Inside Job. A quickfire Story of Home guide to London Design Week
You’ve just moved into your new home, or you are close to completing. Or you have long been turning over ideas to breathe new life into the place. Nothing beats immersing yourself physically, not virtually, in inspirational design ideas and collections to spark ideas or cement them. It turns what might feel like an overwhelming task into an exciting project.
To encounter is to be inspired. London Design Week is a thrilling, visceral immersion in the newest ideas and designs from hundreds of brands synonymous with beautiful interiors.
And given that we at Story of Home love homes that are beautiful by design, this event is very close to our hearts and ethos.
First things first; what is London Design Week?
It is the annual showcasing and celebration of the world’s best interior designers and their new work.
Imagine every Pinterest mood board, Instagram post and magazine cutting you’ve ever saved or pored over when looking for inspiration for your own home, set out before you – only better, bigger and brand new.
Be it small touches you are looking to add or a complete make-over, London Design Week gives you the chance to take a walk through a temple to interior design and soak up endless inspiration and ideas. And if you fall in love with something there and then, you can source it immediately.
As well as all the in-house brand residents of the London Design Centre, LDW offers you an additional 30 pop-up House Guests. For the 2023 show, these pop-ups include Baccarat, Barbara Osorio Fabrics, Design Archives, Gloster, Masureel International, Minoli, Misia Paris, Susi Bellamy, Tatiana Tafur, VitrA and Warwick.
But is it a trade show?
No and yes.
It’s for trade and homeowners. Whilst it is true that interior designers flock to the week-long event as a trade fair, the event is shaped for homeowners who want to enjoy anything from a couple of hours to whole days taking in the 120 showrooms and 600 brands displaying the very finest collections from the contemporary interior design community.
Knowledge is power and not only does LDW enable you to learn what the latest and most enduring names in interiors are making, but ‘Style Spy’ offers the chance to join the Design Centre’s personal shopper, Gabrielle Grubanovich, on a variety of personal shopping workshops. One is “Decorative Lighting, The Magic Touch” on how to transform interiors, big or small, with lighting. Another is “Kitchen Confidential” on how to make the space that is the heart of any home a beautifully designed as well as practical space.
We love good stories, and the organisers say…
“Nowhere else will you find world-class talent gathering together to share their stories and design vision. The event is curated to engage, inform and spark the imagination.”
You’ll want to know where…
London Design Week takes place at The London Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour. It’s a modern, light-filled space built around the impressive Design Avenue and another reason to spend time in this fantastic part of town. A visit to LDW can easily be combined with time on The Kings Road or at the new Battersea Power Station.
What we love is…
The Design Centre champions the design community in all its glory and detail, and we mean detail. It is not just furniture and fabrics, as you’ll see from the list below. You’ll pick for yourself but here’s some of our favourite names to be found amongst the extraordinary number of leading brands for whom Chelsea Harbour is home.
Accessories (Alexander Lamont + Miles, Gallotti & Radice), bathrooms (Artisans of Devizes, Villeroy & Boch), beds (Rested, Savoir Beds), carpets, rugs and flooring (Siberian Floors, Tufenkian Artisan Carpets), fabrics (Turnell & Gigon, Zimmer + Rohde), furniture (Arteriors, Laskasas), hardware (SA Baxter Architectural Hardware), kitchens (Huma Kitchens), lighting (Bella Figura, Wired Custom Lighting), outdoor fabrics and furniture (Perennials Sutherland Studio, McKinnon and Harris) and wallcoverings (Elitis, Watts 1874).
Thirsty Work?
Without a doubt. When you arrive, you’ll be given a token for a free coffee from Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters on the Ground Floor South Terrace. There’s Indian Street Food and Prosecco Trucks outside whilst, inside, Dome Café by Social Pantry offers breakfast, coffee, and light sandwich or salad lunches. At Design Restaurant on Design Avenue the all-day menu serves up fresh British and Mediterranean food for breakfast, brunch and lunch.
London Design Week runs from Monday 13th – Friday 17th March. It is open from 10am – 6pm.
The Design Centre is at Lots Road, London SW10 0XE. Trains run to Imperial Wharf, river buses to Chelsea Harbour pier, and the C3, 11 and 22 buses stop nearby.
https://www.dcch.co.uk/london-design-week/
Social Media @designcentreCH #LDW23AtDCCH
