VIEW Newsletter - May

With the Spring shows in New York and Milan now over, we look forward to the major design events taking place in the UK late this summer. Catch up here on the interesting designs launched in the USA and find out how the free CEDIA expo and conference next month can help you integrate decorative, zany lighting into sophisticated home electronic systems.

Down at floor level there are good things happening too, a fresh approach with apprentices in the industry and the strength of the UK's National Floor Show running at the beginning of September in Harrogate.

Ian Thompson
Editor

Designs on smart home technology? Visit CEDIA EXPO…
Light on furniture, but plenty of lights...
The apprentices of the flooring world
September Events

Designs on smart home technology? Visit CEDIA EXPO…

Interior Designers wanting to find out how they can enhance their schemes with integrated audio, visual, lighting and other technologies should attend “Designing Interiors with Technology”. This dedicated conference for design professionals is sponsored by Decorex, idFX and BIDA (British Interior Design Association, soon to be BIID, the British Institute of Interior Design) and held in conjunction with CEDIA Expo - the only annual trade event in the UK for the design, installation and integration of home electronic systems.

The conference is a free half day education event, taking place at CEDIA Expo on the morning of Wednesday 24th June at the ExCeL London venue. The event will promote the benefits of including smart home technology in residential interior design projects and introduce CEDIA (the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) itself and the work of its members.

Decorex exhibitors Kensington Home Technology and Gibson Music, as well as experts from CEDIA, will be looking at a range of topics including; how to design integrated future-ready homes, trends in home electronics technology, issues in lighting control and what’s around the corner that interior designers will find interesting. The conference will be followed by a light lunch and a guided tour of the exhibition.

So, open the door to the world of home automation by registering now at www.cedia-expo.com. Registration is free using invitation code 100882.

For further information contact liz.anthony@wildwoodpr.co.uk

Light on furniture, but plenty of lights...

Copper_shade_pendant eve_design

Anyone who attended ICFF in New York this past weekend can attest to the fact that the show was mainly about creative lighting! That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any furniture, accessories or materials on display, but there was a clear slant towards creative lighting. It may be a sign of the times. People are actually staying put in their homes because of the housing market crash and using their existing furniture and relying on lighting elements and accessories to change the existing look. Whatever the reasons are, the show was full of lighting fixtures- brilliantly designed.

Within lighting, modern chandeliers made of thick blown glass, coloured and transparent with LED lights were a big hit. Several designers, US and Europeans, displayed very interesting fixture designs.

New and Notable were Tom Dixon’s Copper Shades and Mirror Balls. Also interesting to see were Viso’s Copper shades infused with watermarked imaging. Kartell also had a nice new collection introduced in Milan recently in addition to a new Dutch artist “Eve’s Design” with great chandeliers made from shiny wrought iron and other metals with crystals.

Also interesting to appreciate were chandeliers made from natural elements such as silk cocoons, honey combs and even simple cotton buds.

There were many other “fun”, but less practical designs such as large chandeliers made from lingerie, wine glasses and even plastic spoons. These are more applicable to modern museums or an art installation than an actual home design. Nevertheless, they did attract a lot of attention.

All in all, a fun event- great ideas for designers- Bright Lights, Big Cities. Now we are looking forward to seeing the new introductions at Decorex and the other London shows in September.

Jihane Khawam, Designer and owner of Chez Moi, San Francisco.

Jihane is a seasoned designer and owner of Chez Moi, which heralded the era of personalized living and the boutique home experience. Chez Moi has a showroom in San Francisco and works with designers throughout the United States. Chez Moi can be reached at www.chezmoisf.com and Jihane frequently blogs on chezmoisf.blogspot.com

The apprentices of the flooring world

There is now ample evidence that the Flooring industry, as in other areas of interior design, focus has shifted to preparing for "business as usual" once the country reaches the other side of the downturn. A hot topic over past weeks has been apprenticeships, probably influenced somewhat by the return of the BBC show The Apprentice, although it is doubtful that any flooring contractor would be as tough as Sir Alan Sugar to please.

March saw National Apprentice Week across the UK aiming to encourage both firms to support the scheme and youngsters to get involved, however when it comes to floor fitting apprentices it seems there is some injustice. The funding allocated to a floor layer is not equivalent to what, for example, a hairdressing apprentice would receive. FeRFA has been campaigning, as a representative of the flooring industry, to secure equal funding for flooring apprentices and other trades and hopefully we will see a positive outcome from this in coming months.

The Construction Skills agency has also been involved, supporting apprentices who have found themselves no longer needed thanks to the economic downturn, offering an apprentice-matching scheme to find a new employer for any apprentice who is currently redundant.

It is important that fresh blood keeps flowing into the industry, this is what will keep the flooring trade strong and well respected when the economy turns around. It seems that this is recognised by the powers-that-be in the industry and everyone is keen to support potential floor layers. Skilled and experienced floor fitters are always necessary for successful flooring contractors, and apprenticeships are a key way to ensure that these skills are taught and honed from a young age.

Jemma Tipping
Editor – The Flooring Magazine
www.floorpoint.com

To view the very latest developments from the flooring industry, make sure you visit National Floor Show , Harrogate, 8-10 September 2009 now the only dedicated flooring event in the UK, currently with over a hundred exhibitors in all categories of flooring.

September Events

September is an extremely busy month in the London design community with literally hundreds of exciting and inspirational events, openings and installations to enthuse the industry worldwide.

The London Design Festival is the umbrella event during the last weeks of September, promoting British talent in many spaces around the city to celebrate all of London’s design disciplines, a key attraction for international visitors.

Decorex International, 100% Design, Tent London, Focus and Designersblock are just some of the brands you’ll be hearing more of in the months leading up to the most important weeks in the British interior design calendar.

Products will be launched across the city, new and exciting innovations to inspire the UK’s design hub and lead the trends for the seasons ahead. You’ll find inspiration not only at these market leading exhibitions in the west of the city , but also at the smaller groupings of showrooms and galleries around the Brompton Design District and the V&A Museum , Trafalgar Square and the Southbank Centre.

So from the 13000 square metre pavilions on Chelsea Embankment to a brewery in Shoreditch, September is the time for London to stage its finest attempt at promoting the best of British ….and some international stars of design.

September dates for your diary

Tent London and 100%Design, 24th to 30th September, overlapping over the weekend with Decorex International at the Royal Hospital Chelsea and the Focus event 27th - 30th September.

Keep up to date with the latest industry events at www.interiorshub.com or www.decorex.com

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