Decorex – a treasure trove of interior trends from industry leaders and design experts

A political storm may be boiling ferociously in the country amidst economic uncertainties, but for four days inside the Olympia London exhibition centre in Kensington, London, the annual interior design trade fair Decorex returned this autumn in an optimistic mood, bringing together more than 12,000 design trend watchers, designers and buyers from around the UK and other parts of the world.

Wood Tailors Club

Velvet fabrics, wall-hangings, wallpaper, throws, cushions and bespoke furniture from Blackpop.

Throws and blankets from Wallace & Sewell, established by Harriet Wallace - Jones and Emma Sewell, known for their mastery of colour and woven structure.  They design bold and original works in natural fibres, uniting traditional craft with modern production and manufactured in the British Isles.

Pure White Lines won Best Stand at Decorex 2022.

Held between October 9th and 12th 2022, Decorex was buzzing with positive sentiments, with more than 200 exhibitors showcasing their latest designs and products for home interiors.  

A wide array of products were featured ranging from wall coverings and design prints to furnishing fabrics, decorative items and housewares, lighting collections, furniture, rugs, to unique crafts and bespoke products.

Pooky furniture and decorative lighting.

The Tree of Light installation provided a
calm, woodland space with seating and adorned with
hanging Occulo lights, from Bert Frank

Decorative lighting from Serip

Home textiles and soft furnishing fabrics designed by Sophia Francis Studio

Upon entering the main hall in Olympia, visitors were greeted by calming seating area designed into a woodland with trees and the Occulo lighting system by Bert Frank hanging from the branches.  

The Decorex Bar
designed by Carden Cunietti

This was surrounded by rows of curated exhibitor stands, each of them well designed to showcase their wares.  Pure White Lines won the Best Stand award from the organisers.

Also for relaxation, visitors were able to wind down in The Decorex Bar and the VIP Lounge, both decorated and furnished in collaboration with exhibitors and emerging designers.

Cole & Son's enchanting wall covering from The Gardens range, hand-drawn and hand-painted. 

Elegant and eclectic lighting collections from Gong by Jo Plismy

Elspeth Pridham hosted a Design Talks session with interior designers Rosie Ward, Natasha Dartnall and Tiffany Duggan on the fundamental impact modern habits have on the design of homes.
The wallpaper in the Design Talks area is by Cole & Son.

On the mezzanine floor, in the Design Talks theatre, which was decorated in partnership with wallcovering company Cole & son, some 80 experts of the industry shared their experiences, new insights and perspectives including Ben Pentreath, Suzy Hoodless, Jojo Barr, Pollyanna Wilkinson and Maddux Creative, to name a few.

Also upstairs in the gallery, of particular interest to visitors on the look-out for unique crafts and artistic skills, was the Making Spaces area where talented craftspeople of various genres held live demonstrations to showcase their skills, and in some cases, visitors were encouraged to participate in exploring their own creative skills.

In the Making Spaces area, Eppie Thompson, of The Fabled Thread, makes luxury embroidery kits inspired by
story telling, world textiles and traditional folk art.

Natasha Mann showcased her creative artistry on decorating lampshades. 

She creates paintings, bespoke pieces for interiors and decorative objects that are

largely inspired by Moroccan architectural painting. 

Cushion featuring a print of tonal pencil drawing with delicate hand embroidery, created by Susannah Weiland, a textile designer and artist known for her mixed media one-off designs and her passion for texture and colour. She works from her home studio in Richmond upon Thames, UK.

Ellen Merchant (left, in yellow) who creates hand-printed textiles and wallcoverings, invites 
a visitor to take part in creating a block print.

A dining room by Pandora Taylor who was inspired by the tableware of Bonadea in creating this space.

Nearby, visitors were treated to four decorated rooms in the Decorex Diningscapes section, another new feature at Decorex this year.  The space showcased four expertly designed dining rooms complete with furniture and accessories alongside a beautiful table setting to provide visitors with design inspirations.  They were created by leading interior designers Christian Bense, ND Studios, Pandora Taylor with Bonadea, and Bertrando di Renzo with Les Ottomans. 

