DE S IGN CENTRE
Beyond testing for comfort, showrooms are also places to spark the
imagination. Many feature room vignettes that demonstrate both aesthetics and practicality. Visit a showroom such as Porada (which recently relocated to a much larger location at the Design Centre, with a layout that feels like a sophisticated Italian apartment) and you’ll get an immediate feel for how its pieces translate into the real world. The same applies to fabrics and wallcoverings: brands such as GP & J Baker and Romo present new collections in joyful immersive roomsets. For subjects that require technical know-how, a visit is invaluable. “If you’re
discussing the layout of a bathroom, come and stand in front of one. Come and live it,” says Hannah Burch, THG Paris’ sales manager for residential projects. With multiple bathroom vignettes, the THG showroom is a place to test and try things out, from tap heights to the water flow from a showerhead. Burch notes how, with more remote working and greater time pressures, some designers think that everything is easily done over email. Yet replacing visits with long back-and-forth messages about finishes, layouts and specifications often proves more inefficient – and misses the opportunity to discover new ideas first-hand. Interestingly, it’s not the newly qualified designers who are talking the
most advantage of showroom knowledge – it’s those at the top. Burch says that, for her key clients, an in-person visit is non-negotiable. “They’ll tell us which collection they want and in what finish, then they’ll come in with the preliminary spec and we’ll refine it. How much better is that than sending 20 emails?” Anna Pearce, managing director of Sacco Carpet, agrees. “The interior
designers at the top of their game are the ones leaning on us most. They go into so much detail, and that means that they rely on us so much.” Since every
Sacco carpet or rug is bespoke, face-to-face collaboration between showroom and client is essential, but Pearce says that designers can still be reticent about asking questions. “People can be shy to ask because they feel they ought to know something. We need to take down that facade, because that’s what we’re here for. We do carpet day-in, day-out – of course you’re not going to know what we know.” From site visits to advising on materials or working up finished designs, the team supports the process at every stage. Just ask Louise East of Studio Est, who recently worked with Sacco to create
“OUR ROLE IS TO GUIDE AND SIMPLIFY WHAT CAN FEEL QUITE TECHNICAL. THE GOAL IS TO GIVE CLARITY AND
CONFIDENCE IN A DECISION”
bespoke rugs for the public areas of the Montcalm Mayfair hotel. “I hadn’t worked with them before, but they were fantastic,” she says. “They were fast, and matched our design perfectly to what we wanted.” Her basketweave- patterned rugs contain subtle, multiple colours to give them depth, while also fitting with her ethos for creating soulful interiors via beautifully crafted objects that show the hand of the maker. Showroom outreach is important. Sacco and
Tollgard invite larger practices for lunch-and-learn sessions: both also put on busy sessions during the
Design Centre’s shows, whether a panel discussion or a deep dive into a specific topic (Sacco delved into the detail of specifying for stairs at London Design Week 2026). THG Paris is launching a certified CPD (continuing professional development) course about bathrooms, so that structured learning can help designers stay up to date with innovations and regulations. “The people who make a successful career out of [interior design] are good
communicators, and they listen as much as they talk,” says Tollgard’s Erik Odell-Romanoff. When it comes to visiting the showrooms, “nothing is ever going to beat personal experience; you can quickly glean so much, just by being present.” So, next time you need anything: just ask. It could take your design scheme – or design career – to the next level.
ABOVE: Porada’s showroom is laid out as a series of rooms, giving visitors a sense of how pieces will translate in the real world. The Italian furniture brand recently moved to a much larger space at the Design Centre to accommodate this more sophisticated and immersive presentation of its work, and to align with its other global flagships
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