London Design Week 2024, held at the iconic Chelsea Harbour, is a staple in the design calendar for all creatives and professionals involved within the interior industry. Filled with innovative, fresh ideas for textiles, wallcoverings, lighting and flooring, furniture and beyond, it never fails to inspire and to showcase and highlight the innovative creativity of the UK’s interior furnishings industry.
This short review highlights just a few of the standout collections, collaborations, and innovations we discovered and explored in London this spring. There are many more to be discovered post-show with a browse online or in person at your leisure, within the Design Centre.
The Green Grads Made a Triumphant Return at London Design Week, Introducing a New Wave of Sustainability-Focused Graduates
Barbara Chandler, a design journalist, initiated this project during the COVID era to provide greater visibility for design graduates. Emphasizing sustainability, the focus remains on the up-and-coming change-makers dedicated to environmental and social progress.
With a Chelsea debut, Becky Brentnall, winner of the Green Grads Epson Textile Challenge 2023, showcased her beautiful botanic prints.
Becky’s formative years in her childhood garden instilled in her a lifelong love for nature, specifically seasonal UK flowers. Her numerous sketches and paintings have evolved into striking large-scale textiles, reaching up to four meters in length. These textiles are meticulously hand-painted and screen-printed on natural fabrics using Manutex, a seaweed-based thickener. Before pursuing further education, Becky honed her skills as a landscape architect and florist. “My creations celebrate and showcase the splendor of nature, bringing it indoors on a grand scale to enhance both home and commercial spaces.”
Becky’s winning design not only demonstrates the possibilities of sustainable textile production but also underscores the significance of integrating nature into our living spaces and the unbreakable bond between design and interiors.
In the World of Wallcoverings and Furnishings GP & J Baker Collaborated with Kit Kemp
Kit Kemp has worked with GP & J Baker for the first time on this collection of fabrics and wallcoverings that feature Kemp’s signature exuberant, art-led style. Highlights include “Robina’s Dinner Party,” which sees ceramicist Robina Jack’s folkloric plates translated as wallcovering, and “Potato Print,” an homage to artist Joe Tilson. “We are thrilled to collaborate with GP & J Baker on this collection, which celebrates craftsmanship and creativity in design. Our aim was to create playful, vibrant pieces that bring joy and interest into interior spaces,” says Kit Kemp.
The collaboration showcases the potential of incorporating art and craft into interior design. It also highlights the importance of supporting traditional craftsmanship and creating sustainable partnerships within the industry.
Diving Deeper into Textiles, Another Collaboration Shines Bright: Sanderson X Giles Deacon
Giles Deacon, the London-based couture designer and illustrator, renowned for seamlessly blending fashion, fine art, and theater, has curated a unique range of fabrics and wallpapers with Sanderson. This assortment of prints, embroideries, velvets, and wallcoverings embodies the distinctive style of fashion designer Giles Deacon, now tailored for home décor. Delivering an array of lush florals, reinterpretations of the classic toile, and bold Regency stripes, all infused with a touch of theatrical flair. Simply stunning. Rooted in British tradition, these designs are whimsical, theatrical, and timeless, reflecting a profound sense of beauty. “Surprising yet classic and always tethered to an unwavering sense of Britishness, these designs are fantastical and theatrical, yet thoughtful and ultimately, universally beautiful,” says Giles.
London Design Week 2024, hosted by Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, was a standout event, brimming with creative collaborations and cutting-edge innovations. It beautifully demonstrated that design is not merely about aesthetics, but about weaving stories, experiences and sustainability in a way that stimulates the senses and enriches our lives.
London Is Abuzz with Innovation as the Spring Season Washes Away the Winter Blues and Welcomes the Warm Tones of Spring
At the Coal Drops Yard, another fruitful and important collaboration showcased the use of digital technologies, design, and on-demand production in a collaboration between Cozmo, the online design-led furniture brand which announced its latest print collection in collaboration with acclaimed designers Raw-Edges and digital textile printing technology leader Kornit Digital. Titled “Home Sweet Home” and developed in partnership with Cozmo and Kornit Digital, Raw-Edges employed digital textile printing technology to bring their creative vision to life. The outcome is a series of delightful, textural home decor items crafted from digitally printed textiles.
Drawing inspiration from the charm and serenity of idyllic countryside landscapes, Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay of Raw-Edges have infused the collection with humor and playfulness. For this collection, Raw-Edges references timeless imagery of embroidered cushions featuring quaint, red-roofed houses and picturesque mountains, putting their own spin on tradition by harnessing Kornit’s digital printing technology.
The Spring Design Shows never disappoint and often serve as a signpost for pivotal trends and market shifts. 2024’s key takeaway for us isn’t a favorite pattern, color, design, or texture, but rather is about sharpening, fostering, and facilitating collaboration across the supply chain from design to production. It’s about harnessing and honing all of our collective professional skills and expertise to ensure that we design and manufacture using environmentally conscious materials and technologies, building and strengthening the industry’s focus on—and belief in—the use of eco-friendly methods, materials, and manufacturing practices. Because collaboration is the key to a sustainable future.
