Decorex International

London Design Festival 2018 is taking place between 15–23 September at a number of venues across London. It encompasses exhibitions, events and installations as well as being a showcase for some of the most talented and innovative designers. 

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Decorex International is a Partner Organisation of The London Design Festival. It’s a little further out of central London than many of the other contributors, but it’s definitely worth the journey to see so many brilliant designs in the gorgeous surroundings of Syon Park. Here were some of the exhibitors who caught our eye…

Jonathan Rogers - STAND K54

Rogers creates glass vessels using traditional blowing and finishing techniques, the finished pieces are understated and fluid, beautifully reflecting colour and light.

Bethan Gray - STAND B29

Bethan Gray’s design philosophy draws on various cultural references, combining contemporary practice with classical craft traditions of the East and West. Her signature style includes the use of luxurious materials with purity of line. 

Amy Kent Bespoke Rugs - STAND E40A

Amy Kent’s range of bespoke rugs is a beautiful collection of hand-made rugs, crafted in India and Kathmandu. The range combines a look that is both classic and contemporary, fitting in with either modern and more traditional interiors. 

Blackbird - STAND F28

Alongside an eclectic collection of lighting, mirrors, tables and home accessories, Blackbird is launching a new bespoke range at Decorex this year.

Paint and Paper Library - STAND C31

Paint and Paper Library offers a fabulous, carefully curated palette of over 180 unique colours, including a traditional, historical and a contemporary range to which they have added a range of wallpapers. 

A Rum Fellow - STAND A41

Finally we enjoyed what A Rum Fellow have to offer this year as we love their ethically produced artisan rugs and textiles which blend with both contemporary and traditional interiors.

Find out more about the London Design Festival here.

Shoreditch Style

Ahead of the London Design Festival 2018, we took a look at some of Shoreditch's creative companies, a number of whom will be exhibiting at this years festival. 

In recent years the remains of Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre have been discovered. Historically Shoreditch was known for its links with theatre, entertainment and a thriving textile trade. Although much of this disappeared, the area is again a hub of creativity with many independent manufacturers, bars, restaurants and shops. Here's our favourites, which you can visit in a day enjoying the area and all within close proximity to each other with plenty of cafes and eateries for a quick refresh.

Check out The Clove Club in Shoreditch Town Hall for modern British cooking in an elegant interior.

Claybrook recently moved into their new studio and showroom in Shoreditch. Across two floors you’ll find their gorgeous range of floor and wall tiles on display. Advice and samples are readily available. Here are some of our own favourite looks from the range...

Unto This Last  takes its name from an essay by John Ruskin, a leading Victorian art critic and patron, champion of the Pre-Rahaelites and supporter of the Arts and Crafts movement. The company operates a unique open studio from their Brick Lane premises, producing their furniture and products in full view of the customers. Their process allows them to cut down on costs by eliminating transport, warehousing and packaging costs - delivering direct from workshop to customer. We love the clean, simple lines of their hand-produced furniture and accessories.

20 years ago British Standard started out with a unique ethos, the name referring to exactly what they produced; primed ready to paint, standard sized cabinetry which can be fitted and painted by the customer in whatever configuration they want. Their design team help you every step of the way to achieve the kitchen or storage space you need. They've now added bespoke kitchens which they can install for you. We particularly like the simple understated designs.

As well as being a working studio, offering high quality restoration and re-upholstery, Shoreditch Design Rooms also offers accredited courses and individual classes, if you want to try your hand at a traditional craft. Shoreditch Design Rooms has established itself as the most innovative and successful upholstery training centre in the country, offering small class sizes and expert tuition.

For a truly unique shopping experience stop by Boxpark Shoreditch, the worlds first pop-up shopping mall. Constructed entirely from re-fitted shipping containers, the mall has everything from popular street food and global brands, to clothing and individual homewares suppliers. 

Originally an on-line store, Decorum now have a presence in Boxpark... this homewares store stocks an eclectic mix of vintage, modern and contemporary items and supports new and up-and-coming designers and artisans.

Labour and Wait is another shop with an interesting name which this time takes its inspiration from a poem by Longfellow. Their approach to the selection of items on sale is based on simplicity, functionality, and endurance - items which mellow over time and are not discarded but improve with age. Trading for over 18 years, they are housed in a former Victorian pub, with branches in Dover Street Market London & New York and Sendagaya Tokyo.