Mamoa Designs from Porto, Portugal.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2022

Monkey Puzzle Tree showcased new textile wallcovering at Decorex

The Monkey Puzzle Tree founder, Charlotte Raffo
at Decorex October 2022.

The award-winning British company The Monkey Puzzle Tree has launched their new "Blues Fantasia" textile wallcovering at the premier interiors fair Decorex held in London Kensington Olympia in October.

Wallpaper entitled ‘Blues Fantasia’ from Monkey Puzzle Tree was co-created with Ghana-born artist Josephine McYebuah whose original design took inspiration from  African wildlife,
comic book art, Bollywood films and Art Deco style. 
Image courtesy of Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Blue Fantasia showcases a modern take on Art Deco.  The design contrasts a natural toned textile background, with bold colours and metallic gold featuring a striking African-inspired graphic print depicting “elegant antelopes intertwined with rich gold and jewel coloured motifs”.  

The design was co-created with Josephine McYebuah (in picture below) who was chosen for her unique style and interesting and unusual influences.

Growing up in Accra, Ghana, she was fascinated by the cartoons and animation she saw on television as well as Bollywood films and the wildlife and colours in her surroundings.

Company founder, Charlotte Raffo said, "To achieve its astonishing depth of colour and texture, Blues Fantasia is silk screen printed onto a natural toned textile base.  The wallpaper takes two people five hours to produce each run of 30m, with each colour having to be left to painstakingly dry before the next is applied."  With a mandate to help preserve local industry and traditional skills, the wallcovering  is hand-made by craftsmen in the North of England.

Charlotte founded The Monkey Puzzle Tree in 2017 in Leeds.  The company is known for its individual fabrics and wallcoverings, putting art at the heart of their designs. Via unique collaborations with talented artists from England's industrial north, the company produces "joyful textiles that defy passing trends, bringing originality, imagination and beauty to interior."  

Awarded a Design Guild Mark and nominated for an Eco Award , "All Tomorrow's Futures"
 was among the wnning designs at The Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Designers who have worked with Charlotte include Drew Millward whose award-winning design 'Hit the North' wallpaper features an intricate industrial design printed on cork.  And the 'Body Lace' voile from artist Sarah Jane Parker has erotic nudes hidden beneath its veneer of delicate respectability. 

Campaign for Wool launches Wool Month this October

As the world battles with climate change and issues around over-consumption, emissions and non-biodegradable waste, The Campaign for Wool designates October as Wool Month 2022 in the UK, celebrating all things wool, from clothing to home interiors and lifestyle products, and a wide range of 21st century commercial and industrial uses. 

Wool Month celebrates wool's natural attributes and benefits and its unassailable environmental credentials.  For this year’s flagship event, The Campaign for Wool reminds consumers "Why Wool Matters," and encourages us all to ask more questions about the products we buy and, most importantly, where they come from, putting the focus firmly on wool’s natural attributes.

Under the patronage of King Charles III, Wool Month flagship event was launched at London's Saville Row on October 5th, hosted by Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman of the Campaign for Wool.
Photo courtesy Campaign for Wool.

Some of the UK’s most important brands and retailers are participating in Wool Month. From a launch event in Yorkshire for the key wool manufacturing industry, and a flagship event in London on 5 October for leading retailers and brands, to a series of additional events and collaborations across the UK, a host of new cutting-edge wool designs and products will be released and brought together, highlighting wool’s natural and sustainable qualities.

Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman, Campaign For Wool, said “Supported by its Patron, His Majesty King Charles III, Wool Month has become an increasingly important annual event. As the planet issues become more prevalent and natural fibre awareness increasingly important, industry relationships deepen and resources, insights and technology are increasingly shared, the Campaign for Wool’ ripple effect’ can be felt more widely now than ever before.” 

