THE JOURNAL
THE BUSINESS OF WOW!HOUSE
Thousands of visitors adore the Design Centre's annual showhouse, but what lasting effects are there for those taking part? Ticky Hedley-Dent talks to the brands and designers boosted by its success
bringing together the extraordinary talents in the design industry to create a ‘house of wonder’. Each room would match a world-class designer with a room sponsor, and they would have carte blanche to create a space unhampered by the demands of a client. WOW!house would be assembled in five days, be open to the public and a proportion of the proceeds donated to charity. “I knew it was a great idea and would be a real win,” says Bernie de Le Cuona, CEO of de Le Cuona,
O ne afternoon, Claire German,
Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour’s CEO, had a Field of Dreams moment. She
came up with the idea of
who has been on the steering committee since the inception and a room sponsor in 2022 and 2023. “There was a lot of buzz and press around it.” Richard Moore, managing & creative director of Martin Moore, agrees, having been a WOWzer – the name given to designers and sponsor alumni – since the beginning: “We had a close relationship with Claire German and were 100% confident that anything she put her mind to would be a huge success!” Right from the start, WOW!house has been able
to attract top designers. “It was an unmissable opportunity to bring all the skill and expertise from across the Colefax and Fowler wider business,” says Tim Green, director of the Colefax and Fowler
Group. For the first WOW!house, designers Philip Hooper and Emma Burns (who seldom work on projects together) created the Drawing Room, which is still considered to be a masterclass in English decorating. In 2024 Lucy Hammond Giles took on the Morning Room, which again combined fabrics, furniture and carpets from across the portfolio. “Attention for WOW!house has only grown, and the international appeal increases each year; showcasing the designers’ work and the wonderful products we offer to the industry will certainly have helped our business,” says Green. “We’re incredibly lucky to have the Design Centre in London.”
ABOVE: WOW!house has attracted top designers and international sponsors right from its inception. Designers Philip Hooper and Emma Burns created the Drawing Room – a masterclass in English decorating – in 2022, and room sponsor Colefax and Fowler returned in 2024 with a Morning Room by Lucy Hammond Giles
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