Don’t forget to stop by Luna & Curious, an independent miniature department store owned by three creatives with a vision to offer a wonderful mix of products focusing on British manufacture.

Well made in England and designed for you, is a key concept of Kent & London. Their custom made crafted furniture and kitchens using English woods are hand-built to last and become an integral part of your lifestyle. Pop in to their large airy space in Shoreditch to see their range of kitchens, furniture and homewares.

Monologue London is a contemporary concept store on the popular Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. They focus on conceptual design, emerging designers, interiors and homeware. Monologue carries an exclusive selection of curated items for the home and a handpicked range of design accessories and furniture. 

We'll be reviewing the London Design Festival 2018 taking place this September.

Affordable Art Fair and Ceramic Art London 2018

Two upcoming fairs to watch out for in London this March are the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea 8th – 11th March and Ceramic Art London at Central Saint Martins 23rd – 25th March.

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The Affordable Art Fair is an opportunity to find contemporary art for your home for all tastes and budgets. Inspiring work in a variety of mediums will be on display ready to buy and take home with you. It should be a fun way to browse, as well as the art  on show, there will also be plenty of creative inspiration with free talks and interactive installations.There are over 100  galleries on show and  there will be expert gallerists on-hand to guide you.

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The Craft Potters Association will again present Ceramic Art London hosted by Central Saint Martins. Over ninety of the world's most talented ceramic artists will show and sell their work and for the first time students of CSM will host a ceramic studio where they will make new work in front of the live audience so we can see just how it’s done! This will be a truly immersive experience as visitors will also be allowed to comment on the direction the pieces take as they are made. Here is our own preview of some of the very covetable items you can expect to find.

Carina Haslam Art Stand E5. We loved Alison McWhirter’s studies of flowers, she often mixes paint directly onto the canvas, which adds to their sense of vibrancy and spontaneity.

Edgar Modern Gallery Stand H10. We have selected a number of artists represented by the gallery which we found particularly appealing.

Henrietta Dubrey describes her work as abstract, gestural, and autobiographical... and can’t wait to see them at the Fair

Jessica Cooper RWA. Jessica's work relies on economy of detail - objects and shapes are represented in their essential outline. We love their immediacy and sense of vigour.

Mhairi McGregor RSW uses a limited palette of colours, layering the paint to create these inspiring landscapes.

Grandy Art Stand 5, will be showing a collection of new work by their portfolio of emerging British artists. Here are some which caught our eye.

VJ Keegan has earned a reputation for her fluid painterly style evident in her beautiful still life paintings.

Stephen Palmer paints directly from the local landscape, we loved these French and English scenes. 

As well as some very beautiful ceramics on show and to buy, there will be a programme of ‘Claytalks’ starting on the opening day with contemporary artist and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry’s talk, ‘My Cup of Tea’.

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Talking of 'My Cup of Tea'... Sue Pryke creates affordable, functional ceramics using studio slipcasting inspired by the everyday intuitive decision-making we all make on a daily basis when choosing what cup to take from the cupboard for a cup of tea.

Hyu Jin Jo creates a basic shape and then adds intricate textures to the thrown piece. This gives the pieces individuality while incorporating a sense of Korean traditional craft skills. 

Sasha Wardell makes individual bespoke vases, bowls, lighting and tea ware that combine her beautiful craft-making skills.

Rhian Malin's elegant hand-painted porcelain vessels with cobalt-blue decoration are inspired by Willow Pattern. 

The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park is open from 8th until 11th March.

Ceramic Art London at Central Saint Martins is open from 23rd until 25th March.

Visit their websites to find out more and to book tickets.

London Art Fair 2018

The 2018 London Art Fair gives access to an incredible collection of modern and contemporary art and a unique insight into the international art market. The fair has been running for over 30 years and has become a recognised destination for museum quality work.

The Fair runs from 17 January 2018 and we took a sneak peek at what's in store from some of our leading art dealers and collectors.

ALAN WHEATLEY ART | STAND 32

The Alan Wheatley Gallery is just a stone’s throw from the Royal Academy and situated in the heart of St. James’s at 22 Mason’s Yard, SW1. The gallery offers a diverse collection of British and International Modern paintings and sculpture from the latter half of the Twentieth Century with a particular emphasis on Post-War British Art.