Woolroom

Brora

 

 

According to The Campaign for Wool, pure wool is 100% natural, 100% renewable, 100% sustainable and 100% biodegradable.  

Among the brands taking part is Marks & Spencer which is launching the new 

Originals Menswear Collection. 

Marks & Spencer Photo: Originals Menswear Collection

 Other participating brands include womenswear label Hobbs presenting from its new AW22 Collection wool tweeds from Abraham Moon and Sons, while luxury fashion brand Brora is showcasing a new jumper design, the result of a graduate design project, manufactured using Knoll wool yarns. 

British knitwear brand John Smedley is showcasing a special Limited-Edition jumper called the ‘Cornwall’, in a unique partnership with The Campaign for Wool and sourced using wool exclusively from farms on the Duchy of Cornwall estate.  

Unisex tailoring and knitwear brand Walker Slater has created a new collection featuring British Wool and Harris Tweed Hebrides cloth, while luxury wool bedding specialist Woolroom has launched a new sustainable Merino sleepwear collection in collaboration with Smalls Merino.  Tailors along London’s Savile Row and across the city are also supporting the Wool Month campaign with a series of special pop-up window displays.

When made into clothing, wool is warm but also cool thus it adapts to the wearer.  

A special guest who had flown over from South Africa to co-host the London event was Stefan Gerber, owner of Gerber & Co.  He said “We are thrilled to be in the UK to celebrate Wool Month and  showcase our traceable Merino pieces that use the communities in South Africa to bring you the wool we nurture and craft. We are a family business, and our plan is simple – where there is a wool there is a way. Gerber & Co have been building, rebuilding and reviving old crafts and upskilling new ones, mentoring and investing to use the finest wools to create heritage wool pieces.” 

For interiors, wool is flame retardant and will often self-extinguish, making it a safe choice for a variety of applications in homes and commercial premises.

Participating brands in the lifestyle and craft sector include Johnstons of Elgin which has launched a Limited Edition 'Farmers Blanket’ woven in 100% Scottish Blue faced Leicester wool, and in conjunction with a local artist and farmer Carolyn Milne is being released as an anniversary blanket to celebrate their 225 years in business.

 A group of UK flooring brands will also launch new wool designs including Abbingdon, Alternative Flooring, Axminster Carpets, Brintons, Brockway, Cavalier Carpets, Cormar, Crucial Trading, Hugh McKay, Kingsmead, Manx Tompkinson, Penthouse Carpets, The Real Shetland Company, Ulster Carpets, Victoria and Wessex, along with FLOOR_STORY, and their luxury rug designs.

While wool carpets and rugs can take lots of heavy wear and are known to look better for longer, wool is ideal for beds, pillow, duvet and blankets.

Wool toys hand-made in London by cdbdi.co.uk

Wool has hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial properties, thus makes the air that we breathe cleaner and better, and it is ideal choice for childrenswear and children's blankets and even for stuffed toys.

Wool Pots, along with Ocean Sheep wool rope, were
Winners of the 2022 Wool Innovation Awards.

Among the latest applications of  wool is using it for creating plant pots. According to founders of Wool-Pots.co.uk, Wool Pots offer a biodegradable, environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to plastic plant pots, and will help reduce the amount of single use plastic in horticulture.  Manufactured in the UK and Egypt, the end use of Wool Pots mean wastage is minimal.  

The product was created to help farmers reduce the vast amount of unwanted wool and help save the planet.

According to the founders, Wool Pots have been created after they discovered that some 500 million plastic plant pots were reportedly being sent to landfill in the UK every year.  Meanwhile British farmers, in despair, are burning their wool because they have no viable market for their fleeces.  With these two challenges in mind Wool Pots have been created as a viable alternative to plastic pots and a huge benefit to the planet.

"We have friends who farm sheep and it gives us huge pride to continue the British tradition of product innovation and creativity to help them create a new market for their wool, said founder Graham.  "Our Egyptian factory plants two trees for every order under their 'buy one get one tree' re-greening the desert initiative and our Scottish factory reduces transport miles for UK orders and promotes British manufacturing.

