Five more weeks before Material Xperience 2018 will take place in Rotterdam Ahoy, the Netherlands! This year, we show you materials and special items from the world of architecture, interior, fashion & workwear, products, mobility, and graphic & packaging. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll give you a preview of what you can expect in each sector and how to get a free ticket. This week: meet the future of interior!

Interior ambassador
This year, our ambassador for the sector Interior is Odette Ex, interior architect and founder of Ex Interiors.

Exhibition pieces
Several large exhibition pieces – often never shown to the public before – will be exhibited during the trade fair, showing the visitor a glimpse of the future. What can you expect for the sector interior?

Ventri
In the meat industry, cow stomachs are regarded as waste. However, for designer Billie van Katwijk, the rich, organic textures of these intestines are a fascinating material. Each of the four stomachs of a cow has a different structure, depending on their function. By tanning the stomachs in a special way, Van Katwijk created unique types of leather.

Terroir
By combining seaweed and recycled paper, Jonas Edvard and Nikolaj Steenfatt developed a new, sustainable material. It is best described as a warm and tactile surface with the softness of cork and the lightness of paper, which can be used for products and furniture. The colour of the material is determined by the different species of seaweed – ranging from dark brown to light green.

Wolwaeren
Wolwaeren, designed by Roland Pieter Smit, is a series wool blankets made by mentally or physically handicapped people. The weaving techniques reflect the disabilities of the creator. People with autism, for instance, work well with thin yarn, while people with Down syndrome work better with thicker yarns. All yarn used in the blankets is made from wool from Texel, a Dutch island.

Speaker programme
Thursday morning 15 March, the speaker programme “The Future of Interior” will take place at the Material Xperience theatre. Speakers are Odette Ex (Ex Interiors), Simone de Waart (Material Sense), Nienke Hoogvliet, and Tjeerd Veenhoven. For the full programme, click here.

Materials from the independent Materia collection
As always, Materia will show the newest materials from its collection. Below you’ll find a preview of the materials in the interior exhibition.

This handmade wood mosaic consists of pieces of wood, connected by rubber. The mosaics are water-repellent, UV-resistant, and durable.

These contemporary and functional design cork rugs are made of a combination of cork and natural fibres such as (recycled) cotton, linen, and wool. Cork has many interesting characteristics, such as being lightweight, waterproof and elastic.

These paper sculptures are made from paper carrier bags, which are usually thrown away. The sculptures are made by combining traditional craft technique and a new technology, laser cutting.

Want to see more? Click here for the newest materials in our collection!

Visit us
Ready to submerge in material innovation? Material Xperience 2018 takes place from Tuesday 13 March until Thursday 15 March, in Rotterdam Ahoy, the Netherlands. For more information and a free ticket, click here!