THE JOURNAL
CAPITAL CONNECTIONS
Nowhere but London’s Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour will you find such a concentration of world-class creative excellence. Here’s how this essential hub grows and nurtures its vibrant community
Chelsea Harbour is its beating heart. With a mix of luxury flagships, independent companies and some 600 international brands, it is a magnet of creativity, commerce and community for the UK and beyond. Both trade and design enthusiasts flock to see an array of fabrics and wallcoverings, lighting, furniture, flooring, kitchens and bathrooms and more, all under one roof, and while the choice may be almost limitless, every product and showroom has one thing in common: superb quality. Each of the 130+ showrooms has been carefully chosen to bring a different perspective, and there is always something new to discover. To meet demand, showrooms have recently expanded and new ones have opened their doors: Spanish decorating house Gastón y Daniela now has its first dedicated UK showroom. Its CEO Jaime Wakonigg describes his London outpost as in “a very prestigious location that is focused on interior design excellence.” British lighting firm Heathfield & Co has also opened its first-ever showroom, while other top international brands have expanded or upgraded to meet demand, including Nobilis, de Le Cuona, Fabricut London and Jensen Beds. There’s a simple reason why showrooms want to be here: it puts them in front of an audience of designers,
T
here are many reasons to appreciate London – theatre, music, culture and fashion – but the British capital is a veritable gold mine for interior design, and Design Centre,
architects and specifiers sourcing for prestigious residential and commercial projects, alongside homeowners seeking design solutions. Bernie de Le Cuona, whose namesake showroom has recently nearly doubled in size, puts it succinctly: “Being involved in many design centres around the world I can honestly say that it’s leading the way in what interior designers want. There’s a real enthusiasm and energy from the Design Centre team. It’s a riveting and vibrant design centre that stands out.” As the only one of its kind in Europe, the Design
Centre has long been a catalyst of creative relationships, but new initiatives have fostered growing ties between the UK and the USA. It recently played host to 200+ leading interior decorators from across the States, as part of Design Destination London, an event spearheaded by The Wells Companies, which highlighted a desire among US designers to engage, be inspired by and seek deeper connections with the UK design industry. The tailored trip included talks with top names, drop- in sessions to participating showrooms and a fabulous private supper where the Design Avenue twinkled under festoon lights and the hum of happy chatter and new connections made filled the space. Another convivial evening,
timed to take place ahead of the
Design Leadership Network in Edinburgh, celebrated transatlantic collaboration, bringing together key industry partners from both sides of the Atlantic.
The Design Centre’s mission is to help people
discover great design and support those doing it best: “We’re committed to creating an environment where businesses flourish,” says the Design Centre’s CEO Claire German. “We understand the importance of community to help them thrive, so we go the extra mile to create events for our showrooms to meet, mingle and make those vital connections.” A calendar of events provides invaluable opportunities to showcase creativity to the thousands of attendees who pass through the doors. And if the twice-yearly London Design Week and Focus set the agenda for the months ahead, then WOW!house, the Design Centre’s award-winning showhouse, turbo-charges them. The glamorous WOW!gala is where the industry’s leading lights come together and explore the house for the first time. Further recent initiatives include Focus: The Longer View, a four-week extension to the autumn show that sees the axis shift towards craftmanship. Exciting plans are also in the pipeline for even more showrooms, with the redevelopment of Design Centre East’s Fifth Floor, opening up another 1,400 sqm of space. Passion, talent and expertise drive the Design
Centre forward, and through its activities, it inspires every visitor and empowers and nurtures every business. More than the sum of creative powerhouse.
its parts,
OPPOSITE & ABOVE The Design Centre sees nurturing its community as an important part of its ethos, whether hosting US designers as part of Design Destination London, an initiative by US distributor The Wells Companies that saw more than 200 designers make a transatlantic trip to delve deeper into the UK industry; or welcoming new businesses to the fold, including an exciting new floor of showrooms in Design Centre East
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