For more information about the Wool Month and Campaign for Wool, click HERE.

Photos at Wool Month flagship event © Lucia Carpio 2022

Diane Keaton and S. Harris Create Identity-Focused Textile Line

Actress Diane Keaton.
Image courtesy of  S. Harris./Photo by Jesse Stone

The American screen star Diane Keaton has carved herself an acting career over five decades on playing key roles in some of the most iconic Hollywood movies, from The Godfather in 1972 to The First Wives Club in 1986 and the most recent Mack & Rita in 2022, to name a few.

But now aged 76, she has embarked on a new career as a textile designer.  

This may not come as a total surprise, considering her most memorable role that shot her to stardom was her stylish portrayal of the key character in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in 1977, partly due to her unique androgynous dress style in that movie.   And in recent years, Keaton's sense of style for interior designs has been featured in leading magazines.

In October, American home textile company S. Harris based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has announced the launch of a new collection of textiles made in collaboration with Keaton.

The more than 50 fabric designs were inspired by the actress’s roles and style, and chart her career, said S. Harris.

Titled Elements by Diane Keaton, the sartorially focused line of fabrics are elegantly restrained, and exemplify the enduring sense of style that has made the Academy Award winner a beloved figure for so many, according to the leading supplier of fine interior textiles and high-end contemporary and designer fabrics.

American Style-Muse Linen

The subtle designs—released in luxurious cottons, linens, bouclés, and wools—are inspired by Keaton’s storied life in film and her trademark aesthetic, which has been defined by trailblazing and inventiveness. This is a nuanced collection, playfully contrasting off-whites, dusty taupes, and rich blue / blacks to create spaces that are classic, yet exude a timeless sense of sophistication. These fabrics yearn to be worn, to be enjoyed over time.

Goodbar-Double Life Ice

Elements by Diane Keaton continues S. Harris’s century-plus history of innovation and its devotion to storytelling and legacy.

Interiors Plaid-Flynn Camel

The sheer linen La-Di-Da "radiates the quirkiness of Keaton" in her star turn as Annie Hall, while Shoot the Moon (named for the eponymous 1982 drama) uses flax to form an intricate cube-like pattern that conveys an alluring complexity. The Ghost Herringbone — in oat, black, and blue colorways — is a combination that suggests the familial comfort of Keaton’s appearance last year in Justin Bieber’s “Ghost Video.” Other examples include Mrs Los Angeles which pays tribute to Keaton’s mother.  

This is Keaton’s first textile collection, and her new role as fabric creator continues her long engagement with design, which she has charted in books like The House That Pinterest Built (2017), House (2012), and California Romantica (2007). 

Designed in collaboration with S. Harris’s chief brand officer and creative director, Jodi Finer, proposes that thoughtful simplicity which can be the foundation of a home, and a way of life. “This collection is all about restraint and simplicity,” explains Finer.

The new line is part of S. Harris’s Elements textiles - elevated basics that are conceived to outfit every part of your home, and to last, according to Finer.  Cuts thick, and offered in colours that are eye-pleasing and adaptable, Elements includes mélange wool drapery fabrics; nubby, bleach-cleanable textures; and rich velvets that thrive both indoors and out.

S. Harris was founded in 1906 by Sol Harris and then purchased by Fabricut in 1988, and has built its reputation as the leading supplier of fine textiles and the brand designers count on for high-end contemporary, designer fabrics and innovative colours, partnering with notable contemporary designers from all segments of the design industry – fashion, art and entertainment.

All images courtesy of S. Harris.

 

Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week has been inaugurated into The BoF 500

Congratulations to Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week who has been inaugurated into The BoF 500, the definitive professional index of the people shaping the $2.4 trillion fashion industry.

Marked in the Catalyst category, the accolade recognises Ms Thorsmark in evolving the role and reputation of Copenhagen Fashion Week from a regional event into a leader of sustainability within fashion. 

