G.F.Smith | toothpicnations

I have been wanting to visit paper specialist G . F Smith‘s showroom since it opened in 2016, but somehow never got round to it. The London craft week provided me the opportunity to visit the showroom as well as the new exhibition ‘Beyond Paper – The Craft of Material Making’ co-organised by MaterialDriven, a design agency and Material Library. The exhibition presented a collection of new, experimental materials that are at the forefront of design and sustainability.

G . F Smith & Son was founded by paper merchant George Frederick Smith in 1885. And for nearly 140 years, the company has been providing the finest speciality papers to the creative and fashion industries. Their Soho 4,000 sq ft showroom features a 14m-long collection wall displaying their paper in 50 Colorplan shades, accompanied by paper installations that change regularly.

The company’s long-time collaborator Made Thought not only designed the colour wall but also the corporate identity that was awarded D&AD “BLACK” Pencil for Brand Expression in 2015 (see below).

For those who think paper is ‘dead’, they probably have yet to visit this stunning and inspiring showroom.

At the exhibition space downstairs, the display included a wide range of sustainable and experimental materials that reflect the current landscape of making across fashion, interiors, architecture, and graphics.

Some of the innovative materials at the show are as follows: ‘That’s Caffeine’ tiles made from used coffee grounds and biodegradable resin by industrial designer Atticus Durnell; recycled polystyrene by designer Sam Lander; Papertile made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper by design duo Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell; textiles made from upcycled seashore plastic by De Ploeg; and Ecopet, a recycled polyester fibre made from plastic bottles etc.

It is always encouraging to see designers and makers using waste materials to produce new and biodegradable materials are not harmful to the planet. We certainly need more innovations and collaborations in this sector as a way of conserving our raw materials and preventing further damage to our highly polluted planet.