Vision

Decorex unravelled

Love at Longpoint

Illuminating John Pawson

Residential

Rules!

As soon as the calendar hits September, we know it’s going to be a very busyperiod for Interior Designers, Manufacturers and Producers up and down thecountry as we prepare to showcase and visit numerous design shows throughthe Autumn months.

The highlight of the Autumn design show calendar centres around the LondonDesign Festival where Decorex International, 100% Design, the Design Museumand The London Design Festival at the V&A all take centre stage in the Capital toshowcase the latest trends and unique products available within the Interiorsindustry.

We were no exception to the rule here at the NDA where we spread ourselves upand down the country to visit some of the most respected and lesser knowndesign festivals to gain an insight into new trends and expectations to come. Ourhighs and lows of some of the shows we have visited recently appear throughoutthis edition of VISION.

17 - 25 September 2011

This month’s student of the month is one of our BA students

Juan Carlos Mayor-Carvajal

We chose Juan's exhibition design module due to the strong attention to detail within his technical drawings

and also this ability to create a sense of ambience/mood within his visuals.

Well done Juan!

The London Design Festival is a nine-day celebration of design in the world’s creative capital,with Decorex being one of the many major attractions that draws interior designprofessionals to its doors from every corner of the globe. This year’s show would prove tobe a good indicator of how the interiors industry has recovered from the recent downturn inthe past couple of years, with a vast increase in exhibitor and visitor numbers beingdistinctly apparent.

From the outset, it was clear that the organisers ofDecorex 2010 had the intention of making this year’sexhibition the biggest and most influential possible,with the world-renowned designer Nina Campbellbeing invited to design the Sloane Square entranceto the show. In the words of Decorex, “Nina'sdisplay…fused together an eclectic mix of exquisiteproducts for domestic, retail and commercialenvironments.”.With the theme of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ used as adesign brief it would prove interesting to see thespecially commissioned products on show followingon from Nina’s lead.

One company who fully embraced the theme were Spanish duo Herme y Monica who werecommissioned by ICEX (the Spanish institute for foreign trade) to create a stand that wasinventive and cutting-edge in order to promote Spain’s reputation as a world-class producerof furniture, lighting and textiles. The resulting stand, entitled ‘Spain Through the LookingGlass’ (inspired by the Lewis Carroll novel) offered an unexpected viewing experience whereeverything was not as it appeared. A combination of colour-changing accessories, to asecret room that revealed a myriad of optical illusionswere just some of the intriguing elements to thisimaginative exhibition space.Take a look at the ‘Spain Through the LookingGlass’ website for more information on thisinventive slice of illusion.http://www.spainthroughthelookingglass.com/

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www.bocadolobo.com

Boca Do Lobo have been a fixture on the Decorex exhibitorlist for the past few years and still continue to produce somesensational pieces of furniture. This year, their ‘Crochet’chest evokes the company’s ethic of passionate design andexclusivity. The chest consists of seven drawers finishedwith a darkened gold leaf that ensures a mystery and anelegance which contrasts with the vibrant jewel toned purpleof the handles.

www.diffuse.co.uk

Diffuse, design and manufacture elegant lighting featuresusing porcelain as the integral material in their bespokeproducts. With prestigious clients such as St. PancrasStation (Eurostar Premier Business Departure Lounge), TheNatural History Museum (London), Marriott Hotel (ChampsElysees, Paris), to name but a few, it is clear theirsophisticated designs can grace any interior from the classicto the contemporary.

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www.tracykendall.com

“Tracey Kendall creates new and innovative wallpapersusing hand techniques and modern technology to expandthe vocabulary of possibility for wall coverings. Thewallpapers are all starting points, often from elementsalready within a room or space, and convey a strongdesign concept, one which interacts with an interior’sidentity, but without dominating it”.

John Pawson

Plain Space

John Pawson…not so plain after all

Think of John Pawson and what images come to mind?Stark, white spaces? Sharp lines? The word I detest themost…minimalism? If they are, then I’m afraid to saythat they are not words to associate with said designer.My visit to the Design Museum’s major exhibition of allthings John Pawson opened my eyes to a world ofinvisible colour and profound respect for a man who hasbeen a leading light in astonishing architecture anddesign for longer than my (relatively) youthful mind cancomprehend.