L-R: Bridget Riley, Ivon Hitchens, Patrick Heron

BERNARD CHAUCHET CONTEMPORARY ART | STAND G35

Bernard Chauchet, based in London’s Hollywood Road, specialises in contemporary paintings and sculptures with artists from across Europe and the USA. As well as presenting established 20th and 21st century painters, Chauchet also promotes the work of a younger up-and-coming generation of artists.

The work of Gioacchino Pontrelli was of particular interest to us as he often draws on images taken from interior design magazines, which he re-interprets onto canvas.

BERWALD LONDON | STAND 26B

John Berwald has been dealing in Chinese Ceramics for over thirty years from his New York and London galleries. He also has a very select stock of Modern British paintings and sculptures, and the juxtaposition of these two very different cultures and eras is something we found both fascinating and very much in line with our own ethos of mixing antique and contemporary.

We were particularly impressed to see the vibrant work of John Hoyland juxtaposed with antiques and traditional furnishings.

JOANNA BRYANT & JULIAN PAGE | STAND P18B

Joanna Bryant & Julian Page individually support and represent carefully selected contemporary artists working in London. Since 2015, they have been frequently working in a collaborative partnership by presenting their artists’ work alongside more established artists. By representing emerging artists alongside such famous names as Tracey Emin and Peter Blake, they are also able to offer a number of highly affordable original artworks many of which fall within £1,000-£5,000 price range. Here are some which particularly appealed to us and fall within this lower price bracket.

Ruth Solomons is a British artist, who uses materials which to many would appear to be simply discarded items from her studio. She transforms these pieces by creating collages incorporating paint-splattered pieces of wood and fragments of old paintings adding her unique painterly gestures, creating pieces which have their own history.

Another artist who utilises found objects is Spanish artist Silvia Lerin, who lives and works in London. Her work stems from an interest in the relationships between shapes, volumes, colours and textures and their resulting presence. Inspiration may come from found objects and remnants of objects that carry stories.

The abstract works of Chris Sims, draw inspiration from the English landscape. Using inks, paints, charcoal and other mediums, he utilises a dynamic layering technique resulting in highly emotive and evocative work.

CRANE KALMAN GALLERY | STAND 25

The Gallery in London’s Brompton Road was originally established in 1949 by Andras Kalman who felt strongly that art should intimately move and nourish the viewer. As interior designers we value the importance of key artwork to provide a focal point and personalise an interior.

Sally and Andrew, Kalman's children, continue to run the gallery along with Robin Light who joined the business in 1986.

Sonia Delaunay

Winifred Nicholson

Jacqueline Marval

Kate Corbett-Winder

The 2018 London Art Fair runs from 17-21 January at Islington's Business Design Centre.

Visit the website to find out more and to book tickets.

 

 

London Design Festival 2017

Having just completed its fifteenth year celebration of design, the London Design Festival’s highly ambitious event puts London squarely on the map as a design capital of the world.

The festival was spread across a number of major London venues and offered over 450 projects and events, giving Londoners and visitors alike an amazing opportunity to experience innovative and exciting design.

With such a huge selection it was difficult to make a final choice, but we were particularly impressed with the talents of a number of individual companies, many of whom had a strong commitment to sustainability and the environment, alongside traditional, timeless design and production processes.

Here are just a few who caught our attention ...

MALWINA KONOPACKA

Malwina Konopacka's limited edition hand painted ceramic vases often pay homage to her favourite artists such as Henri Rousseau for her 'Jungle' range.

FLOORSTORY

Floorstory make beautiful rugs with an eye on craft and design. Alongside their own range they also work with like minded designers and can be found in their new retail outlet in Shoreditch.

STOFF STUDIOS

Stoff Studios are a design duo who combine their love of textiles and furniture design. They are based in a Victorian warehouse in London’s Bermondsey. They use traditional methods of production with a very collaborative approach to produce their unique pieces.

CUMULO

Cumulo was founded by Margate based designer Jo Elbourne, she currently sources vintage seat frames, wall-based pieces and found objects, up-cycling and reworking them using traditional woven seating with her own distinctive take.

FOREST AND FOUND

Forest and Found are Abigail Booth and Max Bainbridge, who met as students at Chelsea College of Art. Working in visual art and contemporary craft they decided to set up their studio Forest and Found together in the East End of London in 2014.

MISS PRINT

Miss Print is a talented mother and daughter design team based in Essex They share a strong sense of commitment to the community and use non toxic inks and pigments in their production process.

