Design Central South West
Last week I spent an inspirational day at Design Central UK’s South West interiors trade show.
A big thank you to Design Central for organising such a fantastic event and for the staff at Rockbeare Manor near Exeter. I’ve been to several trade show recently but I enjoyed this one considerably more. It wasn’t over crowded, making it a breeze to meet the reps and view the collections without feeling hurried or pushed out of the way.
Held in the very spectacular Rockbeare Manor near Exeter, and showered in gorgeous sunshine, made the event truly memorable and a special day out. The exhibitors were given a lot of space to display their collections, making it feel like I was visiting fabric showrooms in London. It was great to catch up with some of my reps and see all the new fabric collections. It was also wonderful to discover some new names including Sam Wilson, John Boyd Textiles and The Design Archives.
Sam Wilson
Sam Wilson designs luxury linen and cotton fabrics, woven and screen-printed in the UK. Most of the fabrics have muted colours and the designs would be perfect for a country cottage. The fabric in the photo above was also made up as a lampshade which looked amazing! The photo really doesn’t do this fabric justice but it gives you an idea of the style of this designer. Please do look out for Sam Wilson designs.
John Boyd
I found John Boyd Textiles really interesting but perhaps not for curtains! If you’re an upholsterer then please do check out this company who are weavers of horse-hair fabrics, based in Devon. They will even allow you to visit their workshop where the magic happens.
The Design Archives
The Design Archives was my favourite new discovery. The Design Archives is the brainchild of Sharon Crowson. Her father started Crowson Fabrics in 1978 which became one of the world’s leading designers of home furnishings. Sharon is bringing back to life some of the Crowson archives most beautiful designs. Printed on quality base cloths, all fabrics are developed and produced in the UK. Naturally I have opened an account so please let me know if you’d like to view the collection!
To top off the day, I enjoyed a delicious lunch in the beautiful gardens soaking up the sun. If you are in the trade, I highly recommend visiting the next Design Central show. You won’t be disappointed!
I’ve come away with lots of samples and brochures to show my clients. If you are in need of some design inspiration please contact me!
