The Architect’s Study Takes Centre Stage at The Winter Decorative Fair

Now in its 40th year, the much-loved Decorative Fair was launched in 1985 by a dealer in decorative antiques. Held at London’s Kensington Hilton Hotel, The Decorative Fair was an instant hit with designers and decorators, and in the ensuing years has become an internationally renowned event held three times a year. The Fair offers an exciting range of stock far broader than any traditional antiques event, in a relaxed and inspiring setting in Battersea Park. Around 130 exhibitors each outing are selected to keep a creative balance of decorative and formal British and European antiques, 20th century design, fine and decorative art from antiquity to the present day, unexpected treasures and affordable treats.

The Winter edition, running from 21st-25th January, also plays host to the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair, an annual event featuring a globally sourced colourful array of antique carpets, rugs, woven art and decorative textiles. A Foyer display, The Architect’s Study, takes its influence from drawings by the leading classical architect George Saumarez Smith. The presentation will inspire visitors with a showcase of furniture, art and objects suitable for a study, reading or office area, with all items available to buy. For more details see:

https://decorativefair.com/

GREEN GRAD Yahvi Duggal exhibiting with Talking Textiles

GREEN GRADS Talk Textiles at Crucial Trading

Natural floorcoverings brand Crucial Trading has partnered with GREEN GRADS, the successful brainchild of renowned journalist and photographer Barbara Chandler, for an inspiring exhibition, Talking Textiles. GREEN GRADS is a platform for new UK graduates, in the words of Barbara Chandler: “With ideas to heal the planet”, and supports graduates whose final projects have addressed eco and sustainability issues. Talking Textiles will showcase six Green Grads, who will present innovative works that champion sustainable textile design and production, spotlighting natural fibres, dyes, biomaterials, and eco-friendly techniques aimed at reducing waste, water usage, and energy consumption. 

There will also be discussions, demonstrations, and project development. Talking Textiles will be held at the Crucial Trading showroom: 2nd Floor, South Dome, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XE, from 25th-28th February. The show is free to enter and open to all.

www.greengrads.co.uk/

www.crucial-trading.com/

Left Fortuny, right Pierre Frey

January’s Design Rendezvous in the Heart of Paris

Paris Déco Off is the exciting January design rendezvous taking place in the heart of the City of Lights. Timed to coincide with the first of the two annual Maison et Objet shows, this year sees showrooms launching new collections and unveiling installations, holding parties, launches, talks and events for the four days this week from 15th-18th January.

Over 150 brands are showcasing their fabrics, wallcoverings, specialist finishes and rugs, alongside capsule collections of furnishings, lighting and accessories. Most of the action is taking place in the two main hubs of Déco Off – the Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés & Place Saint-Sulpice, Paris 6th arrondissement (Left Bank) and the Quartier Rue du Mail & Place des Victoires Paris 2nd arrondissement (Right Bank), in streets festooned with bespoke hanging lampshades guiding the way around the design circuit.

A free shuttle bus runs between stops at Place des Petits-Pères and Places Saint-Germain-des-Prés/Saint-Sulpice and the event is open to all (some showrooms may require invitations for certain events). The information point during the show is at Hôtel Bel Ami – 7/11 rue Saint-Benoît.

www.paris-deco-off.com/en/home-english/

Horseplay at the Drei Berge Hotel

The Drei Berge Hotel in Mürren, Switzerland, is the award-winning playful take on the Swiss chalet aesthetic dreamed up by Ramdane Touhami, design mind behind beauty brand, Officine Universelle Buly.

The witty alpine hideaway opened 17 rooms in 2023, with two rooms kept aside for visits from Ramdane’s friends Aaron Aulja and his wife Emily Adams Bode Aujla, the duo behind BODE, a NYC fashion and lifestyle brand. When he came to decorate the rooms, Ramdane chose Aujla’s interior design studio, Green River Project, for the collaboration.

The two newly decorated rooms have an equestrian feel and are named after famous racehorses. The Buckpasser room with dusty kings’ blue accents features a framed turn-of-the-century landscape oil painting, a selection of show ribbons and awards and an Art Deco-style upholstered settee. In the US Top 10 room, the walls and ceiling are entirely clad in wood, finished in a Swiss chocolate brown brightened with canary yellow bedding and carpet. The mid-century vintage club leather sofa is crowned with a colourful textile wall hanging and a distressed jockey silk is displayed on the wall like a painting over the 1940s walnut side table.

Buckpasser and US Top 10 are both available to book now at: 

dreibergehotel.ch

Grythyttan Sofa 6

Farmhousecore Trends with Swedish Outdoor Furniture

The farmhouse interiors trend, also known as ‘farmhousecore’, is rooted in simplicity, warmth and a connection with nature. The trend, popular with design enthusiasts seeking authenticity and comfort, has surged in popularity over the past year, with searches for ‘farmhouse’ on Google Trends rising by around 5000%.  