CHRISTABEL BALFOUR

Christabel Balfour is an artist and weaver living and working in South East London, her work seeks to balance simplicity, detail, and organic form and the variations of the handmade.

LAWRENCE GOODWIN

Based in Buckinghamshire, Lawrence Goodwin is a designer-maker who produces functional and stylish furniture that is tailor-made for today's living. Both contemporary and timeless in design, each product highlights the importance of empathising with British sourced materials whilst demonstrating innovative design.

NAMON GASTON

With a strong ethos based on craftsmanship and bespoke design, Namon Gaston set up his Edinburgh studio in 2005. Gaston merges the disciplines of design and craftsmanship to produce timeless, elegant pieces both in his collection and in commissioned work.

LOUISE BODY

Originally trained as a fine artist, Louise Body now produces wallpaper designs from her studio in St Leonards On-Sea. We were particularly impressed with her bespoke hand finished wallpapers and murals, utilising a choice of stencil, gold leaf and hand painting, which can be supplied in numbered panels making them simple to install.

CATHERINE MACGRUER

Catherine MacGruer graduated from The Glasgow School of Art and opened her own studio in the Highlands of Scotland in 2015. Her work includes textile design, commissions and collaborative projects, as well as her own range. Combined with the highest quality materials, her textiles are made to be treasured, and we particularly fell in love with these bold geometric designs from her current range.

Clerkenwell Design Week

"Colour is my passion. My designs are fundamentally paintings about colour and shape and how they relate in space…. Take one colour, add another and there is a dynamic”

Helen Yardley, Textile Designer

Clerkenwell Design Week

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Clerkenwell was a recent hub of creativity as it once again hosted Clerkenwell Design Week. Devas Designs was impressed to see such a diversity of talent and what also caught our attention was the number of designers and manufacturers dedicated to returning to hand-crafting traditions and materials and a commitment to sustainability and ethical production. With this in mind here are just a few who really stood out for us.

Bermondsey based British Designer Helen Yardley, is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, where she studied Textile Design. Helen is known for her painterly style and dramatic use of colour. Initially attracted to designing rugs, seeing them as ‘drawings for floors’, Helen has been producing handcrafted rugs, runners, carpets and wall hangings for over 25 years. Through her process and by manufacturing in Britain she aims to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. 
Here are just a few of our favourite designs ...

We were greeted by a quirky colourful Installation designed by Hakwood flooring, amusingly called Double Vision, which they produced specially for the Event. Hakwood are a Netherlands-based manufacturer, producing environmentally responsible hardwood floors which include reclaimed antique woods.

A wonderful canal-side loft apartment in Amsterdam blends the history of the classic Dutch warehouse with a contemporary feel. This is enhanced by the clever use of different Hakwood flooring to define spaces and incorporates the clients request for a black and white interior theme.

Bute Fabrics is based on the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Having established their traditional hand-loomed woollen textile business in 1947, they still share a commitment to serving the community and a reliance on traditional methods of production. The local landscape and the Island’s natural colours, textures and patterns is woven into their designs making them bold, bright and contemporary. 

From traditional tweeds to block colours their range is so eclectic it’s possible to create a bold statement piece like these Twin Tone cushions or something more subdued to blend in with the interior scheme.

Another Country, based in Marylebone, is another design company with high standards of responsibility, only using sustainably harvested timbers for all their furniture. Their designs are inspired by British Country and Shaker style and also call on Japan and Scandinavia as inspiration for their unpretentious forms. Every piece is hand-finished and hand-assembled. The simplicity of their designs and truth to their materials blends comfortably with both traditional and contemporary schemes.

Laura Spring is a textile designer and maker, having graduated from Glasgow School of Art, she now lives and works in Glasgow. Laura uses bold graphics combined with bright colours to produce beautifully crafted products. This, combined with ethical methods of production, are a signature of her beautiful hand-woven rugs, textiles and accessories. She often incorporates traditional tie-dye techniques from Jaipur in her designs. Her enormous love of colour print, pattern and process are evident in these beautiful accessories and furnishings

The British Collection showcased some of the most exciting UK designers latest designs in the unique setting of the barrel vaulted crypt of St. James’s Church on Clerkenwell Green. We were particularly drawn to the Classic English Kitchen on display from deVOL Kitchens who are based in Leicestershire but also have a showroom in Clerkenwell. DeVOL have been creating handmade bespoke kitchens for almost 25 years and pride themselves on their use of sustainable British timbers.

