LDF15 - Design Junction visit
Design Junction comes to an end tomorrow, so this is an opportunity to share the highlights of my visit on Friday and introduce you to some great shops and emerging designers so hopefully you will be inspired to pop over for some last minute shopping and inspiration! The show is a 5 minute walk from Holborn station towards Bloomsbury Square in central London so no excuses for not visiting. It hosts some 180 brands.
Victoria House was my first stop and once I got my ticket wristband on, I was good to start exploring the place. During my visit I had a scheduled design clinic with Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead of 2 Lovely Gays (hosted by Nest.co.uk) but with plenty of time ahead of my appointment, I made my way around the various rooms talking photos and talking to people. Victoria House is a popular destination for private buyers as it has a retail offering of premium design brands, both British and International. This post is focusing on this part of the exhibition as more relevant to me (and you, the readers I guess!)
Here are the highlights of this visit, however there are so many more designers and brands that you will find there!
\The Elephant Herd
21 designers including Terence Woodgate, Eley Kishimoto and Sir Kenneth Grange have customised the iconic Eames Elephant which will be auctioned at the end of the show for the Teddy's Wish charity. You can bid on these pieces of art here.
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
\Archie Proudfoot
Archie is a sign painter and gold leaf artist based in North London. After falling in love with a dying craft a few years ago he set out to learn the skills of the trade from old books and from the community of sign painters leading the renaissance in the practice. All of the signs are created by hand from start to finish, giving each piece of work for clients a genuinely unique feel. If I win AMARA IBA "Best Designed Blog" this year, I have promised myself to gold leaf "Seasons in Colour" in his trendy style below. See more of his work here.
Image credit: ArchieProudfoot.com
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
\OTAGO DESIGN
Otago collaborates with artisans from marginalised communities to create collections of fine objects for the contemporary interior. By incorporating local artisanal skill with cutting edge design, Otago creates exceptional and elegant pieces for the home. Their debut collection primarily features pieces made by artisans in East Africa.
You can shop their designs here. The Shabba Bowl shown below costs £160. It is made in Swazliand. The hammered brass bowl framed with a tightly woven sisal border brings decorative texture to contemporary interiors.
Image credit: OTAGO DESIGN
/LARA SCOBIE Ceramics
With an impressive bio full of awards and exhibitions, Scottish ceramisist Lara Scobbie's designs are exquisitely decorated and elegant. ELLE DECOR levels this one. Her unique style combines linear drawing reminiscent of mid-century design. Vases, pourers and bowls are all on display here. And just look at the 24ct leaf vessels! You can find her products and more about Lara here.
Photo credit above: Shannon Tofts
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
First introduced to the brand via {atmine} it was hard not to fall for the online concept store. Think inspiring European designs and the best of chic French homeware. Bodie and Fou offer 10% off when you register with them (as of September 2015). Click here to register.
Photo credit: Bodie et Fou
/GAS
A gallery, agency and consultancy working with a select pool of artists and designers to produce limited edition prints and original art works. Kevin Dutton's photographic plant studies (below) were an absolute hit with me. The plants and flowers in Kevin’s photos have grown in his own garden and have been photographed in his home studio, using high resolution camera equipment. With this technique, the finest details are captured and result in pin-sharp print production. Anna Marrow's colourful lido swimmers were also fun to look at.
Find more about GAS here (gasart.co.uk)
Photo credit: Kevin Dutton
Photo credit: GAS
/HOKOLO by Jen Taylor
It was great talking to Jen Taylor who is so passionate about her brand and was keen to explain about the various finishes that her lovely lampshades and furniture come in. Given the whole mid-century trend, Jen's lampshades would fit right into Betty Draper's (January Jones) - of Mad Men - home. Colourful yet organic in warm oak and walnut finishes, her lamps felt luxurious to the touch and came in two sizes (for the base) while the lampshades could also be made in bespoke sizes.
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
/Nest.co.uk
A well established online retailer, Nest sell authentic furniture, lighting and accessories from British and International brands. A great source for inspiration with a regularly updated website and stock. The NEST stand had a variety of products to please everyone (I love the FLOS ceiling lamp shown, you can get it on their website by clicking here).
Photo credit: seasonsincolour
And what's more, this year Nest have collaborated with 2 Lovely Gays to launch design clinics at their Buyer's Lounge. So here's yours truly with Jordan and Russell (2LG) - we had an agreement via Twitter that morning - they would bring the good ideas and I would bring cupcakes! They did deliver (I left with great inspiration) so the cupackes I brought stayed with them! Hope you enjoyed guys! The best strawberry cupcakes by Konditor & Cook for the lovely duo.
The Greek came bearing gifts by Konditor & Cook, yum!
I highly recommend visiting Design Junction. It's a great day out, there's some lovely food and drinks to try, it's centrally located and you will get to meet some incredibly talented people who need your support to keep going. You will leave with oozes of inspiration and, why not, some great products for your home!
Did you visit Design Junction? Which stand was your favourite? Drop me a message below!
