Tom Dixon to launch "TouchySmellyFeelyNoisyTasty" hub during London Design Festival in September

Between September 14 and 22 2019, one of London's foremost shopping and cultural destinations at the regenerated King’s Cross will be an official London Design Festival (LDF) Design District and is set to be one of the top destinations during the festival with an array of exciting events and activities open to the public.

British designer Tom Dixon, whose headquarters is in the distinctive Coal Office of King's Cross (shown above), will be introducing what he calls "TouchySmellyFeelyNoisyTasty" as he turns his hub into a multi-sensory lab with a series of talks, workshops, events and parties taking place in the shop, factory, restaurant and gallery.  While sight is not included in his headline, it is a sense that is implicated through the design of the products that will surely enrich our life experiences.

Tom Dixon briefing members of the press at his headquarters in July, introducing his new range of fragrances.
The scents have been crated to capture the essence of travelling, trading,
and the nostalgic past within the future of British life.

Tom Dixon will be launching new products to his vast range of interior designs, among them two new fragrances: Underground and Alchemy, the latest additions to the bestselling Eclectic collection, a range of fragrance started a few years ago structured around the exotic smells of London, Royalty and Orientalist.  

This year, they refresh the vessel form with an elegant, new slim "waisted" metal container formed of copper, nickel and brass, and have added two more refined perfumes under the names of Underground and Alchemy.

The range will be on display in the ‘Perfumery’ Arch in September. 

The candles will be available in a range of new sizes, including mini ones in a gift set. 

A talk and workshop led by Tom Dixon's fragrance partner, International Flavors & Fragrances, will take place in the Perfumery and will offer an insight into the processes behind creating the new scents and the inspiration behind the ingredients.

‘TouchySmellyFeelyNoisyTasty’ will take place from the 14th – 22nd September at the Coal Office and will be open to the public with free entry. Private events will be by-invitation only.

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2019

Squids and Sharks everywhere....

No, we're not under water but the giant stuffed shark and squid are inside British designer Christopher Raeburn's new shop at Coal Drops Yard - the new retail destination near London's King's Cross off Granary Square. Fabulous!  The only stretch of water near here is the Regent's Canal.

One of Raeburn's signature works, apart from his being a master in recycling and repurposing materials, is featuring animal mascots in his designs and this Autumn and Winter, his current collection showcases sea creatures swirling on a sweatshirt or knitted brightly into the motif of another top.

At a time when the world is waking up to the destruction and pollution caused by plastics in our open waters, it is definitely a good way to remind ourselves of the life forms that seas provide and support.

Photos by Lucia Carpio.

Some Christmas retail cheer: Mintel forecasts growth of 4% for UK sales in December

With the Christmas countdown in full swing, retail researchers Mintel is forecasting some festive cheer for Britain’s retailers. Latest findings predicts that December’s retail sales will reach £47.7 billion (incl. VAT), growing a respectable 4% compared to last December, when sales hit £45.8 billion.  

Coal Drops Yard new shopping mall - a stunning new favourite retail destination in King's Cross, London, near Granary Square. 

Photos © Lucia Carpio

Sales through non-food retailers are expected to reach £23.5 billion (including £4 billion from online sales generated by physical stores); while food retailers will enjoy sales of £18.6 billion (including £1.4 billion from online sales generated by physical stores). And in the battle between the clicks and bricks, Mintel estimates that internet pure players (online only retailers), will account for £5.6 billion worth of sales.

Mintel December 2018 retail forecast: Non-food retailers (stores + online)  £23.5 bn Food retailers (stores + online)  £18.6 bn Online pure players  £5.6 bn  Total  £47.7 bn With online sales generated by physical non-food and food stores estimated to hit £5.4 billion, combined with the £5.6 billion generated by internet pure players, Mintel expects total online sales this December will be worth £11 billion.   Caravane, one of the upmarket retail shops in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross, London Richard Perks, Director of Retail Research at Mintel, said: “We think that retailers can look forward to a reasonably good Christmas—not outstanding, but it won’t be bad either. While there are some reasons to be cautious, such as falling consumer confidence, there is no real sign of an underlying slowdown in retail sales growth. Retail sales have held up well this year and we expect the recent momentum is likely to be maintained, with retail sales growing at about 4% both in the final quarter of 2018 and in December itself. “While there’s been much talk of how the High Street is being undermined by online retailing, it still only represents a relatively small part of overall retail sales, with most shopping still taking place in physical stores.” Black Friday still stokes interest, but most Brits think discounts are overhyped Black Friday is now well and truly entrenched in the shopping calendar. According to Mintel research, last year nearly six in ten (57%) Brits browsed for goods during Black Friday promotions, while 41% made a purchase during the event. It’s proving a big hit with the nation’s 25-34s, of whom 75% said they browsed for goods and 62% made a purchase. While Black Friday has been synonymous with scenes of crowding bargain hunters, last year just 16% of Brits engaged with the event in-store, with the majority of shoppers engaging online  (56%). Electrical goods were the most  popular purchase, bought by 51% of Black Friday consumers in 2017, followed by fashion, which was purchased by 42% of these consumers. Overall, half (51%) of last year’s Black Friday shoppers said the majority of the purchases they made during the promotions were Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, a savvy six in ten (61%) Black Friday shoppers said they waited for the Black Friday promotions before making a purchase. However, despite the hype, some cynics remain as 66% of 2017 Black Friday shoppers felt the discounts were not as good as they’re made out to be. “While Black Friday has become a high profile retail fixture, retailers do run the risk of bringing forward festive spending, but at discounted prices. There is always a fear of missing out, so the actual outcome is the big unknown for how the retail sector will perform this Christmas. Given some evidence of growing disillusionment among shoppers for Black Friday, Mintel predicts that retailers would like to pull back from promotions for this event. We think that this year’s event will be no bigger than last year’s, and that means good news for the amount of money left over to spend in December.” Concluded Richard.

