Decorex Loves London
London by day...
Decorex would like to share some of our own cherished places for a more local London experience …
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The Botanist 7 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8EE Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 23.30, Sat and Sun: 9:00 -23:30 After the show, stop by The Botanist on the corner of Sloane Square for a ‘Decorex Cooler’, a one off cocktail made just for you at a discounted price to Decorex visitors! Just flash your visitor badge to the bar staff to redeem this offer. (Decorex Cooler - a whole fresh kiwi fruit muddled with fresh lemongrass and shaken with a large shot of Zubrowka vodka, fresh lime juice and pressed apple juice) How refreshing! *This place is also known to locals for its delicious breakfast worth fuelling up at before the Decorex design filled day ahead. www.thebotanistonsloanesquare.com/ |
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Eltham Palace Eltham Palace, Court Yard, London SE9 Opening Times: 10:00 – 15:00. Closed Thu, Fri and Sat. This 1936 decadent art deco house was built by the wealthy Courtauld family next to the remains of Eltham Palace, childhood home of Henry VIII. Restored by English Heritage, it’s among the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England. Visit the beautiful gardens or marvel at the stunning entrance hall, marvellous panelled dining room, luxurious bathroom and the magnificent medieval Great Hall. www.english-heritage.org.uk |
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Courtauld Gallery Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 0RN Opening Times: 10:00 – 18:00 (last admission 17:30) On many visits to this lesser known gallery in London, you may benefit from having the place to yourself, which is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy many of London’s major artworks. Hidden away, one of the Courtauld’s benefits is that, unlike other mainstream galleries in the capital, there’s no need to book or wrestle with the crowds. http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/index.shtml |
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Liberty Regent Street, London W1B 5AH Opening Times: Mon-Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00 Positioned near both Regent Street and Carnaby Street, Liberty houses arresting window displays, exciting luxury products and collections, as well as fabulous exclusives that have helped to cement its position as one of London’s finest department stores. On the fourth floor within its wood-panelled interior, you’ll find regular interiors exhibitions showcasing new and classic furniture designs. There’s also a fabulous permanent collection of 20th-century classics like Charles and Ray Eames's famous armchair and Le Corbusier's chaise. The shoe bar on the second floor includes exclusives from Rupert Sanderson, Giuseppe Zanotti and Stella McCartney, and bags from Marc Jacobs and Chloé. The Rosa Clara Bridal Boutique consists of own-label styles and those by Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix. http://www.liberty.co.uk/ |
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Monument Monument St, London EC3 Opening Times::09:30 – 17:30 (last admission) 17:00 Commemorating the Great Fire of 1666, The Monument is located 202 feet from the baker's shop in Pudding Lane where the fire originated. To reach the top of the Monument takes 311 steps, and if you can manage it, the sight from the summit is breathtaking. This is also one of the few capital landmarks that only Londoners tend to find. For those weary visitors, you can watch realtime views via a video stream at the bottom. www.themonument.info |
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Open Gardens Various locations around London Opening Times: September 25, 12:00-16:00 Operating as both a showcase and a laboratory, you are invited to designer Emma Plunket's garden in Shepherd's Bush (49 Loftus Rd, W12 7EH). This narrow, west-facing walled garden backs onto an orchard and is organised around a central path with fruit, vegetables and herbs growing in on either side in a cold frame and raised beds. A collaboration between the Society of Garden Designers and the RHS, also open to visitors is Charles Rutherford's plantsman's garden in Clapham (51 The Chase, SW4 0NP). Hidden behind a pierced wall of railway sleepers covered in roses, it features a geodetic dome housing seedlings, succulents and subtropical plants are grown. http://www.sgd.org.uk/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=8DEEF7DA-523B-44B7-BCCE-FFAA83813385 |
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2012 Olympic Walks Opening Times: Daily 11am (adult £9, concessions & under-16s £6) Daily walks led by Blue Badge tourist guides around developing Olympic sites. Get an update on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, their legacy and the athletes with views of the Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Velodrome. Online booking is essential. http://www.toursof2012sites.com/ |
London by night...
