Sleep: New features for 2015
Europe’s leading event for the hotel design community announces first-time names, thought-provoking features and the return of several favourites.
Designers will also have the opportunity to consider the increasingly topical issue of the blurring of lines between traditionally disparate spaces, as well as the relationships that exist between the practical and the emotional. Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will are to join other leading design names in creating experimental spaces that explore the implications for design as people seek to lead less compartmentalised lives, and a Sleep Conference session will pick up on the theme, examining the potential and challenging assumptions about how to design a hotel.full-size Snoozebox sitting astride the forecourt of The Business Design Centre at Sleep last November was one of the more arresting sights to have graced a London high street in a while. This year, the portable hotel room is set to put in a return appearance, but with a twist. Designers are being invited to create a concept for a pop-up guestroom in a competition entitled ‘Flexibility’, with the winning entry installed at Sleep and fitted out with materials supplied by Egger.
The free-to-attend conference programme and speakers are yet-to-be announced however some of the topics have already been revealed. These include: an in-depth look at property conversions from the point of view of both developers and designers; what it takes to design a hotel legend; and, perhaps most controversially, does the designer have a role at all in a world where “everyone is a designer”? There will also be the return of the popular Development Round Tables giving delegates the chance to talk with the movers and shakers of the international hotel industry.
Every year, the exhibition is carefully curated to ensure the most compelling combination of new and established names, larger manufacturers and bespoke artisans, UK-based and from around the world. This year, Sleep newcomers will range from luxury brassware manufacturer Perrin & Rowe to The Vintage Fridge Company, which will be launching new modern equivalents of the original Brazilian Ice Box. The contemporary Danish lighting company, Light Years, will also be new at Sleep, as will Elegant Clutter, a team of artists and craftspeople who create bespoke artwork and accessory collections.
Another first-time exhibitor will be Loloey, the Italian producer of floorcoverings whose display will include designs from its Daniel Libeskind rugs collection. Speaking of the decision to exhibit at Sleep this year, William Loloey says: “I have never been to the event but I had heard so much from colleagues about the international relevance of Sleep on the hospitality and A&D scene that I thought it was time to participate.”
Every year, exhibitors and visitors report that Sleep is a great place to do business because it is focused, relevant and a high quality combination of the original with the established. Amongst the many serial exhibitors signed up for 2015 are Agua Fabrics, Cliq Designs, Crosswater, Dare Studio, Dornbracht, Heathfield, Hypnos, Laufen, Morgan Contract Furniture, Roca, Ultrafabrics Europe and Vitra.
Finally, Sleep has announced two more participants for the Sleep Set challenge. Anita Rosato Interior Design and Oliver Heath in collaboration with Interface will be joining the illustrious line-up of design firms already signed up, namely Studio at Harrods, Shaun Clarkson ID and Areen Design, and with the competition theme of ‘Wonder Tale’, expect guestrooms that will fire the imagination!
Sleep will take place at The Business Design Centre in London from 24-25 November 2015. Grohe is the Founder Partner and host of the VIP lounge while the European Hotel Design Awards is Sleep’s official Event Partner.
