Last week I headed off to Clerkenwell Design Week and in amongst some rather major downpours I thoroughly enjoyed having a good look round lots of brilliant brands showcasing their designs.
Whilst I saw many a lovely thing, I must admit that I was particularly taken with the opportunity to visit The Old Sessions House, a members club, open for CDW that was so aesthetically up my alley I had to keep sneaking back for a look.
Old Sessions House
Think bare aged plaster walls, lots of stunning original features paired with huge glass windows, the clever use of light and plenty of plants thrown in for good measure.
I always find myself drawn to a highly textural wabi sabi look, be it raw plaster, layers of peeling paint and the tactility of worn wood, aged over decades creating the beautiful patina that frankly can't be matched by.
But the real beauty in this ‘decay’ is how its complimented by the contrast of more luxe pieces. The juxtaposition with the old and the new, the matt and the shiny, the hard and the soft. A good thing to remember with any interior scheme, the importance of contrast.
It was only open to attendees of CDW for the week of but I must admit I was quite fancying myself as a member, having meetings in The Arts Club, sipping cocktails by the pool.
Membership is pending I believe ; )
Then Spectra Stone...
Amongst all of that beauty was the most incredible display of precious and semi previous stone from Spectra Stone, each piece was jaw dropping special and utterly tactile, it was a visual candy shop.
I am loving the drama of veined stone and busy scheming the many places it could be used. Want to see examples for yourself? Just take yourself to Annabel's, The Wolseley or perhaps Sexy Fish?
Or check out the Stone Library, swoon, here. Want to incorporate it into your next project? You know where I am!
Comfort is Key
All in the name of research I found myself testing out many a comfy spot, from a huge variety of sofas, to some seriously cocooning armchairs.
Choosing the perfect sofa is such an important thing, they are investment pieces and they need to look good and also provide you with the perfect level of comfort. Which will look a little different to everyone, particularly depending on age and mobility.
Whilst I was too busy sitting in them to actually take many photographs, I was impressed to see plenty of style and substance when to came to the designs on show. Paired with a big move towards more sustainable designs. Hooray!
And a key take away on the sofa front, big wide arms that in themselves were a brilliant place to perch. Perfect for social situations!
House Of Hackney
Oh look, here are House of Hackney again on one of my ‘best of’ lists. But with good reason, The House of Hackney showroom at St Michaels is a truly immersive experience with their colourful prints adorning every single surface in a riotous celebration of nature. Even the staff wear fabulous HOH outfits. This is the kind of attention to detail I enjoy.
The 1856 clergy house is pretty impressive too with the wooden window frames and paneling perfectly complimenting the maximalist prints.
On repeated visits back to the Hollyhocks bedroom for just one more look, I bumped into a number of other designers doing exactly the same thing. Ooh here we all are again...
It is what I love so much about House of Hackney, their full on commitment to a look creates absolute joy!
Sustainable Textiles
Already a big fan of Camira’s wide selection of fabrics I headed over to their talk, The Future Of Textile Circularity. It is fascinating to see some of the fabrics that are being created using waste materials and as the speaker Dr John Parkinson said ‘waste isn’t really waste, its a valuable resource'.
There's a lot of history and a lot of innovation in this area so I will be sharing more about sustainable textiles very soon.
Bricks
Whats that Chloé, bricks? Yes bricks.
Honestly I didn’t know I could be this excited about bricks and I said so to the salesperson, but it turns out I could be. Whilst dashing past to meet a friend for lunch at Sticks N Sushi (yum sushi, somewhat lacking on the Suffolk coast) I happened across the staggeringly impressive selection on show at EH Smith.
Anyway the lowdown is, there are some pretty sexy bricks out there.
Other Things of Note
Colourful basins, yes please. VitrA's ceramic basins made from 100% recycled manufacturing waste - brilliant! Curtains and acoustic panels creating beautiful visual walls - full of possibility. A rather large number of individual pod like work spaces on show at CDW, at Old Sessions House and advertised on the tube, perhaps signifying a somewhat dystopian future that I'm not quite ready for.
So thats my highlights from Clerkenwell Design Week.
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Chloé X