Eating out, sipping on cocktails, listening to live music or enjoying a show at one of London's world-class theatres, we’ve picked our Time Out favourites…
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Vanilla Black (Vegetarian Restaurant) 17-18 Tooks Court, off Cursitor Street, EC4A 1LB Opening Times: Mon - Fri 12:00 - 14:30, 18:00 - 22:00; Sat 18:00 - 22:00 Hidden amongst the historic buildings down a cobbled side street near Chancery Lane lies Vanilla Black. A high concept, innovative vegetarian restaurant that delivers an excitement that provides an extended creative buzz. The subdued decor (muted tones, dark wood chairs, crisp white linen tablecloths) is in stark contrast to the cooking which is by all means dazzling. http://www.vanillablack.co.uk/location |
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Chillies Restaurant 76 Brick Lane, Shadwell, E1 6RL Opening Times: Daily 12:00-14:30 & 17:30-00:00 Brick Lane is one of London’s most iconic places to dine out, and this bustling thoroughfare is home to hip bars, pop-up boutiques, arty music venues and Chillies Restaurant, which offers an authentic Indian experience in the capital. Running since 1998, Chillies Restaurant is a Brick Lane institution and this modern restaurant is a popular with Londoners. Renowned for its generously sized fresh curries, corkage-free BYO policy and platters piled high with samosas, tandoori grills and kebabs this one is worth singling out on the Brick Lane curry mile! |
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Harwood Arms Corner of Walham Grove and Farm Lane, SW6 1QP Opening Times: Mon17.30 - 23:00; Tue - Fri 12:00-23:00; Sat 12:00 - 00:00; Sun 12:00 – 22:00. Food Service: Mon 17.30 – 22:00. Tue – Sat 12:00 – 22:00; Sun 12:00 – 21:00. With the bar stocked with an excellent range of real ales on draught, an affordable wine list and a menu conscious of both provenance and seasonality this Michelin awarded watering hole has to be the best gastro pub London has to offer. As well as co-owner Mike Robinson shooting all the venison used in his delectable dishes, the posh-country feel translates via a repertoire of rustic design details. Snails with stout-braised oxtail and bone marrow has become a signature dish, alongside the consummate venison scotch eggs mains are wholesome with desserts just as comforting. http://www.harwoodarms.com/ |
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Booking Office St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, Euston Road City of London NW1 2AR Opening Times: The larger of two bars in the St Pancras Renaissance hotel, has been dubbed the grandest-looking place to have a drink in London - and that includes the Wetherspoon at Victoria. A cathedral feel with modern additions, this heavenly bar is well worth paying a visit – if only to gawp at the gothic grandeur. The staff are friendly, funny with an exceptional knowledge of drinks and the hotel's history. As well as selected beers produced by London's breweries, more than two dozen wines are available by the glass and cocktails are reasonable priced below the $10 mark. http://stpancras.com/Hotel |
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Experimental Cocktail Club 13A Gerrard Street, W1D 5PS Opening Times: Mon – Sat 18:00 – 3:00, Sun 17:00 – 0:00 Behind a barely marked door in Chinatown lies one of the best cocktail bars in London. Three floors of elegant interior with exposed brickwork, plush fabrics, illustrated walls and a touch of the Orient in keeping with its location. The cocktails aren't cheap but they are exquisite and as the name suggests, unusual. A less-bitter twist on the negroni uses lavender-infused gin; the Rag Time is a heady collective of Rittenhouse 100 rye, Peychaud's bitters, Aperol and absinthe. Rare vintage cocktails are available for £150 but offer a bling experience but when else do you get to sample Gins from the 1950s?. http://experimentalcocktailclublondon.com/ |
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Top Girls |
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More London Free Festival: Open-air Film The Scoop at More London Riverside, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, London SE1 2DB Opening Times: Wed – Fri from 19:30 The More London Free Festival offers open-air screenings of classic, cult and contemporary films on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. The schedule is as follows: Sep 21: 'The Illusionist' (PG); Sep 22: 'The Social Network' (12A); Sep 23: 'The African Queen' (PG); Sep 28: 'The Manchurian Candidate (PG); Sep 29: 'Grease' (PG); Sep 30: 'True Grit' (15). This outdoor sunken amphitheatre seats 800; there's no need to book and cushions are available for hire. http://www.morelondon.com/events_details.asp?ID=107 |
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Ronnie Scott’s 47 Frith St Soho, London W1D 4HT Opening Times: Mon-Sat from 18:00 – 3:00. Sun 18:00 – 00:00 One of the oldest jazz clubs in the world, Ronnie Scott’s opened in 1959 and has since featured most of the legendary and popular names in modern jazz and jazz fusion. A waiter is assigned to your table throughout the course of the evening catering to all your food and/or drink needs allowing you to enjoy the show without any interruption. Standard price is £28.50 (priority seating usually at £40 or restricted view/standing at £20). This occasionally varies according to the stature of the artist. Advanced booking advisable. http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/ |
London Design Festival
Decorex International is an integral part of London Design Festival. With the show doors closed and the festival wrapped up in the capital, we take a look back at some of the highlights of this year’s design festival feast....
John Pawson – Perspectives
Perspectives, St Paul’s Cathedral
Opening Times: 19-25 September Daily 10:00 - 18:00
The London Design Festival has hosted some huge architecture and design names in high profile landmark public spaces including; Trafalgar Square, the V&A, Covent Garden and for the first time this year, as part of the 300th anniversary of Christopher Wren’s completion, St Paul’s Cathedral. Visitors will gain access to the Geometric Staircase rarely seen by the public. It is here that British designer John Pawson has collaborated with Swarovski to design a metal and Swarovski crystal half-hemisphere. The largest lens possible to manufacture provides a view to be marveled at up through the tower beyond what the naked eye would normally allow. A true feast for the eyes!