Looking ahead to warmer weather and outdoor furniture springs to mind. Grythyttan is a fourth-generation family business specialising in garden furniture crafted from wood and steel. Since 1895, the furniture manufacturer has combined classic craftsmanship with timeless Scandinavian design and has collaborated with some of the most important Scandinavian design names – from Nisse Strinning to contemporary designers Andreas Engesvik and Jonas Bohlin and others, who have all brought their signature to the collections. “The farmhousecore trend reflects values that are deeply embedded in Swedish design,” says Bo Hellberg from the brand. “This trend is about creating spaces that feel grounded and enduring, with a focus on craftsmanship and timeless design.” Available from www.scp.co.uk

www.grythyttanstalmobler.com/en 

Flower Prints & Cards for the Months of the Year

Last year, Juliet Travers, founder of Juliet Travers Wallpapers & Fabrics, painted and launched 12 original paintings of birth month flowers depicted in birthstone colours. The collection sold out within 24 hours, and following this success, Juliet has just released a selection of limited edition prints and greeting cards of the collection, which are now available to buy via her online shop. 

Each of the 100 A5 prints in the limited edition run is signed by Juliet and mounted, and costs £75. They are all printed in England and come with a certificate of authenticity. The A6 greeting cards are available to buy as a full set of 12 for £28, and include each birth month flower of the year; packs of 6 featuring a single design are £15. All are printed on 300gsm textured paper with matching kraft paper envelopes.

https://juliettravers.com/

The Traditional Norwegian Way to Ethical Bedding

A new year brings thoughts of refreshing décor and design, and bedding is one of the first accessories to get a January makeover. With longevity and sustainability key priorities, natural fibres have been making a comeback, but with ethical sourcing among the essential prerequisites. Norvegr makes indulgent down duvets and pillows using an ancient tradition of Norwegian craft with unique channel construction techniques and with strong ethical credentials.

The down in the Norvegr Limited Edition Eiderdown Duvet is hand picked from abandoned eider duck nests, in Svalbard at midsummer, so the ducks are not touched. The mother duck plucks the down from her own breast to line the nests, and it is only collected once the duck family has headed out to sea for the summer. This provides enough to fill just 100 duvets a year. The rest of the down used by Norvegr is ethically sourced, with traceability certificates and third-party audits ensuring every animal's wellbeing, and no live plucking is used. The down is 100% natural and biodegradable, giving it one of the lowest carbon footprints of all fill materials.

Norvegr also offers a restoration service, with the duvet refilled and rejuvenated, and the ‘couple’s duvet’ can be custom filled on each side. Prices from £698.79 at:

www.norvegr.com

Homage to a Land Steeped in History and Mystery

This Winter’s Collection of Limited Edition candles and diffusers from Baobab goes on an olfactory and visual journey through Morocco.

The Orientalist, which supports the Actions@Village association, rebuilding schools in Berber villages destroyed by the 2023 earthquake, features exotic images by the artist and photographer Serge Anton sublimated onto glass: Koutoubia, a jewel of 12th century Almohad Marrakech architecture, with precious essences of incense and leather; the coastal town of Essaouira, with a floral scent of hyacinth, lily and almond blossom; and Skaura, the largest palm grove in southern Morocco, with a spicy fragrance of cedar, amber and incense.

The Atlas Collection is in hand-blown glass: Majorelle, named after the famous garden, once the home of Yves Saint Laurent, with the scent of orange blossom; Tichka, in the colours of the High Atlas mountains, woody with Atlas cedar, patchouli and vetiver; and Toubkal, reflecting the highest point in the High Atlas mountains in violet wax scented with incense and rose.

The ceramic Ksar Collection represents the fortified towns of the pre-Saharan landscape with three designs: El Glaoui, in a two-tone glaze with scents of hibiscus, tea and red fruits; Sultan, in a metallic geometric design fragranced with papyrus flower, sea salt and moss; and the green Pacha, aromatic with bergamot, absinthe and patchouli.

The Marrakech candle showcases screenprinting on glass, with orange blossom, the leathery scents of the tanners’ souks and the woody patchouli of the spice stalls.

https://eu.baobabcollection.com/en-gb

Brushing Up on New Bedding

U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the non-profit governing body for polo in the United States, has introduced a homeware collection of bedding and accessories that draws on their classic, sport-inspired clothing line. 

The neutral and soft pastel colours come in a selection of plain, gingham and striped designs, detailed with the U.S. Polo Assn. signature tricolour stripe. Key styles include duvet covers, silky pillowcases and crisp sheets crafted with indulgent 400-thread count fabrics. Plush 550gsm towels come in a range of 10 distinct colours. The collection also includes opulent bed throws, cosy lounge throws, and chic lounge and bedroom cushions and elegant bedroom cushions

Coming soon from stockists and: www.uspoloassn.co.uk

A New Mini Marvel from Officine Universelle Buly

The Parisian beauty brand, Officine Universelle Buly, is well known for classic perfumes, home fragrance and face & body care products & accessories - for people and pets – but also for their inventive creations. 

From its origins as purveyors of a ‘miraculous’ beauty and medicinal panacea, the ‘Aromatic and Antimephitic Vinegar’ in the early 1800s to a renaissance in 2014 under Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami, Buly has encompassed a nostalgia for bygone times of cosmetic innovation with intoxicating scent concoctions and decorative whimsies.

After the popular scented wood sticks and matches, pomanders and incense resin pebbles, the latest mini marvel is a Scented Metal Box with a metal funnel and perfumed beads in a choice of four scents: Alexandrie, Campagne d’Italie, Généraux d’Empire et Retour d’Egypte. The Box can be hung in wardrobes or cars, on doorknobs or in bathrooms. The Scented Metal Box is £120, from:

Officine Universelle Buly