Following this year’s House & Garden Festival, we can reveal what was hot and who there was to see. After all, we spent press day at the show looking high and low for key pieces for the home. Well, most of press day… we couldn’t resist a healthy peruse through the fashion aisles and we were not disappointed either. With 30,000 visitors there this year, we certainly came back with a whole host of festival highlights and some super smart buys.
Decorated spaces
So where shall we start? The highlights we found in HOME perhaps? After all, this was what we really came to see wasn’t it?! Well, it was good to meet natural paint specialist Ed Bulmer. We even had time to take a shot of him in his beautifully decorated set just before the masses descended on the show. Also known as a leading architectural historian, Ed is renowned for restoring and decorating some of England’s most revered country homes from Goodwood to Hampton Court. Consequently, we adored this carefully curated space, which reflected classic design with a modern twist. Festival highlights here included a striking tapestry from Anthony Fell Antiques and a Max Rollitt camelback sofa. This scarlet Georgian reproduction furniture took centre stage with plumped up cushions. Meanwhile, the on-trend geometric design and fresh green on the rug from Bombay Sprout completed the look.
More festival highlights
Interior designer Rachel Chudley took glamour to another level with her luxurious dining room. Cleverly blending modern with the traditional, Rachel created a space to reflect a jewellery box-style atmosphere. She achieved this wonderfully and we loved Surface View’s stunning Art-Deco-inspired ceiling fresco. In addition, other items to note included the centrepiece – a beautiful table topped with glass and designed by Cox London.
Textile heaven
Now, Abigail Burden is one to watch. Extremely talented, you could watch her at work as she hand-painted leather jackets on her stand. With a good grounding in creating unique textile prints, Abigail created beautiful hand-drawn designs from the tropics to animal inks. Choose from murals to cushions and you could have picked up a customised leather jacket should the mood have taken you.
Pretty in pink (and green)
This year, Sofas & Stuff announced an exciting collaboration with blogger, Emily from The Pink House. So, hats off to Emily as she came up with a creative mix of an on-trend colour palette and luxurious fabrics galore. As a result, this absolutely gorgeous, limited edition collection featured sumptuous pink velvet and a tropical vibe with a leafy green print. Furthermore, this luxury furniture boasted a solid beech timber frame and feet. What’s not to like from this capsule collection?
Pattern and paint
If handmade and antique Spanish tiles are your thing, Maitland & Poate wouldn’t have disappointed. From reclaimed antique to encaustic cement versions, their expert team will even install them. The patterns really are stunning and they even sell eco-friendly lime paints. We can think of a few rooms the tiles and paint can go into from the cloakroom to the kitchen in our Edwardian-style ‘project’ home. More on our project to follow in a future post…
Bombay bliss
If you like a splash of colour and strong pattern then Bombay Sprout’s wares would suit you perfectly. Set up by interior designer team Emma and Zara, they are already working with big names, including Ed Bulmer, previously mentioned. We discovered that the inspiration behind this brand came from the dhurrie rug. Did you know they are hand-woven and can take up to three months to produce? It just goes to show a whole lot of love goes into these designs. The Indian-inspired Kantha throws and quilts were really quite special, too. Don’t forget the cushions as this duo goes to great lengths to source antique textiles, which form their bespoke covers.
Beauty of bespoke
Our interiors editors always have a penchant for bespoke furniture because the attention to detail and finesse tend to be so exquisite. It was with this in mind that we met highly skilled furniture designer Jonathan Field. You can commission him to create original pieces and he designed this beautiful table, which featured handcrafted laminated strips of solid ash. The soft grain of this elegant wood had been covered with an ebony stain. Most noteworthy, this table was available at the show for a special rate of £7,000 so we believe it was snapped up!
Tea for two?
You may already know how much we love interior designer Kit Kemp‘s work and, in particular, her design expertise on Ham Yard Hotel. So, when we came across her most recent collaboration with Wedgwood at this year’s show, we were delighted. Featuring a burnished gold trim, this beautiful fine bone china set, called Sailor’s Farewell has taken inspiration from a collection of embroidered fabrics produced for Chelsea Textiles. One of our favourite festival highlights, this is so hot off the press, we hear the full dinner and tea collection launches at the end of this year so watch this space!
Lighting the way
Looking for a statement light with British credentials? Then Kinkatou could be perfect for you. They design and manufacture everything, from table lamps to overhead lighting, in Britain using skilled craftsmen. You can either choose their standard range or commission a bespoke piece in a huge variety of colour-ways.
Uniquely stylish
Other festival highlights to note this year should really include Ridley. We are so pleased we found this luxury boutique as we absolutely adore silk and here you were spoilt for choice for catwalk clothing in this sumptuous fabric. Patterns play heavily in these gorgeous designs from ditsy florals to bolder prints. This fashion label makes every garment to order so you can benefit from a tailor-made outfit at relatively reasonable prices.
Big and bold
British fashion designer Louisa Parris featured strong, abstract patterns in her delectable designs using a unique combination of art, architecture and design influences. Having worked with the likes of Donna Karan and Ghost, Louisa cleverly blurs the lines between clothing and art. From statement scarves to dresses, we loved her use of graphic shapes and vibrant colours.
Bags of style
Meanwhile, Hopeful brought the tote to another level on our list of festival highlights with their beautifully, British bespoke collection. Designed by fashion and business duo Dominique and Liz, these friends have consequently created bags for every occasion. So if the tote didn’t float your boat, there were other styles to choose from – shoulder and even clutch. In addition these bags featured a nappa leather exterior – it’s just the softest material to the touch – with a cotton interior so these must-buy bags of the season get our vote!
