London Design Week 2020

London Design Week 2020 took place last week at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. Commencing on Sunday 8th March it ran until Friday 13th March. Initially open for a trade preview, it was later open to the public.

On Wednesday I took an extremely empty train to Clapham Junction before going one stop on the tube to Imperial Wharf.

I opted for this day as there were two specific talks that I wanted to attend. The first was hosted by Ben Spriggs who interviewed Martin Hulbert and Jay Grierson of Martin Hulbert Design. The conversation touched on how Martin and Jay had come together and how they had grown their practice since. Witty, charming, and enlightening, it was a joy to attend as they described projects such as Cliveden Spring Cottage and Chewton Glen Treeshouse Suites.

Before I attended the second talk I visited some of the showrooms that were participating in LDW.

After an extensive wander I attended the second “Conversation In Design”. This time it was hosted by Giles Kime who was chatting to Rita Konig about her career in design, and later about her recent farmhouse renovation. I had an insight into this particular subject as it had been serialised in House & Garden magazine. It was, however, far more insightful listening to Rita give a first hand description of the process, whilst viewing photographs of the finished project. A précise of this project can be viewed on the House & Garden website.

My next stop was Porta Romana.

By coincidence, I had encountered this delightful company at a Design Discovery Day at The Post House in East Horsley. Here they demonstrated how a Decayed Gold finish was applied to create an exquisitely quirky piece.

Design duo, StephensonWright, opened the doors of their lifestyle studio to host the event. In collaboration with Future Light Design they have created a unique environment in which to entertain their clients and suppliers.

Aside from Porta Romana there were talks on garden design, bespoke furniture, layered lighting, and table styling.

All in all a busy time of the year for the design community but it is always a pleasure to learn new skills and to pick up tips from the experts.

On that note, a tip that I picked up from Natalie and Juliette on the day was how to tie a napkin in a knot. This is a great way to present your napkins should they be in need of being ironed!