Best of Brtish Design with The English Home 

There is much to celebrate in British design, something that is most apparent when we put together our annual Best of British special – the September edition of The English Home, which is on sale now.

So many of the brands who make beautiful products for us to enjoy at home are finding new ways to preserve the craftsmanship handed down through generations while embracing new designs and innovations for the future.

Many of us appreciate the beauty or provenance of a carefully crafted piece as we hold it in our hands, but the process and tradition behind its creation are often harder for us to imagine. From weaving wool to artisan upholstery to handmade pottery, The English Home delights in discovering the rich heritage of time-honoured skills behind great British brands, many of which are exhibiting at Decorex this year. 

The Cornish Bed Company

The Cornish Bed Company is among the Best of British brands featured in the September issue of The English Home. Combining good looks with exemplary craftsmanship, its hand-cast Somerset four-poster bed has recently been awarded the prestigious Design Guild Mark Award for excellence in British design.

The Cornish Bed Company is the last traditional metal bed foundry in the UK (also awarded a Manufacturing Guild Mark), and the Somerset is a rarely seen example of a metal four-poster. It can be finished to bespoke desires – here, the modern soft powder pink contrasts with classic brass caps and knobs for a gently romantic look.

Cole & Son

With block-print designs, screen prints, original drawings and wallpapers representing styles from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it comes as no surprise that fabric and wallpaper brand Cole & Son has one of the most important historical archives in the industry. Founded in 1875 by John Perry, the brand’s designs have adorned the walls of many historic houses, including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, as well as its collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces.

The Gardens Wallpaper Collection explores the beauty of the sweeping English landscape as captured through the artist’s brush. Meticulously hand-drawn and hand-painted, the designs tell the story of nature’s ever-changing light, colours and organic movement.

Original BTC

When Peter Bowles launched lighting company Original BTC (which stands for British, Timeless, Classic) 30 years ago, he could not have imagined it would become the internationally renowned, family-run business it is today. With showrooms in London, Paris and New York, it has come a long way since its humble beginnings, when Bowles decided he did not like the plastic flex used on a lamp, so designed what is now the brand’s signature woven cotton braid flex. Following a visit to Stoke-on-Trent, where he found a ceramics factory under threat of closure, Bowles took on the business, including all the staff, and began making bone china lamps.

Today he works alongside his son Charlie, and together they have acquired several other lighting businesses to create a comprehensive catalogue of world-class British lighting designs that focus on longevity, craft and pushing the boundaries of production. All Original BTC’s metal and glass components are produced in Birmingham, its LED lights in Oxford, and the bone china elements still in Stoke-on-Trent. Iconic Original BTC products include the Hector, Oxford and London collections. 

Meet The Brands at Decorex

 To see the quality of the materials and find out about the homegrown skills that go into making interiors products such as these first hand, visit Decorex 2022, 9-12 October. Amongst the 200 exhibitors, other great British brands that have craftsmanship at their core include Abraham Moon & Sons and Ian Mankin. 

To discover more about some of Britain’s finest brands, read articles from the Best of British September 2022 edition of The English Home here.

Don't miss 

I’m delighted that Marie Karlsson, Creative & Managing Director of Cole & Son, will be joining me for a workshop on ‘Design for Longevity’, hosted by The English Home, at Decorex, on Wednesday 12 October. Along with other leading names in the interiors industry, we will discuss how quality, craftsmanship, sustainability, and creating eclectic, considered interiors imbued with personal touches make for enduring schemes. 

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