John Pawson’s work is so graceful and cleverlymasterminded that in reality, it can be difficult tounderstand how these spaces can have such an intenseaffect on your emotions if you cannot fully immerseyourself within them. Luckily, the Design Museum hastaken the audacious step in installing a site-specific 1:1,full-sized installation that offers a direct experience of hiswork. This experience was something that I had neverencountered before, or at least, had never had such anemotional response to a piece of design. Stepping intoJohn Pawson’s world became almost an out-of-bodyexperience. The gentle arched ceiling, seamlesslyflowing into pin-straight walls, and finally concluding witha soft, angelic glow oozing from the light oak benches.This space was clever. The lack of definition from start toend, where individual components became one, left youfloating in the endless environment. Truly astonishing.

The rest of the exhibition followed suit. From conceptmodels to correspondence from Pawson’s many clients(including the Cistercian monks from Pawson’s celebratedNovy Dvur monastery, and a very difficult to please KarlLagerfeld), every wall and pedestal illuminated a level ofattention to detail that is rare within the design industry,and Pawson certainly is the master of it. Humour wasalso another element to the exhibition that wasin full force. From the group of visiting Cistercian monkswho were not overly impressed with the Pawson House,

to the aforementioned Karl Lagerfeld whodeclared his hatred of “everything that isround” led to Pawson having neversuccessfully implemented a concept for

the famed fashion designer. Acomforting thought that sometimes,even John Pawson doesn’t get it right.

Vicky

The Long point exhibition was introduced to us as follows -

“Long Point is a registered mark for the exhibition that is run by the Long Eaton Guild, and showcasesthe best of furniture made in the UK, including the ranges of the Guild members themselves. Runthrough the permanent showroom spaces of Guild members within Long Eaton, this Trade only showis a must for retailers, Interior Designers and Press to get involved in the activities of the leadingbrands in the marketplace”.

(Long Eaton Guild 2010)

Our account -Having accidently found ourselves at the Artistic Upholstery factory and the surrounding industrialarea, our initial thoughts were that there was a distinct lack of visitor information, welcome bannersand signage. It seemed immediately that the notedfurniture manufactures and suppliers seemed less thanwilling to accommodate our intrigue. However, AndrewMitchell from Artistic Upholstery couldn’t have been moreenthusiastic about showing off the latest furniture rangesand also taking us behind the scenes on a factory tour tosee the traditional furniture making processes in action. Itwas truly fascinating to see such delicate and detailedcraftsmanship still in full working order, and it is testamentto the quality of products manufactured within this space.

However, Artistic Upholstery aside, when we venturedfurther into the main body and hub of activity of theexhibition, the quality and individuality of the productsavailable was less and less obvious. Row after row ofrepetitive and generic furniture produced for the massmarket filled each and every showroom that we visited.

On the whole, the exhibition was not one to inspire. Eventhe most contemporary of pieces showed no inventivespirit, and relied heavily on past styles and cheapproduction methods. However, don’t take our word for it.There may be pieces in the show that you enjoy and areinspired by, but maybe look through the website to beginwith.

Artistic Upholstery factory tour

rationale My recent visit to the John Pawson: Plain Space exhibition has led me to

experiment with whether a particular brand is able to cross design stylesand still be relevant within a contemporary setting. John Pawson’s workcrossed cultures, geographical aspects and design boundaries and withinevery setting, his work still exuded a vibrancy and sense of drama.

So could the same be said for Laura Ashley?

Part of the reason why I enjoy the development stage of designing is theexperimentation within a space. Perhaps the end result may not be asuccessful one, but the process of finding out whether a design isfeasible and the processes you go through to reach this conclusion, cansometimes be more rewarding than being sure of a positive solution.

Concept

The Laura Ashley brand is synonymous with its mix of County Cottageand Victoriana style which runs seamlessly through the home andfashion services offered by the company. By using the products availablefrom the Laura Ashley website, I wanted to experiment to see if theseproducts would sit in a more modern setting, using a kitchen as aconcept base.

The resulting mood board demonstrates my interest in whyexperimentation can throw up some interesting dilemmas; not everydesign concept is always possible. Tirelessly searching for hours on endto find products that would be suitable to fit the space was a lengthytask, and although I would not consider this to be a resounding success,at least the experimentation has proved a point; not all designs andstyles can be sympathetic to a variety of surroundings.

Keep your eyes peeled for our special

‘Christmas Edition’ of VISION…coming to a

VLS near you!