Maintaining the Momentum
With remote working now the norm, showrooms are doing all they can to smooth the transition and help their clients continue their design projects as seamlessly as possible. Digital platforms have become essential, allowing their audiences to have virtual access to the sorts of services previously found in bricks-and-mortar spaces.
Making its Mark on Mayfair
Jouin Manku has devised a scheme of "deep, graceful calm" at MayFair Park Residences, incorporating textiles from Design Centre brands Holland & Sherry, Nobilis and Dedar.
A Fresh Eye on Heritage
The Dome Cafe at looks at heritage designs with a fresh eye, reinventing traditional chinoiserie for modern interiors.
Cabinet of Curiosities
Nobilis' new panoramic wallcoverings celebrate pure escapism, observing trompe l'oeil effects with a playful eye.
Guest Appearance
More than 20 house guests took up residence in the Design Avenue for London Design Week 2020. Only in situ for the duration of the show, their presence brought an extra layer of inspiration, creativity and artisanship, with a broad offering of products, from the opulent surface design of Sterling Studios to African-made woven lighting by Ilala.
Right Here, Right Now with Selina McCabe
"We have embraced the Design Centre – it is our starting point for every single project," says the head of interiors at Winch Design. "We're lucky to have it on our doorstep, and to have friends who work here that really go over and above for us."
Best Foot Forward
Taking in the best that the showrooms have to offer – all accompanied by a glass of fizz – London Design Week 2020's Design Discovery Tours were the fast-track to the show's highlights.
An Evergreen Scheme
Interior designer Emma Sims-Hilditch has reimagined an area of GP & J Baker's showroom as a sumptuous and comfortable bedroom. It's the latest in a series of 'curated spaces' in which stellar names in decorating create room sets to inspire.
Right Here, Right Now with James Lohan
The founder of Mr & Mrs Smith on the design crossover between houses and hotels; he describes Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour as "a one-off – I can't think of anywhere else quite like it."
Tailored Tours
London Design Week 2020 presented an opportunity to take a deeper dive into what happens in the showrooms, thanks to a series of tours helmed by Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour's personal shopper Gabrielle Grubanovich.
Right Here, Right Now with Rita Konig
The interior designer on a new personal project in rural surroundings – "you don't have to have country furniture in a country house" – and how she uses Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour as a resource: "when I come with clients it's always terrific. Our life is much easier being able to nip down here and find new things."
A Tailored Approach
Celebrating its dual heritage in the worlds of both tailoring fabrics and interiors, Holland & Sherry’s 9-10 Savile Row collection is named after the esteemed address where the company still operates its apparel atelier.
Right Here, Right Now with Lucy Barlow
The founder of Barlow & Barlow on the studio's signature look – "English country-house style, but for a new generation" – and why "timelessness is something we should all strive for."
Weaving a Spell
“Weaving is an underutilised medium,” says James Gomez, the founder of new Design Centre East showroom Yarn Collective. The four-year-old company chose Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour for its first bricks-and-mortar space, a place to show a stable of exclusive brands where everything has a strong emphasis on Gomez’s passion, weaving.
Right Here, Right Now with Jay Grierson
The interior designer on his latest projects for Martin Hulbert Design, and how "the Design Centre is a bit like a member of our team."
Right Here, Right Now with Emma Pocock
The co-founder of interior design firm Turner Pocock is at London Design Week 2020 to talk about design in the digital era: "The digital world has made us able to achieve incredible speed in designing projects."
A Maestro’s Next Move
Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam Ltd has moved to a new location in the Centre Dome. As an A-list decorator, Moschino has turned his talent for creating stunning interiors to his own showroom space, which features a sumptuous four-posted bed at its heart.
Right Here, Right Now with Joanna Plant
The interior designer says that "the country house look is certainly having a resurgence – which is good for us."
A Bigger Splash
Artistic expression writ large, this ‘Splash’ wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries features exuberant, freeform brushstrokes on a dramatic scale.
Right Here, Right Now with Ben Spriggs
"The Design Centre is a place you can rely on for inspiration," says the editor of Elle Decoration.
Pop-up Perks
Operating out of a petite Piaggio truck, The List by House & Garden coffee bar is the perfect place for a pick me up.
High-Tech Hide
Digital printing is bringing unimaginable levels of detail to design products, and not just for fabrics and wallcoverings. Moore & Giles has teamed up with Bill Amberg for a collection of patterned hides that employ specialist digital printing technology.
Petal Power
In a nod to glorious springtime, florist Rob Van Helden creates a bountiful display of seasonal florals to celebrate London Design Week 2020.
Keep in Touch
With daily digital overload, enhanced tactility has never been more important. From textured wallcoverings to woven leathers, thick bouclé carpets and incredible embroidery, it’s all so much more interesting than swiping a screen.
Right Here, Right Now with Patrick Frey
"Today, you have so much competition worldwide; the only way to exist is to be different," says the CEO of Pierre Frey.
Earning its Stripes
De Le Cuona's 'Rugby' fabric is the winner of London Design Week 2020's esteemed Showstopper award from The World of Interiors. Part of the Maverick collection, the striped Italian linen is inspired by the classic rugby shirt.
