Follow through as Love That Design’s Co-Founder, Siddharth Peters narrates his experience at Valencia Fair 2022. Tread carefully, as the upcoming text is riddled with stories of the Valencia Fair and factory visits, making the reasons behind the town being crowned ‘World Design Capital 2022’ apparent.
My trip to Valencia started off uncharacteristically, in the north of the country a couple hours from Bilbao in a town called Pamplona over Sangria and a paella that was promised to me six months ago at a Clerkenwell party.
After a two-hour drive from the airport, just as we were about to pull up to the Hotel Castillo in a town called Gorraiz, nostalgia washed over me. The town reminded me of Victoria, a city I graduated from a long time ago (even if I act like it was just yesterday). A fresh 15 degrees Celsius with beautiful houses leading up to the hotel and a phenomenal sunset with all the hues of the sky you aren’t usually accustomed to in Dubai. That night also happened to be the night of victory for the Spanish Men’s Basketball team at the European Championships – clearly an eventful week for Spain.
Day 0 at Valencia: 19th September, 2022
I do not tire from factory tours, even after 20 years of doing them. The design process, the tools needed to create them and the level of automation each factory goes through to arrive at a stage of consistent quality, all keep me on my toes – explaining my giddiness as I stepped into Isimar’s, an outdoor furniture brand, factory.
Before it built contract outdoor furniture, the factory was used for making chicken coups. Repurposed as the Isimar we know today, courtesy of the grit and determination of Luis and his partner, the premises’ shelves now struggle to accommodate all the accolades from Architonic, Archiproducts, NYC design and others.
Valencia Fair 2022
From there, our trip to Valencia was just short of a 5 hour drive. We moved from the cool and green North, to the barren midlands that looked like they hadn’t seen rain in a very long time, to the coastal town of Valencia, filled with Palm trees, museums and a blaise Mediterranean vibe.
Within minutes of checking into the hotel, we were whisked away to Andreu World’s talk at their showroom, north of the city to unveil the products designed by the revered Phillipe Starck. Nestled in a gated community that was a school in its previous life – one that the owners of Andreu World attended – the showroom was brimming with people awaiting to listen to the man of the hour.
The center of the showroom boasted Phillipe’s collection with Andreu World in its entirety for everyone to see, as the designer revealed how the collection used screws and glue sparingly and plywood dominantly to reduce the impact on the environment. His thought process was backed by his philosophy of development must be centered around naturally fitting elements, over forcing their involvement.
Expectedly, the line to interview him was long and well worth the wait. He’s currently designing for NASA, and I am sure no one is anything but intrigued. After a quick tour around the Andreu World’s gorgeous gardens with a live jazz band, we headed to Vondom’s factory/showroom at 10pm, a time, I learned, was not late for the Spanish town.
Vondom Factory
Michelle rolled out the red carpet literally lined with Vondom’s Marquis table lamps, which we later found out were parting gifts for everyone that made for an impressive touch. Points to Vondom! The dome in front of their factory was completed just days ago for the Valencia festival to showcase their latest products with Ramón Esteve himself talking through his designs and the flexibility that Vondom had now acquired with metal, wood and upholstery as new dimensions to their product lines. Both companies, powerhouses in their own right and a product of Valencia, were determined to consolidate the town’s position as World Design Capital 2022. The evening ended at 12am, with me mentally making a note to myself, to consume more coffee for the days to come.
Day 1 at Valencia: 20th September, 2022
Valencia Fair 2022
The day started with a coffee chat with Valencia’s up and coming stars, Victor, Julio & Roberto, from Viccarbe for a coffee chat. Acquired by Steelcase last October, it was great to catch up with them to understand what that meant for their future in revenue growth, design development and partner outreach. It’s clear that the presence of Steelcase’s partner network will demand much more from their boutique space in Valencia.
After the opening speech from the curators of World Design Capital, we were ushered to Actiu’s installation that ventured into digital assets as art pieces, as a preview the days ahead. It was refreshing to see European companies taking the digital realm a lot more seriously than they have been known for in the past.
The fair consisted of two floors and four pavilions. Kitchen & Home fabrics took up a quarter of the exhibition while home furniture took up another half followed by the design-led manufacturers taking up a quarter of the pavilion – truly something for everyone.
As we walked around, there was a huge buzz at one of the stands. Sure enough, it was Isimar. 2 P.M. and the party had already begun. As music bellowed loud enough, two large (very large) paella dishes and beverages for everyone visiting the stand began making rounds. If only we were at the beach, the “Be Mediterranean” tagline would be in full effect.
After fueling up, Luis was kind enough to introduce us to another heavy hitter from the north – Herriet, Director of B.Lux Lighting who talked us through his new collections along with an introduction to the product designers of their Ring collection – Ilmio designs – highlighting the importance of the intimate engagement between brand and designer to create the ideal design led, commercially viable product.
3PM was highlighted on my schedule – “Keys to succeed in the Middle East” hosted by leading brands of Spain forum that had SkyDesign, Swiss Bureau Interior Design, Darwazeh Living & Ramon Esteve Studio. There were many talks at the event, however doing business in the Middle East definitely got some attention.
Greenarea flaunted some art pieces with the use of preserved plants, cork and art. The unique combination of these elements alongside integrating it into furniture and wall panelings presented some interesting applications.
