Immense; designjunction Has Arrived

Home to Platform 9¾, Kings Cross is currently undergoing an extensive redevelopment on previously derelict land behind the train station of the same name. First to move in was Central Saint Martins (CSM), a leading art and design education centre, tech company Google quickly followed suit this year and now British designer Tom Dixon has confirmed his decision to relocate his studio, showroom, and cafe into the area. So, needless to say, Kings Cross is more than a fitting location for London’s leading annual exhibition for contemporary interior design and culture, designjuction!

Described as ‘a show by the industry for the industry’, designjunction is in fact, so much more. It is a design destination. Running as part of London Design Festival, deisgnjunction presents locals and tourists alike with a space to explore, wonder and marvel at the creativity of our fellow countrymen.

The ‘Gateways’ pavilion at designjunction, designed by Adam Nathaniel Furman and commissioned by Turkishceramics Photo: Ruth Ward

Split across 5 areas of Kings Cross designjuction has provided a range of specially curated programmes from immersive installations to pop-up shops and creative workshops to talks.

Held within a customised temporary structure, Cubbitt Park and Cubbitt House are the two main trade destinations and present a stellar line-up of international design brands across furniture, lighting and accessories. Running through the University of the Arts London, The Crossing space joins Cubitt House with The Canopy and features a variety of installations, including the display for the 10 finalists of the Rado Star Prize UK.

For those who need a little inspiration for Christmas gifts (as its practically just around the corner), The Canopy offers visitors a pop-up venue filled with premium retail brands and emerging design labels selling everything from high-end fashion accessories to cutting-edge technology, ceramics, glassware, stationery and more!

However, it is designjuction’s feature area, Granary Square, which showcases its headline projects, including the winning model of an exciting new collaborative competition with Renault and CSM, unveiling the vision of the car of the future in a bespoke two-storey temporary edifice. The competition was part of a challenge by Renault to encourage the students of MA Industrial Design at CSM to think about the future of autonomous, modular car design, and how infrastructure and services might support it.

If this is not enough to get your foot out of the door, for the first time ever in the UK, the multi-award-winning Renault TreZor concept car, will be on display!! This concept car perfectly highlights Renault’s expansive design strategy in both style and driving pleasure – and its also pretty darn incredible to see in the flesh! But if your not an automotive fanatic, you can sit and enjoy an aperitivo on the river at Campari Creates.

One of the most important student competitions to be held in the globe made its way to London this year. Design junction partnered with Rado for the whole event but also to help host the Rado Star Prize. This internationally renowned competition looking at the best in young design made its UK debut at Design junction. To see more on the whole competition do read all about it here but just so you know the winner was announced on the eve of Thursday 21 September . The Jury Prize was awarded to Joachim Froment, who impressed the judges with the clever design concept of his ‘0.6 Chair’.