Material Source

Material Source Material Source is the home of materials for architects, designers and makers worldwide.

Founded by a team of creative experts, passionate about design, we’re a leading destination for discovering a wealth of products and surfaces for your projects.

At the heart of new Smoke Knutsford by Up North Architects, a single London Plane tree sits...Manchester-based Up North ...
15/01/2026

At the heart of new Smoke Knutsford by Up North Architects, a single London Plane tree sits...

Manchester-based Up North Architects has recently completed a second venue for suburban specialist Smoke bar, in the picturesque and thriving town of Knutsford.

Building on the language of the original site in Wilmslow, completed in 2018, the new project sees Smoke's popular 'dark sparkle' atmosphere brought to Knutsford's Princess Street.

The focal point of the design was the ambition to create a full extended bar counter out of large format and heavily textured ‘live edge' timbers. Working with chainsaw and wood sculptor, Andy Burgess, Up North Architects sourced an entire felled London Plane tree...

➡️ Discover more about this atmospheric scheme, featuring dark grey Autex 'Cube' acoustic panels, specified from Material Source Studio to provide "sound attenuation, in this case, 'invisibly'": https://ow.ly/h9I450XWIjo

📸 Simon Pantling

✨ New furniture collections to explore at Material Source Studio Glasgow in 2026 ✨If you're seeking furniture for your c...
13/01/2026

✨ New furniture collections to explore at Material Source Studio Glasgow in 2026 ✨

If you're seeking furniture for your commercial interiors project, you will find a wealth of inspiration at Material Source Studio Glasgow.

Whether it's task chairs and privacy pods for a workplace scheme, or sofas and stools for a hospitality setting, the latest collections from Sixteen3 and Vepa UK can be explored Monday-Friday, under one roof and all year round. No appointment required.

If you've visited our Studio before, you'll know that key pieces are showcased in a real-world, highly inspirational setting, with takeaway samples offered. We also offer free-to-use co-working space for interior designers and architects, to support your product and material research. Should you have a question about anything in the space, our team is on-hand. And if you'd rather be left to your own devices, that's perfectly fine with us.

Take a deeper dive into Partner brands sixteen3 and Vepa here: https://www.materialsource.co.uk/new-furniture-collections-to-explore-at-material-source-studio-glasgow-in-2026-/. And visit Material Source Studio Scotland, 180 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 2NR - it's free and open to the architecture and interior design community 5-days a week. We just ask for a simple check in on arrival.

Meet the maker: Korean folklore inspired ceramicist, Jihyun Kim ➡️ https://www.materialsource.co.uk/meet-the-maker-funct...
09/01/2026

Meet the maker: Korean folklore inspired ceramicist, Jihyun Kim ➡️ https://www.materialsource.co.uk/meet-the-maker-functional-and-folklore-inspired-ceramicist-jihyun-kim/

Recognised for her signature, gravity defying, ‘gloop glaze’, Jihyun Kim uses tales of Korean Folklore to fuel her experimental ceramics practice.

After completing a Masters in Ceramic and Glass at the Royal College of Art, Jihyun relocated from London to Scotland for an internship with the Glasgow Ceramic Studio. This graduate internship programme attracts a multitude of budding ceramic practitioners from across the UK to develop their craft within a working pottery studio, filled with creative, likeminded makers.

Now back in London, we caught up with Jihyun to learn more about the Korean tales of superstition that inspired her pieces, as well as her approach towards slip casting and glazing. We also discussed her time in Glasgow, chatting about the varied and vibrant creative scene, and in particular its supportive network of ceramic artists.

There's still a month to catch Garden Futures: Designing with Nature at V&A Dundee.Running until 25 January 2026, Garden...
06/01/2026

There's still a month to catch Garden Futures: Designing with Nature at V&A Dundee.

Running until 25 January 2026, Garden Futures examines how gardens - from domestic plots to global landscapes - shape the way we live, design and connect with nature.

Developed by the Vitra Design Museum, the Wüstenrot Foundation and the Nieuwe Instituut, and further expanded by V&A Dundee, Garden Futures presents garden design as both a cultural force and a testing ground for ideas around sustainability, wellbeing and biodiversity.

Discover more: https://www.materialsource.co.uk/garden-futures-at-va-dundee-traces-the-past-and-future-of-garden-design/

📸 Image credit: Grant Anderson

Address

1 Federation Street
Manchester
M44BF

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Material Source posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Material Source:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Our story

Material Source is an online magazine for architects and designers worldwide, exploring a wealth of materials and interiors to inspire your next projects.

From wood, glass, ceramic and concrete to vinyl, paint, textiles and recycled materials, we share the latest in industry news, showcase new products and surfaces from emerging and established designers, makers and manufacturers around the world, and we take a closer look at the people and practices who use these materials every day.

Answering to a growing appetite to discover how things are made, we look at how specifiers and makers choose materials, the challenges they face and the thought process behind specifying for their projects or products.

Launched in September 2018, our aim is simple – to inspire and inform as well as celebrate the importance of the materials that bring products and interiors to life, especially ones with outstanding environmental content.