Gandia Blasco Group invited curiosity with their stand design, while Sancal’s Link was probably the most fun product across the entire exhibition with nine links stretching across their space. If you have spacious homes, hotels or workspaces, this is a must have!
Given the long taxi line, I spent over an hour walking through the streets of Valencia (far from the city) experiencing the little communities on the way and taking in the cool breeze. Day one ended with a lovely tapas style dinner with my hosts at ICEX. It was already 12am, yet the evenings in Spain refused to lull.
Day 2 at Valencia: 21st Sepetember, 2022
Lladro’s factory
‘I was excited’, would be an understatement here. Full disclosure, I’ve grown up seeing Lladro’s on shelves and each porcelain item being treated with a lot of fragility. Roberto and Teresa welcomed me into their customer lounge. We briefly talked about Lladro’s vision for the Middle East followed by a history tour through the offices of the three brothers that founded Lladro. Time truly stood still in those offices with the decor frozen in the 60’s!
The tour walked us through the lighting segment of Lladro – both chandeliers and functional. Their superiority in high porcelain pieces are clearly reflected in their decorative and functional lighting pieces. If you’ve got a villa on the Palm, you are unlikely to leave the lladro factory without purchasing something.
I was guided around the factory by Nataliya, who explained every detail of the artwork and sensitivity required to craft these pieces. Two takeaways from the factory:
- Each flower is handmade, so if you spot a Lladro piece with a lot of flowers make sure to have an equally substantial limit on your credit card
- If you ever want to know who worked on your piece, just look below yours, there’s an inscription that uniquely identifies the artist in the factory
Valencia Fair
VICAL home furniture was the highlight with their stand creating exotic settings for home furniture and pieces. The large olive tree in the middle and countless settings had me visit the stand twice in as many days.
There were many lighting companies, but none that drew you in more than Garcia Requejo’s Arum Lily collection. The lights that ran through their glass lilies mimicked a siren calling on passersby. Peralta Vidavi’s custom lighting lamp shades are freshly etched in my memory, too.
Andreu World showcased 10 years with Patricia Urquiola with their collection at the fair. The impressive collection showcased her latest collaboration focussed on the hospitality sector. Inclass, Punt & Kendo & Capdell, Verges and many more all showcased their strengths in seating, storage, tables and sofas respectively, it’s truly a great time to see Spanish companies flourish, locally and internationally.
The evening started with a press invite to Jamie Hayon’s exhibition at the CCCC. A true highlight encompassing his 25 years of design across sculptures, art, furniture and much more. He was humble, funny, athletic and young, so much so, that the only person who remained unbothered by the slight heat was him.
Last stop of the night saw us walk to the museum where LZF (pronounced Lucifer) + Gandi Blasco group hosted a party showcasing their work and had members of the press along with their customers visit them – a much appreciated combination of history, products and tapas & wine!
Day 3 at Valencia: 22nd September, 2022
Andreu World Factory visit at Valencia Fair 2022
Started off early on day three, with a tour around Andreu Worlds fantastic new facility. The size of 26,000 sq.m., itself was something to behold. The production facilities were inaugurated in September 2021, with state of the art equipment and the quality of products to match. The factory, built with the future in mind, has meeting facilities, R&D areas, and two new machines designed to develop plastic molding products in conjunction with their renowned seating collection. It’s very clear that Andreu’s World is looking to double their revenue in the years ahead; they’ve certainly invested in the relationships and the facilities to match.
The three-part tour consisted of Andreu EST (the factory mentioned above), Andreu Tops – focused on conferencing solutions, a growing marketing for them in the US and lastly their showroom that is now set to double in size in 2023. The company is set on creating a global impact. We were greeted by one of the owners and their star marketer Cristina responsible for making all those amazing events happening around the world.
Kitchen Exhibits at Valencia Fair
The second half of the event saw us covering the Kitchens at the fair. I have to admit it wasn’t a big attraction to me, but it was soon clear why the home shows get the biggest draw. Cosentino (Samsha Restaurant), Neolith (Maria Galvez from goutdhestia) and Lapitech all showcased chef’s cooking live, to the delight of the crowds.
The evening was topped off with a lovely picture opportunity at Capital Hall hosted by POINT, a 102-year-old 4th generation outdoor furniture company, which led to a dinner for the press team at Marina Beach Club.
Day 4 at Valencia: 23rd September, 2022
Valencia Fair 2022
A day you truly feel your age when you’ve been out late dancing. With the morning came a dodgy internet connection, and it seemed only prudent to enjoy the city of Valencia instead of being holed up in a hotel anyway.
With one last commitment of seeing Patricia Urquiola at 3pm, it seemed like the exhibition descended on Andreu Worlds stand. As fascinating as it was to see an animated discussion with Jesus and Patricia on the merits of design. The entire conversation held in Spanish was probably the only downside.
The fair was well and truly over and I have to offer a huge congratulations to the Spanish Embassy for putting on a splendid program to ensure the event was captured across all languages in as many countries. Ensuring the artists, companies and design fraternity in Valencia and across Spain participated to make this year truly special. I’ve felt welcome and safe through the city and that’s no small feat. I will be back, Valencia!
