Brompton Design District London Design Festival 2020 programme

12-20 September 2020

Since its first edition in 2007, Brompton Design District has evolved to become a highlight of the London Design Festival. In 2020, Brompton remains as committed as ever to supporting the design community and nurturing emerging designers through a series of physical and virtual exhibits.

This year Brompton’s curated programme known for championing experimental design offers a platform to outstanding graduates from the Royal College of Art and London Metropolitan University. Alongside this forward-thinking pop-up programme curated by Jane Withers Studio, a major driving force behind the success of Brompton is the network of iconic, international design stores that make the district their home.

Nurtured by South Kensington Estates, co-founders of Brompton Design District and custodians of Brompton as a whole, the revitalised area has seen the arrival of design brands big and small, established and emerging. They include leading Italian furniture brands such as Cassina and Molteni & C, bespoke kitchen specialists such as Smallbone of Devizes, and high-end interiors emporia The Conran Shop and Society Limonta.

For London Design Festival 2020, Brompton brands will re-open their doors, presenting new collections and unveiling intriguing installations alongside our experimental design and digital programmes.

POP UP PROGRAMME

• (Un)finishedRoyal College of Art Design Products Graduates

35-36 Thurloe Place2020.rca.ac.uk/programmes/design-products-ma

A showcase for 17 graduates from the RCA’s MA Design Products 2020 who have been unable to hold a degree show. (Un)finished illuminates two intertwined aspects of design: processes and finished outcomes. On one side of the space, visitors can see their finished degree work. On the other side, the graduates host a series of one-day residencies which will recreate the collaborative environment of the design studio that the students lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. With a changing display that activates the entire building, the exhibition will be visible from the street and online, alongside talks and other programming.

Press Release September 2020

Image: Amandine Alessandra

Royal College of Art: Rashmi-Bidasaria Kaarigari

• Peter Marigold with Graduates of Furniture and Product at London Metropolitan University

31 Thurloe Placepetermarigold.com/ldf2020

Brompton Design District hosts an exhibition by Peter Marigold and a small selection of graduate works from the Furniture and Product design course he has tutored at London Metropolitan University since 2015.

“The course has a historical foundation as the London College of Furniture and many of the students have a strong workshop-based approach. Over the years I’ve thoroughly enjoyed asking these students to instead think about making pasta shapes, ceramics, working with vegetables, rubbish and shadows. I found a great satisfaction in seeing their creative mentality first question, resist and then slide into unknown territory, and often the most successful and surprising projects emerged from the most unexpected students.

As the pandemic restrictions continue to disrupt our normal lives, I see these as opportunities to rethink our making and designing environments. To work in unconventional ways with unconventional materials. The graduate work shown here is mature and I know that the makers have the vital adaptability to work with whatever unknown situations we find ourselves in.” Peter Marigold

EXHIBITING PARTNERS

• B&B Italia • Cassina • Design Museum

• Japan House London • Meridiani •Mint

• Molteni&C|Dada • Society Limonta

• Tai Ping • Yves Delorme

Full details of each retailer’s exhibitions and events are also on bromptondesigndistrict.com, but highlights include:

• B&B Italia250 Brompton Road bebitalia.com

The Design Anthology. B&B Italia’s London flagship store - that also houses Arclinea’s high-end kitchens - presents a new store concept, bringing together products from the iconic lighting brands Flos and Louis Poulsen, part of Design Holding, designed within inspirational settings. The Design Anthology also is the occasion to discover the new 2020 collections of all the furniture and lighting brands in store.

• Cassina238 - 244 Brompton Road cassina.com

The Cassina Perspective. While respecting the current global situation, Cassina launches its new 2020 Collection with a conscious and considerate perspective. Cassina highlights the important progress in the search for new materials, with particular attention to sustainability and well-being, thanks to the debut of Cassina LAB. ‘The Cassina Perspective 2020’ is a holistic approach to the

B&B Italia: The Design Anthology

Peter Marigold: Synthetic Series

home represented by inviting atmospheres, that all give value to the company’s roots and promote innovation. Visitors can also discover a new display dedicated to the brand Karakter, featuring 2020 items alongside classics from the collection.

• Design MuseumW8 6AGdesignmuseum.org

The onset of Covid-19 has significantly changed the way people live, interact and work. In the design industry, creatives and makers have had to adapt their processes using new technologies to work together at a distance and often operating from new, improvised home offices. Connected is an experiment set out to explore how designers and craftspeople adapt their working practices during lockdown. For this project the American Hardwood Export Council, Benchmark Furniture and the Design Museum have challenged nine international designers to create a table and seating, that is personal to them, for home living and working. The designers have also been invited to record their creative journeys allowing us to share how they approach the brief and develop their designs during these challenging times.The resulting pieces will be shown at the Design Museum, in an installation called Connected.

• Japan House111 Kensington High Streetjapanhouselondon.uk

Architecture for Dogs. Featuring a collection of architectural designs for dogs by world-class architects and designers, the internationally acclaimed ‘Architecture for Dogs’ makes its European debut at Japan House London from 19 September with the addition of a new piece by an eminent UK architect (to be announced soon). Far from being just an exhibition, this open-source network allows guests to become designers and makers themselves, with blueprints available for download and opportunities to design one’s own architecture for dogs. A series of virtual experiences is also on offer, including a 3D Tour, online talks and ‘live’ guided tours.

