Colony presented its latest collections at Decorex

UK, London. This year saw Decorex International at its new location in Perks Field & The Orangery, Kensington Palace. Now in its 36th year, the exhibition offered a variety of seminars and a host of traditional and modern furniture, carpets, flooring, lighting, bathrooms, fabrics and wallpapers from designers from around the world.
 
The change of venue provided the opportunity for organisers to create a new and fresh feel for the show. To help this transformation, interior designer Kit Kemp MBE was invited to design the entrance to the show, which she entitled The Silk Route.


The Silk Route by Kit Kemp


The Silk Route by Kit Kemp

The display created was position either side of the main doors into the exhibition, with one side presenting a colourful bedroom layout with a focus on rich yellows/gold and reds. The other centred on a freestanding copper finish bath in an organic surrounding with lighting in the shape of ships. The nautical theme wasn’t restricted to the entrance, with a beautiful boat dressed in fabrics by Sanderson, which had its Aegean Collection on display.


Sanderson presented its latest collections at Decorex

For this year’s Decorex champagne bar, interior design and architecture studio Martin Brudnizki Design Studio was invited to create a sparkling design that was located towards the middle of the exhibition. Taking advantage of the greater space available when compared to previous years, the bar was inspired by construction and featured a scaffolding structure with bare wooden planks and pottery lampshades.


The champagne bar by Martin Brudnizki



Among those that exhibited was SplinterWorks, which presented its new stitched vele leather Bodice Rocker that was inspired by “a love for curvy silhouettes and illusions”.  The chaise lounger levitates at one end when left horizontal thanks to careful weight distribution. When not in use, the Bodice Rocker can be stood vertically, taking on an anthropomorphic sculptural form.


The Bodice Rocker

“We can completely customise this product from the density of foam, to the colour of the leather and stitching. We can even alter the shape slightly,” explained director Matt Withington at SplinterWorks. “The structure is made from Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) and has a lump of lead at one end. You can move it around if you wish but it isn’t easy to lift/hold and it would require two people to carry it.”


The Bodice Rocker when used as a chaise lounger

The team also presented its Vessel bath, which we first reported on in 2011. One of the concerns with the design at the time was how it would be mounted, as the initial idea was to hang the bath on hooks. However, the simple solution to improve stability was to widen the ends of the bath. “The hook mounting idea is still viable should someone have a long room and need the bath to come to a point,” explained fellow director Miles Hartwell. “In that situation we would simply taper off the mould and make it longer.”


The Vessel

Another piece that stood out for us was the Jonas shower by French manufacturer Volevatch. Designed to create a new sensory experience, Jonas not only delivers water through its large head but it also delivers a mist through small holes in its ribcage shaped pipes that curve around the base of the shower. “Jonas is not only a shower but a work of art,” said sales director at Volevatch, Nathalie Lemaire. “It allows you to control the shower and the surrounding pipes individually, offering more control to the user.”


The Jonas douche

Visitors were also able to listen to presentations from key industry players including Rabih Hage, Nicky Haslam and Fameed Khalique. Topics of discussion included emerging colour trends, sustainable luxury, designing for show homes, tips for interior designers working abroad, as well as debates on architecture.

Decorex International will return next year from 21 - 24 September.

Related Links:
Decorex International
SplinterWorks
Volevatch