Right Here, Right Now with Ann Grafton
The managing and creative director of GP & J Baker introduces new collections – "texture and colour are so important in design today" – and talks about the wealth of partnerships within Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour.
A Ripple or a Splash?
Biophilic design, inspired by nature, is closely associated with natural materials and botanical references – but patterns and motifs that take water as their starting point make just as strong a connection to the outside world.
Right here, Right Now with Charu Gandhi
"Our clients come to us because they are looking for creativity and innovation; we focus on what we call exquisite interior couture," says the founder of design studio Elycion.
Right Here, Right Now with Olga Polizzi
"Nowadays, hotels lead the way, so you've got to be always ahead of the game," says the director of design for Rocco Forte Hotels. "I spend quite a lot of time at the Design Centre – you always find something new and different."
Happy Hub
The Connect, Converse, Create hub at London Design Week 2020 is the place to pause, plan your day or meet friends and colleagues. Sponsored by Paola Lenti, the Italian designer's joyously colourful outdoor furniture and rugs create intimate seating areas in the North Dome.
Right Here, Right Now with Edward Bulmer
The architectural historian and designer launches a period-inspired collection of door furniture with McKinney & Co and Collier Webb, and says of Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour: "there's really no resource like it."
Asleep on a Cloud
Savoir Beds is known for its exciting collaborations with designers from all over the globe, but it looked closer to home for its latest initiative, collaborating with Tom Faulkner on the 'Cloud' bed.
Right Here, Right Now with Emma Sims-Hilditch
The interior designer has created a curated space in the GP & J Baker showroom, and says about Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour: "You can come here looking for one thing, and end up going away having found ten others... it is just the most incredible resource."
Collective Concept
Fluttering gently in the Centre Dome, the multicoloured ribbons of bespoke installation All Together Now are the definition of something that is more than the sum of its parts.
Right Here, Right Now with Philippe Houlès
"Trimming is the jewel of decoration" – the CEO of Houlès describes the French passementerie company's new collections, including its first-ever collaboration, and celebrates the international audience of designers that use Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour.
Elizabethan Garden
James Hare’s Gardyne collection, available from Marvic Textiles, takes its inspiration from late 16th- and early 17th-century textiles, and has a botanical feel, showing that bringing the outside in is nothing new in interiors.
Paradise on Earth
Bold blooms, shady trees, dappled light, and fanciful birds and beasts: bring a heady vision of an exotic garden inside with the latest launches.
Industrial Evolution
Perrin & Rowe has released 'Armstrong', its first new tap design in four years, which "combines an industrial aesthetic with a designer’s eye for balance and proportion".
Right Here, Right Now with Kate Watson-Smyth
"We're beginning to see a move towards decorating your bathroom like a room in your house which is more personality-driven" – the writer and author discusses bathroom trends at Victoria + Albert Baths during London Design Week 2020.
Spring Garden
A vision of spring in all its abundance, the FT How To Spend It Restaurant treats diners to a fresh and colourful menu, conceived by Last Supper.
Rubelli’s Renaissance
“There is no ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ any more: it’s about mixing things together,” says Nicolò Favaretto Rubelli. The CEO of Rubelli was in London to visit the redesigned Rubelli/Donghia showroom, which has been given a new lease of life by Studio Indigo.
Right Here, Right Now with Elodie Deletoille
The design director of Etamine introduces her first collection, inspired by Mediterranean gardens and the work of Henri Matisse: "Everything is done by hand; you can feel it when you touch it."
Moments of Clarity
Designer Karin Sajo launched a new fabric collection at Houlès during London Design Week 2020. Inspired by the glassmaking traditions of northern France – and in particular, its heyday in the early 20th century – she has managed to translate the colour and luminosity of glass into textiles.
Right Here, Right Now with Dylan O’Shea
"We believe in hand crafted textiles, and we go to great pains to seek out artisans to work with," says the co-founder of a Rum Fellow, at London Design Week 2020 to launch a new printed collection at George Spencer Designs.
Still Life
Still-lifes of Chinese and Japanese ceramics abound for wallcoverings, a look that takes one of the most traditional of all decorative objects and turns it into a something more playful.
Right Here, Right Now with Beata Heuman
The interior designer on intuitive style: "to me, feeling relaxed and calm is really important. It's about creating a balance, having contrast and variation in styles, colours and patterns."
The Wild Things
There’s an air of surrealism and fantasy to some of spring’s collections, with mythical creatures, motifs from nature recoloured in edgier shades and unusual juxtapositions of form. Clarke & Clarke’s Wilderie collection, available from Harlequin, satisfies anyone with a taste for this particular breed of maximalism.
Right Here, Right Now with Tatjana von Stein
"Coming to Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour is being over-stimulated with opportunities of what your projects can become... I'm excited to discover more" – the co-founder of Sella Concept talks about creativity, and her latest projects, following her Conversations in Design talk at London Design Week 2020.
Hail Cesar
Espresso Design has installed a new kitchen in its showroom that explores the beauty of timber. With its distinctive cross-direction veneers, ‘Intarsio’ takes its inspiration from traditional marquetry.
