The event, held at Islington’s Business Design Centre, hosted over 180 exhibitors working with salvaged and recycled materials such as reclaimed wood and post-industrial plastic.
These pioneering makers and inventors are showing how sustainable materials can be beautiful, affordable and easy to use, while also protecting the future of the planet. Here are some of the inspiring brands we discovered at Surface 2025:
Surface Matter
UK-based B Corp Surface Matter supplies and prototypes responsible materials made from recycled plastics, paper and textiles. Its recycled acrylic material Durat was used in the fit-out for Jägermeister’s colourful headquarters, while tactile Richlite – made from paper – can be found in spaces including the National Gallery, Tower Hamlets Town Hall and Bleecker Burger.
The company also offers a ‘Takeback’ service: it rescues its materials once customers have finished with them and reuses them in new projects.
Wonderwall Studios
Wonderwall Studios designs wood panelling from salvaged materials including railway sleepers, derelict houses and root wood left over from felled plantation trees. Based in the Netherlands, the studio sources wood that can be salvaged and upcycled, giving discarded timber a new lease of life.
Crafted from materials including Ukrainian walnut and reclaimed bog oak, Wonderwall’s extraordinary designs are as beautiful as they are ethical. Its Notes Walnut collection features in panelling at the Thalazur Royan hotel in France, while 500m² of the mixed salvage Ludlow was used both inside and out at the Sly Hotel in Berlin.
BerryAlloc
Responsible flooring company BerryAlloc exhibited its Parqwood collection at Surface this year. Made with wood from responsibly managed forests, Parqwood is a highly durable floor with a high-density fiberboard core. It’s also varnished with Ultimtec – a solvent-free, ultra-resistant and extra-matt lacquer – to resist wear and abrasion over decades.
Concrete Like Concrete
German company Concrete Like Concrete manufactures recycled 3D concrete surfaces that are supplied as flexible rolls. Only a few millimetres thick, the rolls are lightweight and easy to install, for use by both design-loving customers and architects. Concrete Like Concrete products are made by hand in Perugia, and can be found around the world, from a Manhattan penthouse to a restaurant in Paris.
The company’s founder, Stephan Schliebusch, has a background in restoration and previously worked at Sotheby’s in New York, where he restored elaborate inlays in the Chrysler Building. Before Concrete Like Concrete he founded Stones Like Stones.
2TEC2
Gone are the days of ugly office carpet tiles. Founded by designer Katia Dewitte in 1991, Belgian company 2TEC2 produces beautiful woven flooring and rugs for homes, hotels and workspaces. Made from bio-based materials, 2TEC2’s flooring is strong and easy to clean but also soft underfoot. The company launched its Palma and Alhambra collections at Surface this year.
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