• Meridiani10 Thurloe Place meridiani.it

Latest Collections at Meridiani and New Book:For the 2020 edition of London Design Festival, the Meridiani flagship in London will be refreshed with a new display set: On this occasion, Meridiani also presents its new book ‘Storie di case’ (‘Stories of homes’): co-ordinated by Andrea Parisio, Meridiani Designer and Art Director. The book is a sumptuous volume that embodies the company’s ability to create versatile collections, reflecting the personality of houses and their inhabitants. Meridiani has collaborated with four stylists and four photographers, with each one interpreting and immortalising the brand and its collections in different settings, adding a personal artistic touch.

Kenya Hara - Architecture for Dogs Courtesy of Japan House

Cassina

American maple, red oak and cherry samplesCourtesy of Design Museum & Petr Krejci Photography

• Mint2 North Terrace mintshop.co.uk

Bokeh is the visual quality of the blurry areas in a photograph. The soft pleasing feel of bokeh guides us to focus our attention on the important elements. This year, the Mint exhibition showcases a distinctive capsule collection, which merges traditional craft and innovative techniques. During this time of global upheaval and uncertainty, we have been offered the time to reflect and re-evaluate our values and priorities. Belief in the importance of minimising the human impact on the environment has only been reinforced, and design lies at the very heart of this. Bokeh demonstrates how designers are achieving this goal by re-thinking their approach to the design process, in order to create a more harmonious and balanced relationship with the environment. They explore innovative material choices with striking visual results, where each piece also asks to be appreciated for its aesthetics and beauty. In this way, Bokeh ultimately presents a window of hope towards a better future.

• Molteni&C|Dada245 Brompton Roadmoltenigroup.com Molteni&C|Dada New CollectionPositioned in the heart of the Brompton Design District Molteni&C|Dada will showcase its new 2020 collections, which launched in July with a private virtual experience and available worldwide from September. Among the new proposals is the Half a Square table which marks the first collaboration with Michael Anastassiades, a Cypriot by birth who has made London his home.

• Society Limonta170 Walton Streetsocietylimonta.com The Inner Garden: Society Limonta dresses up your home with passion and care, creating infinite combinations of materials and colours for the bedroom, the dining table and the bathroom. Discover the new Autumn/Winter Collection named ‘The Inner Garden’ drawing inspiration from nature, which has always been a key element for Society.

FW20-21 Crab BeddingCourtesy of Society Limonta

Half a Square by Michael AnastassiadesCourtesy of Molteni&C|Dada

Max Lipsey WovenCourtesy of Mint

Courtesy of Meridiani

• Tai Ping85 Pelham Street taiping-homeUK.com

Luxury brand Tai Ping celebrates the opening of its new London showroom, with the unveiling of the first ever consumer collection entitled ‘Home’, presented through a dramatic creative installation by designer Sarah Izod. The new Home collection is designed specifically for the consumer market, with each piece from this pret-a-porter collection of 21 rugs available in pre-defined sizes and colours. Expertly crafted and hand-finished in the finest natural materials, the collection is a celebration of Tai Ping’s qualities of craftsmanship, heritage, and sustainability. London based architect Sarah Izod presents an installation to launch the new collection by immersing the visitor in a 3D landscape of material quality. Tai Ping’s new London showroom opens its doors at 85 Pelham Street SW7 on Monday 14 September.

• Yves Delorme158 Walton Street yvesdelorme.com

Since its creation in 1845 by the Fremaux family, it has been a symbol of continued innovation in technique and quality. Yves Delorme has an unrivalled reputation for producing the finest bed and bath linens.

With classics, seasonal and limited editions, the Yves Delorme’s creative research studio ensures there is a collection to complement every interiors, with time dedicated to the conception and perfection of designs, attention to details and precision of gestures.

Taking part of the London Design Festival, Yves Delorme will be presenting their new Autumn

Winter collection and organising a bedroom energy workshop for anyone inspired to join in the fun. A Feng shui expert will show you how to furnish your bedroom for a beautiful flow of energy and share decorating tips on energy healing.

You can discover the new collection during the entire festival in the Yves Delorme windows and join for the workshop event on Thursday 17th Sept from 5pm until 6pm.

For images and more information about Brompton Design District, its curation and retail partners, please contact Gemma Noble at gnoble@ske.org or on +44 (0)7976 842 153.

Notes for editors

About Brompton Design District

Established in 2006, Brompton is the longest-running dedicated design district of the London Design Festival. Initiated by South Kensington Estates and curated by Jane Withers since the beginning, the District has been instrumental in nurturing Brompton’s reputation as a hotbed of creative innovation and one of London’s leading design hubs.

Each year, Brompton’s landmark cultural institutions such as the Royal College of Art and the V&A, its roster of iconic global design brands, and a curated selection of pioneering independent studios come together to present some of the most forward-thinking, considered and progressive events and exhibitions of the London Design Festival.

bromptondesigndistrict.com

Tai Ping Home Collection - VerdureCourtesy of Tai Ping

Yves Delorme - Pub DivineCourtesy of Yves Delorme