AL_A – Timber Weave
V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7
Opening times: 17 September -15 October Daily 10:00 - 17:45; Fri10:00 - 22:00
Award winning architects, AL_A and engineering firm Arup, have transformed the Grand Entrance to the V&A with the installation of an enormous wooden wave cascading from the steps. Timber Wave is a three-dimensional latticework spiral, 12 metres diameter, which is built from oil-treated American red oak and employs construction techniques and materials normally used in furniture making to creating a grandiose three-storey high formation.
http://www.vam.ac.uk
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec – Textile Field
V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7
Opening times: 17 September -15 October Daily 10:00 - 17:45; Fri10:00 - 22:00
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec are France’s most adept design team, and will create their design intervention within the Raphael Court at the V&A. This is an area built specifically to house seven enormous works by the Italian painter, Raphael. Textile Field is their most ambitious collaboration yet, taking over 240m² of the gallery floor. Ronan and Erwan have created this space so that the formal distance between the viewer and the artwork becomes closer, allowing the viewer to relax both the body and mind. The lengths of soft fabric creates an expansive coloured foam and textile lounge that encourages relaxation and allows people to absorb the art in a much less formal way than usual.
Aamu Song – REDDRESS
York Hall, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PJ
Opening Hours: 22-25 September Thu - Sat 13:00 – 17:00; Thu - Sat ticketed performances 19:00;
Sun 11:00 – 16:00
Reddress is both an installation and performance space in the form of a colossal, red dress. Produced by the Finnish Institute in London, it is part of the international programme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. REDDRESS is designed by Aamu Song and aims to question the roles we play as the participant or performer, as well as elevating the experiential boundaries of this versatile relationship. REDDRESS is hosting a number of evening concerts and daytime events at East London's legendary boxing venue York Hall. The event is produced by the Finnish Institute in London and it is part of the international programme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.
http://reddress.fi
Travel and Stay
TRAVEL...
Decorex is easily reached by Public transport.
Please note we advise you check the Transport for London website for any public transport travel updates or consult their Journey Planner if you are unsure of the best route:
Airports
Access from both Heathrow and Gatwick Airport is best.
Gatwick Airport - take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria station and either take the District or Circle Underground Line (1 stop) to Sloane Square or Bus 11 to Sloane Square.
Heathrow - take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then the District or Circle Line to Sloane Square (6 stops).
Mainline Train Stations
Victoria Mainline Station – a four minute drive. Alternatively take the District or Circle Underground Line (1 stop) to Sloane Square or Bus 11 to Sloane Square. It is a fifteen minute walk from Victoria to Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Waterloo Station – a twelve minute drive or take the Jubilee Underground line northbound to Westminster (1 stop) and change for the District or Circle Underground line westbound to Sloane Square (3 stops).
Paddington Station – a thirteen minute drive or take the District or Circle Underground line to Sloane Square (6 stops).
Underground
Sloane Square (District and Circle line) – a two minute drive or a seven minute walk to Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Victoria (Victoria line) – a four minute drive or a fifteen minute walk to Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Knightsbridge (Piccadilly line) – a five minute drive or a seventeen minute walk to Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Bus
Decorex is served by the following bus routes:
137, 360 - Lower Sloane Street/Chelsea Bridge Road
11, 211, 239 - Royal Hospital Road/Pimlico Road
360 - Chelsea Embankment
Cars or taxis
We regret that there is no parking available at Decorex therefore we would strongly advise that public transport is used. Should you wish to drive however, the nearest car parks can be found in Cheltenham Terrace just off of Kings Road, and Semley Place near Victoria Station.
Congestion Zone. Roads to the north of the Royal Hospital Chelsea are now within the London Congestion Zone, although Chelsea Embankment will remain exempt. Details of the zone area can be found on www.cclondon.com.
Car Hire London - National Car
12 Semley Place, Westminster, London SW1W 9QL
020 7259 1600
Westminster Cars (Taxis)
125 Wilton Road, Westminster, London SW1V 1JZ
020 7630 0630
STAY...
Event Express are the official booking agency for the exhibition and the Accommodation website gives full details of hotels situated in the area surrounding the venue.
Accommodation in the area gets booked up quickly, click here to visit the tailored Decorex Concierge service for exhibitors to plan your personal arrangements or alternatively dial +44(0)1905 732 737. (http://www.eventexpressuk.info/index.asp?e=Decorex10)
Sun 25 Sept 10:00 - 18:00
Mon 26 Sept 10:00 - 19:00
Tue 27 Sept 10:00 - 19:00
Wed 28 Sept 10:00 - 17:00
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Registration Enquiries: +44 (0)844 557 2306
General Enquiries: +44 (0)20 7921 8666
Fax: +44 (0)20 7921 8450
Email: info@decorex.co.uk