Decorex 2023 Delivers in Style

Event Director Sam Fisher commented: “Decorex is an incredible community of exhibitors, collaborators and visitors who all contribute to making the event one of the highlights of the design calendar. This year was no exception, with so many inspiring and creative features which sparked conversation and new ideas. We are pleased that sustainability is now a non-negotiable design feature for many of our exhibitors, with innovative, reusable elements to their stands and more sustainable collections on show than ever before.”

An outstanding example of this was the striking Decorex 2023 entrance feature, which was carefully designed and curated by Vinterior. The installation was fully reusable and designed so that it can be easily dismantled. 

Award Winning Exhibitors & New Products

The exceptionally high calibre of the exhibitor stands at Decorex once again created a real wow-factor on the show floor. Best Sustainable Brand was won by House of Hackney. Joseph Robert O'Donnell, Global PR & marketing manager commented;

“We're so proud to have won the award for Best Sustainable Brand at Decorex 2023! The show has been a great opportunity to network with like-minded brands and designers and share our regenerative goals for our business.” 

Best Sustainable Product was won by The Soho Lighting Company. Lee Lovett, Co-Founder and Creative Director commented: 

"We enjoyed every second of our time at Decorex this year and were overwhelmed by the positive response from the many visitors to our stand. It has been a pleasure to exhibit alongside the crème de la crème of the design community and to showcase our lighting to customers and clients old and new. The response to our collection has been amazing; it's an invaluable platform for introducing new products to market.”

Best Stand was awarded to Kaia Lighting for their timeless aesthetic which communicated their brand values of functional elegance and luxurious European design.

Best New Product went to Original BTC for their innovative Blossom Light;

“It was amazing to win the Best New Product award for our New Blossom Portable Light, we were thrilled with the response it got from everyone” said Charlie Bowles, Director, Original BTC. 

Best Newcomer was awarded to Sika Design, manufacturers of timeless wicker furniture who presented their handcrafted wicker furniture in rattan for indoor use, and handcrafted wicker furniture in aluminium and ArtFibre for outdoor use, including their covetable new pieces, the Isabell and the Madeleine stackable chairs.

Exhibitor Highlights

Decorex showcased an impressive selection of exhibitor collections including luxurious wallcoverings, fabrics, furniture, lighting and decorative accessories from an exciting line-up, including; 

• The Quirky Bloom floral carpet designed for Alternative flooring by Kate Watson-Smyth of Mad About The House. The award-winning patterned carpet, rugs and runners are woven in Britain using British wool.

• British lighting brand Bert Frank presented their Art deco inspired Rinato Range. The brand displayed an array of pendant, wall and table lights, evoking the brands’ quintessential craftmanship and style. 

• The Westridge Collection by Emma Diaz, is a range of sustainable wooden furniture which is designed to bring more British-made and carefully-coloured furniture choices to the interiors world.

• Mublo introduced their Arthur modular sofa in collaboration with Belgian Designer of the Year Frederik Delbart.

• Creative studio Kinkatou presented a collection of lighting and accessories, specialising in plaster sculptures and ceramics.

Designer Collaborations

Elemental Studio designed this year’s colourful Decorex Champagne bar, a central hub for the event. Founder and creative director Laurence Katz created an enchanting oasis, which was a harmonious blend of art, nature, community and dazzling colours. The design used innovative new suppliers and artists, showcasing a captivating collection of art pieces from a diverse array of talented artists and craftspeople, including painters, glass specialists and wood artisans. With a warm sense of community and interaction, the design integrated nature and biophilic principles, with a range of carefully selected trees and floristry which helped created a relaxing and social space.

Designed by Woulfe created the sophisticated Le Boudoir D’Corexxx, creating a VIP Lounge that teased the senses and ignited the imagination. Seamlessly blending provocation and luxurious style, the design team created an area where VIPs could transcend their comfort zones, in a decadent area of relaxation with atmospheric lighting, bespoke art pieces, cocooned by sumptuous velvets, deep reds and daring animal prints. Le Boudoir was the place for VIPs to entertain, socialise and indulge in spirited connections over an effervescent glass of fizz.

YesColours designed the Colour Café area which proved a striking landmark for show visitors, with a colourful arch creating an Instagramable meeting point – and also created the unexpected setting for the first marriage proposal to take place at Decorex! 

“We wanted to create something really special for our Decorex debut that would not only inspire visitors but showcase our diverse colour palette and passion for creativity too - the Colour Café did just that. Providing an interactive focal point and creating a stand-out moment, our statement curved arches certainly created a social buzz encouraging conversation in and around colour.

We’ve loved expanding our community and meeting more like-minded designers and brands who share our vision for feel-good colour and the way we can use this to express ourselves within the home“ commented John Stubbs, Co-Founder, YesColours.

This year’s striking Decorex branding was designed by Nat Maks. Natascha Maksimovic is a designer, artist and wallpaper maker who works in the time-honoured art form of ‘Suminagashi’ marbling; creating innovative art pieces by fusing traditional techniques with contemporary and expressive colour palettes. Nat showcased her work and also collaborated with Knots Rugs. Bonnie Sutton, Founder of Knots Rugs said:

"We launched a hugely successful collection with the artist, Nat Maks. It has been a very positive show for us this year with a great response to the new 'Suminagashi' collections. We’ve had some really good conversations and made great new connections as well as seeing a lot of familiar faces."

Making Spaces

Craftsmanship is a central pillar of Decorex and this year the Making Spaces feature once again showcased an inspiring line-up of talented makers and craftspeople, including Ellen Merchant, Justyna Medon Addicted to Patterns, Atelier Wolfson and Studio KH by milliner Karen Henriksen.  These talented craftspeople demonstrated the making of their products to Decorex visitors, offering a hands-on experience to the luxury design community. Decorex is proud to have worked with the Cockpit, The Black Artisans, Future Icons, QEST and Rycotewood communities this year to select the artisans who took part.

Design Talks Programme 

In the Decorex seminar theatre, the Design Talks Programme once again set the agenda for the hot topics in the design sector, with full audiences every day of the show. The theatre welcomed expert speakers including industry greats such as Martin Lawrence Bullard and Annie Sloan, expert design editors Ben Spriggs, Hatta Byng and Carole Annett, and design leaders Linda Boronkay, Henry Holland and Shalini Misra, making it the perfect place to learn from industry thought-leaders who shared their creative ideas and experiences. 

Relive the Show

Take a tour through this year’s Decorex show by watching the the inspiring drone footage of the show floor here. 

Decorex will return to Olympia from 6-9 October 2024. We look forward to seeing you there!

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