"I am beyond honoured to be included in The BoF 500 alongside so many truly inspiring leaders shaping the global fashion industry. The recognition that this accolade puts on Copenhagen Fashion Week is important, as it spotlights the crucial work that we have done in catalyzing positive change into an event that traditionally is not associated with sustainability. I hope my appointment into the BoF 500 will inspire many others to take action on sustainability, no matter what part of industry - the responsibility to accelerate positive change should not only rely on the brands or consumers, but on every single actor in this ecosystem." - Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Meanwhile, Copenhagen Fashion Week has announced that preparation for AW23 has kicked off, building on the success of its SS23 season.

Applications for the forthcoming AW23 season are now open to apply for the official Show Schedule, as well as CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose® and the Zalando Sustainability Award.  The next show dates are 31 Jan to 3 Feb 2023.

Interested parties can find further information on the CPHFW website, as well as an overview on their Sustainability Requirements for the forthcoming edition alongside a recap on key moments from the SS23 edition and some exciting announcements from the CPHFW team.

Important dates:

Application deadline: 6 October 2022

CPHFW AW23 Brand Line up announced: 8 December 2022

CPHFW AW23 official Show Schedule announced: 20 December 2022

CPHFW AW23 edition: 31 January 2023 - 3 February 2023

Mumutane home designs answer consumer demand for eco-conscious lifestyle products

Climate change remains the world’s highest environmental priority with nearly half (46%) of consumers globally citing it among their top three concerns.  

Today the growing number of lifestyle brands for home and everyday lives that have sustainability in the heart of their design focus and in the way they source materials, emerge to meet consumer demand.

Mumutane range of unique cushions made sustainability with fabrics sourced from Africa.

According to new research from the 2022 Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer, the number of global consumers citing climate change as a top three environmental concern has risen from an average of 39% to 46% between 2021-22*.

Air quality (eg exhaust fumes, industrial emissions) (36%) and plastic pollution (eg ocean plastic) (33%) complete the world’s top three environmental concerns; however, concerns about plastic pollution are down slightly from 36% in 2021.

Growing awareness is evident as just under three in five (58%) consumers globally agree that extreme weather events (eg flooding, heatwaves) in the country where they live encourage them to personally do more activities to protect the environment. And it seems helping the planet brings with it a feel-good factor as an overwhelming 68% of consumers globally say doing things that benefit the environment makes them feel happy. While 38% say they want to show other people how they are doing good for the environment (eg by sharing on social media). A further 24% say they have researched their annual carbon footprint (eg with an online calculator or app).

Danish brand Mumutane's sustainable textile products were well-received during Design London held in September 2022 at Magazine London in north Greenwich.

Maria Kastrup Lausten 

In relaying her brand’s sustainable journey as well as the importance of incorporating a social impact aspect, founder Maria Kastrup Lausten said fair visitors including interior designers, architects, retail buyers and members of the press and media were eager to learn about interior design made from reused materials, and the different ways to build a circular business model.

The Mumutane range of home products feature traditional African prints presented with Nordic minimalism.  Maria uses leftover fabrics from Kvadrat (a Danish textile company that produces and supplies textiles and textile-related products), achieving unique cushion designs with a good balance of modern cross-cultural mix.

Cushions with African wax print in a Nordic setting

Maria said African wax print textiles contain many tales and stories of life in Africa, which give the products a special dimension and story.  Every cushion is unique, with the front made of wax print textile sourced from small, local textile shops in West Africa, and the back is made of high-quality wool-blended leftover textiles.

Padded "quiltet"

The environment and social responsibility agenda together with the “give work philosophy” is a mindset that is rooted in the core of the strategy of Mumutane, which became certified as a B Corporation in 2021, said Maria.

Table cloth in African print

Founder Maria added the objective is to create “products with purpose”, which is why Mumutane has a sustainable approach with a focus on minimising textile waste, improving work conditions in low-income countries and supporting production with social conscious and impact.

All images courtesy of Mumutane.