Design London 2022

Design London was back with a bang this month as the largest official destination for contemporary design at London Design Festival. The event took place at state of the art event space Magazine London, located on the Thames, in LDF’s newest design district, Greenwich Peninsula.

Design London debuted in 2021 and attracted over 12,000 UK and international visitors.

This year the show had doubled in floorspace and brought together a slew of or established and emerging brands from Global manufacturers including HAY, Zeitrum, Wenwood and Ago who joined the show for the first time, joining the likes of Artemide, Christian Watson, Van Rossum, Bert Plantagie and Penta. Shelf Studio and Adidas were exciting late additions to the programme.

It also showcased a carefully curated selection of international pavilions from countries such as Denmark, Korea, Portugal and Thailand.

Marlon Cera-Marle, Director of Design at Media 10 said of the event- ‘The UK is one of the key countries for specification internationally, and our show is all about championing design excellence, along with originality, innovation and diversity.’

In conjunction with products on display, the show welcomed the second edition of Discussions at Design London, comprising of thought leaders and industry experts, lauded in their fields, who shared their views on design’s most pressing topics. These included acclaimed designer Lee Broom, Rotterdam-based Sabine Marcelis, sustainability advocate Jay Blades MBE and an illuminating talk by Stylus on Colour & Material directions S/S 2024, which we had the pleasure of watching.

We visited on the Friday and the energy from the amount of creativity and innovation under one roof was captivating.

It is almost impossible to narrow the event down to a few choice favourites, but at Auric we thrive on a challenge! Here are just a few of the designers and products that stood out to us the most.

Founded in 1965 by Rodney Kingsman RDI, OMK designed and manufactured much of the furniture sold through Sir Terence Conran’s Habitat stores in the 60’s & 70’s.

Today OMK are market leaders in the supply and manufacturing of commercial seating systems in locations such as airport terminals, rail stations and other public spaces.

Pictured is Metro, seamless modularity giving absolute freedom to create bespoke layouts, proven to improve passenger flow and lessen congestion. The Orbit vanity mirror compliments perfectly.

Profoundly Portuguese handmade tiles, New Terracotta was founded in 2014 and blends ancient techniques with contemporary design to create a new dimension of tile.

One of the prettiest stands at Design London, it showcased a stunning selection of handmade tiles spanning a spectrum of beautiful hues.

All tiles are made from natural clays and glazed using a double-firing process, each tile was beautifully unique and imperfection was celebrated.

On the Danish pavilion stood Mumutane, a sustainability driven home interior brand with a vibrant and eclectic mix of African expression and Nordic aesthetic.

Their cushions are exquisite. Each one is 100% unique and tell its own individual story.

The front of the cushions is crafted from wax-print textiles from small, local textile shops in West Africa. The back of the cushions are superior quality wool-blend offcuts from high-end Nordic textile companies. The cultural contrast adding a playful twist to any space.

Mumutane became a B Corporation in 2021 and it was incredibly inspiring to hear about the company’s ‘Products with Purpose’ approach. Minimising waste, improving working conditions in low-income countries, and supporting production with social impact businesses in Denmark.

In a bid to expand its focus on circularity further, Mumutane gives you the opportunity to trade in your old cushion covers for further circulation on their resale platform and receive a new cover at a reduced price. Can’t say fairer (trade) than that!

An exciting newcomer to the show was Christian Watson, who showcased pieces from his debut collection.

Described as ‘a masterclass in refined restraint’, this striking yet minimal collection is unified by a pared-back palette of colours and materials, a maximum of just two materials are used per piece. This, and an unwavering dedication to quality British craftsmanship means that Watson’s pieces are set to outlive fleeting trends.

We stared for quite some time at the Edenvale sofa, a characteristically minimalist, metal frame with curved arms and a gently undulating back.

A beautiful monochrome and abstract boucle fabric adding a gentle and nuanced softness to the design.

Each piece is handmade to order and, in addition to this, Christian offers an entirely bespoke and collaborative service that puts the client’s idea at the heart of the creative process. A sentiment that completely aligns with our values at here at Auric.

Over to lighting and a couple of standout pieces that had us swooning.

Artemide’s Stellar Nebular. A collection of lamps designed by BIG to interpret and enhance artisanal glass blowing and innovative PVD finishing.

The handblown diffusers give a completely unique shape, and create a fairy tale unity between light and glass.

We also loved Italian company Fabbian’s Akoya F61 pendant lamp.

A blown glass diffuser sandwiched between two metal discs available in a variety of finishes. Sleek, clean, and impeccably designed.

We had a fab time exploring Design London 2022, our day was filled with inspiration, excitement and innovation.

We cannot wait to see what’s in store for 2023!