Interior Trends: Emerging brands and design highlights at 100% Design
With the London Design Festival in full swing, we took a trip to the halls of Kensington Olympia to peruse the emerging design brands and products that were on offer. The show was packed with everything from large-scale commercial design, to quirky lighting brands and even some architectural showstoppers. We particularly loved the emerging brands section, where we discovered some amazingly talented designers and pieces by some up and coming interior enthusiasts. Here are our top picks from the show.
Industrial Lighting
The industrial interior look is a little bit like marmite, you’re either going to love it or hate it. We’re rather fond of this creative concept and really loved the industrial lighting on offer from both The Workshop Below and J.A.M.S Ironwork. The Workshop Below is based in Birmingham and focuses on handmade, stand-out lighting pieces made from pipework and jam jars. Over on the J.A.M.S Ironwork stand, we particularly liked the ironwork industrial desk lamp with the copper shade and black concrete base.
Designer Radiators
Long gone are the days of ugly radiators! All the rage now are designer radiators that either fit so seamlessly into your interior scheme you’ll forget they’re there; or, they are so beautifully designed that you will want to show them off. We discovered two designer radiator brands at 100% Design; radiators from both Vasco and Carisa will certainly turn up the heat in your interiors.
Lego-style kitchens
We felt like big kids at the Smeg stand with their brightly coloured, lego-style kitchen appliances. It was like we were in a dolls house for grown-ups with the pop art style fridge and bold, box-shaped ovens. There was even a drinks fridge inside the bonnet of a mini Fiat car!
Bright prints
We adored the brightly coloured fabrics and wallpapers from Scottish brand, Mairi Helena. With a passion for photography, art and textiles, Mairi Helena has designed some beautiful prints to adorn your walls and soft furnishings.
Happy lights
With the Christmas season fast approaching, we think these present bow lights, aptly named ‘Happy’ from Stephen Johnson Design, would make the perfect gift to a loved one, or just to ourselves. The shadows they create over a plain wall are beautiful and very dramatic – they certainly have the wow factor.
Scandi shelves
Scandinavian design is always a firm favourite with interior decorators. The subtle and clean lines make for an uncluttered and smart look. We were very fond of the shelving units on offer from Danish brand Korridor. The wall and shelving units were made from natural materials and look elegant against a white wall backdrop. Perching on these lovely shelves were some very cute little friends: made from wood and concrete, we think these animal decorations are just adorable.
Plastic pendants
Last, but by no means least, we visited the stand of lighting designer Ciara O’Neill. Ciara designs and hand makes dramatic lampshades from corrugated polypropylene plastic, which are covered in natural fabrics. Our favourite was the Vault pendant shade with its sweeping curves and elegant, simple shape.