By Dieneke Ferguson
15 Feburary 2013
Having missed the Home Show last year, I was really looking forward to the visit to Home this year. The entrance was exciting, through the Conference Centre where a passage was created with a selection of and then once arrived you could either go right to Home or left to Top Drawer. Different from how I know it with 100% Design, but it works.
Pulled together by Ian Rudge who started 100% Design I didn’t expect anything else than a great show.
You will find an interesting interview with Ian Rudge which appeared in Furniture News here
Having looked through the list of exhibitors I was pleased therefore to see that many of the designers who sell through the Hidden Art E-shop were present. Generally the quality of the work was high and one day wasn’t enough to just do Home and talk with the designers I know as well as new ones.
PRODUCT OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Rebecca Chitty’s products excel in making you think and smile. Her products are well loved and have a following amongst those buying from the E-Shop.
Her latest product range is the Time for a G @n@ Tea? This is bang on trend and has a dash of humour like her other products. Bars all over the country are serving up cocktails poured from teapots into teacups, with gin being the de rigueur spirit for discerning drinkers.
The ‘G ‘n’ Tea’ tea-set transforms anytime into party-time in the comfort of your own home with the added ingredient of being able to serve your guests wearing the ‘G ‘n’ Tea’ apron.
Here is a nice article on the trend to drink gin from a teacup. It is the Perfect present for mother’s day or other occasions.
You can buy this and other products here
AAREVALO
Having followed the development of the KAKKOii wireless speaker, it was great to see them now produced and for sale.
Kakkoii is a boutique design company set up by Antonio Aarevalo. A London designer, Antonio’s passion is making innovative, high quality products that fit the urban lifestyle; WOW is the first in the KAKKOii range.
The word Kakkoii is Japanese means coll-looking or handsome, and that is what they certainly the WOW speaker is. In addition it makes all your music portable. It is also easy to connect and recharge and streams music from any Bluetooth device.
You can buy one here
LINDSEY LANG
Lindsey Lang launched her new autumn/winter collection at the Home Show showing her current range of bold and colourful prints as well as her new cushions and kitchenware for 2013. Her use of colours got her a nomination for Best Use of colour in Home & Interiors by DULUX Colour Awards 2013.
You can see more of her products here
DesignK
DesignK was exhibiting their Tea for One Tables. They are so nice and perfectly made for teatime. They are crafted from solid ash wood with natural leather and fitted with a ceramic plate and colourful waxed cotton strings.
The ‘Tea for one’ table is inspired by the English afternoon tea time and perfectly fits in the modern English style.
This and other products from DesignK can be found here
J-ME
Founded in 2000 J-Me is the vision of brothers Mark & Jamie Antoniades who share a common desire to create products that encompass original design, quality and attention to detail. Their products have been best sellers at the Hidden Art E-Shop for a long time. They are subtly stylish yet incredibly practical and are a great gift for any occasion.
You can see J-Me’s products here
DIFFRACTIS
It was great to see Diffractis lights ‘in the flesh’ and not only on the E-Shop. They are so much more impressive. Particularly the Entwine floor lamps which change colours. You can see the change of colours here on this video
Modern materials are used for the Entwine and 100 individual integrated RGB Led’s allows selection via remote control or the in-line control unit. It has a wide range of colour options and a 7 stage digital dimmer function. That way you can tailor your interior space to perfectly reflect your current mood
For the Entwine and other products see here
THELERMONT HUPTON
Many of Thelermont Hupton’s products have become classics and continue to be liked by design lovers. They have also included some new products such as the Pix Hooks. These 3D pixels can be used to create your own composition of coat hooks. Set comprises of 2 singles, 1 double and 1 triple hooks.
The Handjobs have been even featured in Heston’s kitchen for the Channel 4 show ‘How to cook like Heston’, as well as in the French big brother. And their Edge Mirrors have been featured in WallPaper.
You can see their products here
LINDA BLOOMFIELD
Linda makes hand-thrown porcelain tableware in simple shapes with tactile satin matt glazes and subtly coloured interiors.
The Tactile Porcelain Mug is a porcelain mug with colour on the inside and a lambswool cosy designed by Ruth Cross and hand knitted in the UK.
Hand thrown porcelain teapot with a tactile satin matt glaze is inspired by the organic shapes of designer Eva Zeisel.
The teapot and mugs appeared in Country Homes and Interiors in 2012, Picture A nice article also appeared in Confessions of a design geek.
You can see her product here
RawXclusive
RawXclusive’s stand was extremely busy, so unfortunately I was unable to speak to Rebecca or take a picture of her. RawXclusive was set up by Award Winning artist Rebecca Winter to showcase and sell her artist prints and bespoke home accessories.
Her series of hand pulled artist prints are all individually signed and are the centre of her collection. Beautifully handcrafted items all made in the UK and produced with care and love by an artist who can turn the most simple motif into an art statement.
Their Mr Fox Bowling Bag has been featured in the November issue of Country Homes & Interiors Magazine.
Check new products as well as press etc
You can see the full range of products here
MICHELLE MASON
I have known Michelle Mason since when she set up her business in 2006 and I love her products and her illustrative and typographic style.
She has undertaken many collaborations and designed gifts and homewares for Transport for London, Southbank Centre and a collection of rugs for Woven Ground, her recent relationship with Universal Music has inspired a capsule collection of homewares featuring the iconic Decca heritage label.. Michelle Mason designs contemporary interior and giftware products. The die-cut ‘Stella’ rugs, made from 100% merino wool, have enjoyed extensive worldwide press coverage and were short listed for the Homes & Gardens Classic Design Award, 2009, and Northern Design Award, 2010.
Michelle has again teamed up with House of Fraser and created a vibrant new collection of kitchenware for Spring / Summer 2013
Michelle’s work frequently appears in both national and international press from the Sunday Times, Ideal Home, Elle Decoration, Homes & Gardens and Living Etc to Australia’s House Beautiful.
For a range of her products see here
DESINATURE
Desinature is a new British design brand dedicated to the production of stylish and ontemporary eco-conscious lighting and home accessories.
They devise beautifully crafted products in an ethical way and reflects their love for the natural world, as well as their desire to bring people closer to it.
I love Desinature’s products – they are beautifully crafted and give out a great light. They are also inspired by nature and made in the UK from responsibly sourced, sustainable materials.
You can see his products here
CUSTHOM
CUSTHOM design innovative high quality wallpapers, ceramics, textiles and stationery.
Nathan Philpott and Jemma Ooi met while studying at the Royal College of Art and founded CUSTHOM in 2009. Alongside creating their own collection, they have completed commissions and created bespoke designs for The Design Museum, Anthropologie, Whole Foods, Liberty and John Lewis amongst many others.
Their pieces are as beautifully made as they are bold in their design. Their work is produced exclusively in Britain, drawing on the wealth, quality and heritage of British craftsmanship. The ceramics are made using fine bone china in Stoke-On-Trent and the wallpapers are embroidered in Leicester, hand finished by designers in the London studio. You can see their products here
TAKAE MIZUTANI
Takae Mizutani and sons was established in London in 2007 by Takae with the help of her two cats Mooks & Guiness. Their aim is to create products that bring a little smile to people’s faces.
Takae has a wonderful way of looking at the world. She asks questions with a child like naivety, resulting in egg cups as castles, ceramic horses for the toast soldiers, plates as snails and salt & pepper shakers as boat sails.
For more details on her products click here