Last week saw the closing of
Grand Designs Live, a nine day event which has just taken place at the Excel centre in London. Grand Designs Live played host to a multitude of creative ideas and was the perfect place for a day (or nine days) of musings...whether you’re in the process of creating a dream home, or looking for inspiration and products to deck out your current one, the show was the perfect place to wander amongst the aisles of fitted, bespoke and handcrafted creations.
Our big love is for truly great interiors and hand crafted creations, so we were excited to discover the
‘Design Arcade’; an aisle dedicated to smaller design businesses and handmade products. We were thrilled to see some beautiful creations, from furniture, to fabrics and furnishing...here is our pick of the bunch!
Weave, Wood & Watson
We were impressed with the ‘Melbourne Grand’, a beautifully upholstered vintage chair. True craftsmen, Weave, Wood & Watson make organic, natural and antique upholstered furniture. We love the look and feel of their organic fabrics and natural, soft colour schemes
Studio at 37
Studio at 37 is made up of ceramicists Angela Pointon and Laura Masson. Angela’s ceramics are a collection of beautifully illustrated and lightly glazed porcelain ornaments, vases, cups and saucers. Her fine drawings are a perfect companion to Laura’s collection of block coloured porcelain shapes and ornaments. Designed with children in mind, her ceramics include a button collection, illustrated spinning tops, dice, pots, cups and building blocks.
Abigail Borg
I absolutely love Surface and pattern designer Abigale Borg’s collection of printed wallpaper. Her designs have been a massive hit; featuring in a multitude of top interior magazines as well as being stocked in Liberties of London. A perfect reminder of summertime, beauty and flowers in bloom- I’m definitely saving a bit of wall space.
The letter M
The letter M was one of my favourite exhibitors at the show. Promising to tell a story behind each design, M produces a range of fabric textiles and home accessories. Ideas, doodles and etchings, The Letter M encompasses a wonderful range of patterns printed on block coloured fabrics. Each with a story behind it, these fabrics and furnishings would be a perfect addition to any room.
Xiang Zeng
Inspired by the changeable nature of narrative and fairy tales, textile designer Xiang Zeng’s work comprises a fascinating collection of print and textile products. From cushions, to fabric bags, toy bears, to interactive magnetic wallpapers, Xiang’s illustrations are thought provoking, clever and absolutely gorgeous.
Underneath the Mango Tree
We love the ethic of Maura and Humphrey, the duo behind the inspirational company Underneath the Mango Tree. Together they work to produce Bespoke handcrafted hardwood furniture. Beautifully crafted, simple shapes make for a stunning collection of mango wood furniture. Crafted from sustainably sourced and fairly traded mango wood, Underneath the Mango Tree produces beautiful furniture, with a heart...designers which for us, push all the right buttons.
Kate Baxter
We loved interior designer, stylist and prolific blogger Kate Baxter’s fashion inspired room- set. From vintage to modern, old and new, Kate’s room- set was filled with beautiful fabrics, furniture and textile pieces, showcasing some of the best in British design.
Lizzie reporting from The Grand Designs Live Show