Photos by Lucia Carpio.

Tom Dixon among iconic British brands to set up flagship in Coal Drop Yard, King's Cross London

Coal Drop Yard on Granary Square, in the heart of the regenerated King’s Cross of London is deemed to be the most trendy shopping destination in the capital when it opens in October 2018.

In Victorian London, the capital was powered by coal, and Coal Drops Yard was its coal store, “designed to handle the eight million tonnes of coal delivered to the capital each year, these extraordinary structures were a feat of Victorian engineering,” according to the King’s Cross website.
Thanks to Heatherwick Studio, Coal Drops Yard has retailed its brick viaducts, cobbled streets and rich ironwork.
Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018.

King's Cross station. Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

To-date, a number of leading British fashion and lifestyle brands and international luminaries have announced they will be moving or are setting up flagships there.

This April, internationally renowned British design brand Tom Dixon Studio will plant its latest and most ambitious flag yet, in the heart of King's Cross and will contribute to an ever expanding network of creatives and technologists from the likes of Central St. Martins and LVMH to Google and Spiritland.

Other notable British brands setting up retail there include Paul Smith , Lost Property of London, Cheaney, Form & Thread and Universal works, attracted to the cobbled street and Victorian red bricks of the industrial Coal Drop Yard, will is intermixed with contemporary architecture of the surrounding office blocks and desirable residential buildings.

Photo from Tom Dixon.

Against this industrial backdrop, The Coal Office will be Tom Dixon’s new home for its latest multi-disciplinary experiments, innovations and collaborations, functioning as a live Studio combining shop, workshop and office all under one roof, with the culinary delights of a brand-new restaurant and roof terrace.

A selection of the latest products by TOM DIXON.

Photo from Tom Dixon.

Tom Dixon says: 'For us it was imperative not just to find a new office or shop. It was vital to find a new home. London isn't just another city. It is where it all started. We will use these 17,500 square feet in this incredible location as a platform to broadcast our latest ideas in interior design, product innovation and experiments in food, functionality and future living.'

In Victorian London, the city was powered by coal, and Coal Drops Yard was its coal store, “designed to handle the eight million tonnes of coal delivered to the capital each year, these extraordinary structures were a feat of Victorian engineering,” according to the King’s Cross website.

designjunction2016 celebrates record visitor numbers and great success in its new King’s Cross home

The move of the London design show Design Junction to a new home at the King's Cross development had proved to be a great success, as organisers reported a record-breaking attendance to its 2016 edition (22 - 25 September), which attracted 27,000 visitors, including architects, designers and consumers from the UK and overseas.

As part of this year’s London Design Festival, the show took over key locations in its new King’s Cross home – from Granary Square and The Canopy, to The Crossing, The Gallery (Stable Street) and Lewis Cubitt Square.  designjunction2016 was most attended by UK visitors (74%), while 26% of visitors were international, with visitors from 89 different countries.

Home to a stellar line-up of international furniture and lighting brands, Cubitt House boasted a spectacular super façade – the world’s largest GRID installation (W70m x H7m) – designed by London-based Satellite Architects, alongside Danish design curators, Icons of Denmark. Exhibiting brands included Design House Stockholm, Sony’s Life Space UX, Bethan Gray, Christopher Jenner, Charlene Mullen, Isokon Plus, Bolon, Deadgood, Very Good & Proper, Another Country, Channels, Northern Lighting, LSA International, VITA Copenhagen, Brokis, String, Haberdashery and Verena Hennig amongst others.

Deborah Spencer, managing director of designjunction said, “This year has been our most exciting and ambitious show to date with more than 200 brands represented across the show. King’s Cross is the perfect home, an area so connected with the design and architectural community – representing London’s industrial past and pioneering creative present. Moving designjunction2016 to King’s Cross has been an overwhelming success and we hope to have a footprint on this vibrant and exciting area for many years to come.”

Indeed the 67-acre King’s Cross site's a rich history and a unique appeal added to the vibrant atmosphere of the fair. This former industrial heartland is being transformed into one of the capital’s most exciting creative hub, with the redevelopment of the area creating 1,900 new homes, 20 new
streets, 10 new public parks and squares and 3 million square feet of commercial office
space as well as cultural attractions.  

In line with its leading theme #immersedindesign, designjunction2016 collaborated with the King’s Cross Development and Central Saint Martins, UAL, to deliver a four-day programme of design exhibitions, installations, retail experience, events and workshops.

To read in full, click HERE.

All photos © Lucia Carpio