They describe their look as a ‘beautifully considered mix of classic and contemporary design’ and we couldn’t agree more.

This is an ethos which is very much at the heart of Devas Designs, and a theme we aspired to, in creating these classic kitchens for our clients in County Mayo and the Irish countrside.

London Art Fair 2017

Alongside our Interior Design services, Devas Designs specialises in buying artwork for clients. Whether you’re looking to start a collection, add to an existing collection or search for that one perfect piece - we have the expertise and contacts to help you.

Naturally we’re always on the look out for new and exciting pieces and visit as many fairs and exhibitions as we can. Last week we took a trip to the London Art Fair, which focusses on modern British and contemporary art. Here’s our top picks from the fair …

Winifred Nicholson at Crane Kalman Gallery

Winifred Nicholson was a colourist and her beautiful impressionistic style has always caught our eye. She concentrated on domestic still life objects and landscapes, often combining the two by depicting nature through a window, for example.

She was married to painted Ben Nicholson who focussed on more abstract scenes. There is a lovely soft quality to her work; both in the colours and treatment of paint. The lightness and optimism created would makes a lovely addition to an interior as tehse qualities compliment an existing colour scheme while adding a splash of colour to the space.

Joakim Eskildsen at Purdy Hicks Gallery

Joakim Eskildsen is a photographer from Copenhagen. His series Nordic Signs was produced between 1989-1994 and resulted from his travels between Northern Europe, featuring Norway, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

In his series, Eskildsen draws out the poetic qualities of these landscapes with an emphasis on the atmospheres created by the elements. They were a collaboration with his wife, the poet Cia Rinne. He was inspired by the way Renaissance painters portrayed light and used some of these techniques in his photographic work. He says these images capture “something that is at the same time wild yet liveable”.

Abe Odedina at Ed Cross Fine Art

Born in in Nigeria in 1960, Abe Odedina lives and works in London. He is a self-taught painter, having trained originally as an architect. A trip to Brazil ignited Odedina’s interest in painting and particularly the the voodoo arts of Haiti and the Painters of the Sacred Heart.

Odedina's work celebrates the use of colour and pictorial statements, qualities in artwork seen on the streets of cities such as Lagos, Salvador and Port-au-Prince. The figures are painted in acrylic on plywood in a bold and stylised manner. He often incorporates text which explores universal themes and believes that art has the power to transform reality. 

London Design Festival 2015

We’ve loved seeing design installations popping up across London over the past week for this year’s London Design Festival. Its mission to pronounce London as the design capital is clear and compelling with so many hundreds of young and established designers proving their talent. There are some fantastic events taking place until the end of the month, so we’ve picked some of our must-see spots to make it easier for you.

First up is designjunction … from furniture to lighting to product design, designjunction is packed with inspiring designs. Staged in Victoria House and the old St Martins college building in Holborn, the designjunction flagship had a range of exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge brands, new labels and design pop-ups.

If you’re a Londoner reading this, you’ve probably already seen you twitter feed clogged up with photos of Charles Petillon’s Heartbeat installation in Covent Garden Market. Petillon has created a 54 metre stretch of white balloons with gently pulsating white lights to evoke a heartbeat. They appear almost cloudily and beautifully poetic.

Speaking of the work Petillon said: “The balloon invasions I create are metaphors. Their goal is to change the way in which we see the things we live alongside each day without really noticing them. With Heartbeat I wanted to represent the Market Building as the beating heart of this area – connecting its past with the present day to allow visitors to re-examine its role at the heart of London’s life.” The installation is completely free to walk around and up until September 27th.

Somerset House is also taking part this year, hosting a series of exhibitions and talks. Among them, one of our favourites is their 10 Designers in the West Wing exhibition. They’ve teamed up with the London Design Festival organisers to showcase 10 leading international designers including Nendo, Faye Toogood and Ross Lovegrove.

We particularly enjoyed Faye Toogood’s display of drawing rooms, redrafted as charcoal sketches on translucent plastic sheets that line the walls. She creates an atmospheric space to relax in.

There’s also a focus on new digital technology, with Tino Schaedler of Optimist Design joining with United Realities to take us on a journey in exploring both physical and virtual spaces and their connections. Free and open until September 27th, more info here.