showcased the beauty of cultural fusion in design.
Credit: Forbes
Studiomama’s Barbie Dreamhouse Pavilions: Designer Nina Tolstrup created three whimsical structures for the Strand, exploring the influence of California’s iconic mid-century modernist architecture on the world’s most famous doll. This playful installation blended nostalgia with contemporary design in a truly captivating way.
Credit: D5 Magazine
The ‘Vert’ Installation: Located at Chelsea College of Arts, this innovative structure shone a spotlight on sustainability. Crafted from red-oak glue laminated timber and adorned with a biodegradable net of plant species, ‘Vert’ offered a glimpse into the future of urban green spaces.
Credit: ArchiPanic
When to attend in 2025: The London Design Festival 2025 is scheduled for September 13-21. Early bird registration usually begins in June.
High Point Market
📍High Point, North Carolina, USA
📅April 13-17, 2024 (Spring Market) and October 19-23, 2024 (Fall Market)
High Point Market, the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, continued to be a cornerstone event for interior design professionals in 2024. With its biannual schedule, the Market showcased the latest trends and innovations in home furnishings, lighting, and decor.
Let’s have a look at three standout highlights from the 2024 High Point Markets:
Greenery and Nature-Inspired Designs: A recurring theme was bringing nature indoors, with showroom designers incorporating greenery, floral arrangements, and botanical motifs into their spaces. This trend added a sense of calm and connection to the outdoors, creating fresh and rejuvenating spaces.
Credit: U-FAB Interiors
Unique Lighting Designs: The lighting showrooms at High Point Market 2024 offered exciting and diverse options. One standout example was the Nephele chandelier by Hudson Valley Lighting, which exemplified the innovative and eye-catching designs on display.
Credit: Richmond Magazine
Innovative Collaborations: The Spring Market featured notable collaborations between renowned designers and manufacturers. For example, Bunny Williams partnered with Wesley Hall, showcasing Williams’ timeless style combined with Wesley Hall’s craftsmanship. Another highlight was Celerie Kemble’s collaboration with Taylor King, which blended Kemble’s whimsical aesthetic with Taylor King’s expertise.
Credit: U-FAB Interiors
When to attend in 2025: The Spring Market is scheduled for April 26-30, 2025, and the Fall Market for October 25-29, 2025.
NeoCon
📍Chicago, Illinois, USA
📅June 10-12, 2024
NeoCon, celebrating its 55th edition in 2024, continued to be the premier platform for commercial design in North America. Held at THE MART in Chicago, the event brought together architects, designers, and industry professionals to explore the latest in commercial interiors.
NeoCon 2024 presented several interesting concepts that captured everyone’s attention:
Innovative Acoustic Solutions: SLALOM’s “Bloom” acoustic solution won the Innovation award in the Acoustics Solutions category. This groundbreaking design addressed the growing need for effective sound management in open-plan offices and collaborative spaces.
Credit: Archiproducts
Sustainable Seating by 9to5 Seating: The HÅG Celi chair by 9to5 Seating received the Innovation award in the Stacking Seating category. This design showcased the industry’s commitment to combining ergonomics with eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes.
Credit: 9to5 Seating
Flexible Workspace Solutions: Enwork’s “Quantum” table system, winner of the Innovation award in the Task Tables category, highlighted the trend towards adaptable and reconfigurable workspace solutions. This innovative design addressed the evolving needs of modern offices, emphasizing flexibility and collaboration.
Source: https://mbcontractfurniture.com/best-of-neocon-winners-2024/
Credit: MB Contract Furniture
When to attend in 2025: NeoCon 2025 is scheduled for June 9-11, 2025, at THE MART in Chicago.
Emerging Trends and Innovations
As we wrap up our whirlwind tour of 2024’s design events, let’s zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Specific themes and innovations have emerged across these global gatherings, shaping the future of interior design.
- Sustainability Reigns Supreme: Eco-friendly no longer means compromising on style. Designers are embracing sustainable materials and processes. From recycled plastics transformed into luxurious chandeliers to furniture made from reclaimed wood, green is the new black in interior design.
- Tech-Savvy Spaces: Smart furniture, AR design tools, and AI-powered assistants have become practical realities, transforming how we live and interact with our spaces.
- Cultural Renaissance: There is a beautiful resurgence of local and indigenous artistry in modern design. Designers are weaving rich cultural narratives into contemporary spaces, celebrating traditional craftsmanship and techniques.
- Wellness at the Core: Homes are becoming personal sanctuaries, featuring biophilic design, ergonomic furniture, indoor gardens, and meditation spaces to support physical and mental well-being.
- Bold Color Comeback: Neutral palettes are making way for vibrant and nature-inspired hues. Designers are embracing maximalist patterns and bold color combinations, injecting personality and energy into spaces.
Summing up
As we conclude our journey through 2024’s design events, one thing stands out: these gatherings are the driving force behind the interior design industry, sparking innovation, fostering collaboration, and fueling growth.
Attending these events connects you with industry trends, opening doors to exciting innovation. The ideas and inspiration you gain can set your work apart and keep you ahead of the curve.
Ready to bring these innovative ideas to life? Foyr’s suite of design tools can help. From 3D rendering to virtual walkthroughs, Foyr empowers you to create stunning, cutting-edge designs. Why not give it a try? Sign up for a 14-day free trial and start turning your inspired ideas into reality.