Projects credited in
- Focus/17Focus/17 is universally recognised as a primary design destination for designers, architects and decision-makers who descended for a dizzying week of experiential events and collection launches. Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour has long been a catalyst of creative connections and showrooms reported a rise in global visitors, especially from the USA, Italy and Asia. Focus/17’s intention was to explore a 360 degree approach to design, and sharing ideas with influencers, established makers, emerging innovators and luxury brands was at the heart of it all. An incredible line-up of 125 experiences – from workshops, demonstrations and discovery tours to meet the designer sessions – delivered on emerging trends and the latest design practices, while at the acclaimed Conversations in Design sessions international names like Patricia Urquiola shared their knowledge to capacity audiences.
- London Design Week 2018EXPRESSIONS OF INDIVIDUALITY Upbeat, vibrant and more creative than ever, London Design Week 2018 saw key influencers and decision-makers converge on Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour for an exhilarating week of inspiration, experiential events and exchange of ideas. Embodying this season’s playful, assured collections, the show acted as a dynamic barometer of global design today. Established makers and luxury brands came together to celebrate interiors that brim with personality, sharing their stories and exploring new patterns and colours with a design-savvy crowd, while further visible expressions of imagination were evident in the new ‘Legends’ window displays. The Canvas of Creativity installation, filling the Centre Dome with giant paintbrushes encapsulated the daring, layered approach to decoration that is in the ascent. LEGENDS With the capacity to surprise and delight, over 40 showrooms took part in ‘Legends’ – a celebration of creative collaborations. Showroom windows and showcases were transformed for London Design Week 2018 by international tastemakers from the realms of design and decoration, art, fashion and architecture. The new initiative generated a feast of eye-catching displays which acted as a voyage of discovery for visitors in both the domes and Design Centre East. After much deliberation, the winner – judged by Gabby Deeming, decoration director of House & Garden, and Martina Mondadori Sartogo, editor of Cabana – was de Le Cuona’s homage to two great Impressionist masterpieces: ‘Woman with a Parasol’ by Claude Monet and ‘Dancers in Blue’ by Edgar Degas. Highly commended went to: Loewe/Morris and Co’s Capsule Collection at Style Library; Colony’s collaboration with Lambart & Browne’s Freddy van Zevenbergen; and Vaughan’s homage to Diana Vreeland. CONNECT, CONVERSE, CREATE In recognition of the design community’s sociable nature, convivial pop-up restaurants and cafés were an essential component of London Design Week 2018. Devised by creative director Arabella McNie, they punctuated and enhanced the show with the season’s most influential looks. Art Deco-inspired details set the tone for the elegant atmosphere of the FT How to Spend It Restaurant – a new collaboration with the luxury magazine, while the informal South Dome Deli showed glorious pastel prints on the perimeter walls. With one-third of all the showrooms now situated in Design Centre East, the Design Hub – the ground-floor space linking it to the domes – became one of the buzziest spots. Thanks to its redesign for the show, it was a spring-like arbour of pretty purple wisteria. On the third floor, Perky Blenders kept London Design Week 2018 up and running with its speciality grade coffee in Design Space. ONLINE ON TREND Millions of users go online for a regular dose of creativity to stay on the pulse of original design ideas. The London Design Week 2018 Blog Award was given to the best post that summed up the show’s theme – the rise of individuality and creative expression. Edinburgh-based designer Mairi Helena’s insightful report picked up on trends such as bright pastels and nature-inspired prints, and enthused about the ‘Legends’ showroom windows and the power of collaboration. The judges were Jenny Gibbs from KLC School of Design, lifestyle journalist Fiona McCarthy and Scott Maddux of Maddux Creative, all of whom felt that the informative writing was balanced with visual flair. Read the full article here. GETTING SOCIAL We know that interior inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere but when it comes to visual content, it is hardly a surprise that the design community loves Instagram – the platform is a tempting smorgasbord of delights. The growing popularity of the photo-based app, which now boasts 800 million users, is getting more engagement that any other platform in the industry, making avid followers aware of the beauty, power and diversity of design, whether it be wayfinding or experiential. London Design Week 2018 saw a huge rise in visitors sharing their discoveries at the show and favourite ‘Legends’ windows. For more design inspiration, news and images every day, be part of the conversation and follow the Design Centre’s authoritative social media channels @designcentrech. There's a reason it is called social media, after all.
- East Meets West, Asian Art at DCCHImaginatively conceived and beautifully realised, East Meets West, in association with Asian Art in London, celebrated the influence of Asian art and culture. The exhibition was a tour de force for Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, adept at supporting creative expression across the design agenda. Attracting designers and new discerning Asian visitors, it explored tradition and progress; history and the future, East and West. On display were works by contemporary Chinese and Japanese artists, represented by ArtChina and Kamal Bakhshi, alongside captivating Asian artefacts from the Japanese Gallery, members and supporters of Antiques Young Guns. Highlights of the immersive programme included unique masterclasses with woodblock printing artists Yu Chengyou and Paul Binnie, florist Rob Van Helden and Korean lifestyle designer Teo Yang. There were demonstrations on Sogetsu ikebana and modern calligraphy, specialist art tours with Vanessa Curry, sessions on feng shui, mah jong and international etiquette with Debrett’s as well as talks on how designers have approached the Asian aesthetic through archive reference, craftmanship and technique A life-size Asian elephant styled by All for Love London brought into the focus the exhibition themes.
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