Seeking Inspiration

Before the pandemic struck visiting interior design trade shows and exhibitions, to keep up-to-date and find out about new trends in interior design, was part of our working lives. Although online events sought to offer an alternative, it has been good to return to live events and share the collective atmosphere and have an opportunity to talk face-to-face.

Recently Joy-Anne Mowbray, one of our Architecture & Interior Design Team, visited Decorex at Olympia in London and here are some of the things which caught her eye.

Kitsch

Kitsch seems to be making a comeback with a number of brands exhibiting a range of furniture and decorative items with this aesthetic: Kinkatou (www.kinkatou.com), which won best stand at the show and Hyde House (www.hydehouse.co.uk) were two examples of brands offering new takes on kitsch.

Wall and Floor Coverings

A number of stands stood out due to the vibrancy of their wall and floor coverings. Popham Design, which was founded by Americans Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes, is a design studio and bespoke tile workshop based in Marrakech, Morocco. The company designs and manufactures handmade concrete tiles that are exported throughout the world, adorning luxury hotels, restaurants and residences from San Francisco to Sydney. As with previous years its tiles were bold and dramatic and beautifully made.

The Scottish brand Anta (www.anta.co.uk) exhibited its range of tartan rugs and fabrics. Its collection is a modern take on a classic; a collection which also includes furniture and houseware and illustrates the versatility of the pattern.

Another brand Omexco (www.omexco.com) from Belgium, covered the full gamut of colours, textures and materials, with some stand-out patterns. It majors on the tactile nature of its wallcoverings and uses a range of different materials. Its Trubu range, for example, explores the art of paper weaving.

Omexco’s geometric thick wallcoverings, made with natural materials, really caught the eye and were quite unlike anything else on display.

Fabrics

Colour and bold patterns seem to be making a re-appearance, after many years of more muted tones. Two brands which illustrate this are Warwick Fabrics (www.warwick.co.uk) and The Money Puzzle (www.themonkeypuzzle.com). The Monkey Puzzle’s award-winning, artist designed fabrics and wallpapers in particular are exuberant and luxurious. The company works with artists from the North of England and pays a generous 20% royalty to support each one’s work.

Warwick Fabrics

The Monkey Puzzle

Furniture

Custom-made furniture abounds at Decorex but one brand that stood out was Hillgrove Timber. Its wood- dominated display heralded a company where a client has carte blanche to choose from a selection of unique boards for their furniture project and to specify the way in which each board is worked in its workshop. Moreover, it “provides clients with an introduction to the finest British designers and makers of furniture whom it trusts with the further working of its rare and precious boards”.

Lighting

Just as furniture abounds at Decorex so does lighting. Of particular note was Tom Kirk’s lighting with his distinctive combination of skilled workmanship and the latest technology. His simple white and back lights feature futuristic clean lines, black frames and reeded glass. They’ve been around for a while but still look beautiful.

In turn, Cameron House Design, the sculptural lighting studio which specialises in design and manufacturing statement-making chandeliers, had a playful take on pendant lighting.

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