Trade fairs – are new editions getting better?

Much as I love going to fairs, when I do two years in a row, some things start to look repetitive. I am afraid that my mind set issues a warning that it is not going to be adventure, but routine, and is it possible that I fail to see all the new interesting things?

I give here-under three quick examples of fair-going and what value I found in passing by.

1.COCOON BRUSSELS – edition 2017 (yes, the events spread over good 6 months and here is another question to ponder – how many fairs and expos can one do in a year?)

You may remember my post from Cocoon end 2016 – utter disappointment and why did I have to pay for this and mostly what is wrong with it. Well, a lot of this still holds: the expo doesn’t feel like a proper designer’s fair, most finishing suppliers would rather go to Batibow, virtually all of the furniture is oversized. 

However, browsing through my photos I find a few good interiors, just like the sets I’d seen elsewhere. The one big difference is that supplier’s list is not in sight.

Very pleasant surprise those photos, as I see in them quite end of the reign of Scandi/Nordic/industrial styles. I like their freshness, boldness, quirkiness and unapologetic use of colour. It is a shame the designers cannot be credited, or the suppliers properly traced.

On the positive side, I may take a deep breath and go to another COCOON sometime in the future.

2.BADA – or the British antique dealers’ association, had a really stunning fair in South Kensington earlier this year. The event had all the freshness of a new thing to me, even if I am not into antiques, or anything old, aged and second hand. In fact, I often wonder how can one live in a place knowing that he’s the n-th user of a chair (like in public transport), sleeping in other people’s bed (like in a hotel) and more.

I was therefore wrong to expect smelly bric-a-brac of ripped off furniture, loose cushion ends and scratched surfaces. Actually, it was hard to tell the antics exposed were aged objects. I found myself surprised and impressed, so to list just a few more reasons to go to an antic show, even when one admires what’s new:

-   These are objects handled with utmost care! It can easily endear you to a vase when you see to what ends the exposer would go to keep it safe and shiny

-   Art is abundant and you get to know so much on how to introduce it to your interior … so here is a strong schooling element which one seldom finds with new furniture expositions.

-   You get to learn so much about styles! This is indispensable for a budding designer, and whereas books may show you generic images of Victorian parlours and Georgian fireplaces, seeing it set, with the very real objects, can change so much about your perception of styles.

Thus, in not as many words, BADA (a first time visit!) turned out to be a success story. Moreover, I came across the designer who successfully mixes old with the new (name not noted sadly), and my day was complete.

Will I visit another BADA? Hard to tell just now. Will I give a go to a different, previously unvisited trade fair? Highly likely!

3.And now for the third case on my list – a fair already visited and thoroughly enjoyed. Grand design life in London Excel! The event is huge, mixing up elements easy to find in Batibow or Cocoon, as it is dedicated to design, build and decorate. Sadly, I don’t follow the series, but from the talks presented that day – very interesting, and especially for a construction engineer such as myself. On the other hand – also very unachievable for many average people in the UK and elsewhere! As some say – dreaming is free.

Likes and dislikes: albeit too big to grasp, and too versatile it was possible to focus on my scope of interest – namely design and decorating. Precious space was wasted on numerous unrelated products (cosmetics, shoes, services…)

Was extremely happy to visit the room sets – a high point for me, especially since they featured last year’s finalist form GIDC – Oliver Thomas. He did not disappoint, I must say, and I maintain that he should have won!

Finally, a feature thoroughly enjoyed, the free interior design consultation, where I was advised by Martina – the designer at heart. Her advice was priceless for my Project 1 elevation, so get ready for a dedicated post in the future.

Speaking about the future – House and Garden show in Olympia is up next, where I shall be going again (a repeat, but positive anticipation and all fully present!) 

So, while waiting for a next instalment – do not hesitate to comment on how you feel about trade fairs, and how much you’d enjoy repeats! My conclusion for the time being is – keep repeating the ones you like, but make sure to focus on previously defined expected benefits! And definitely keep on adding new trade fairs – is fun and useful!

Upholstery take 1 – permanently fixed

Away from blogging for quite a while, I am still faithful to my house project completion. In fact, I wanted to do away with the “wet” activities, such as painting, deep cleaning and installations, before I move to the dry and stain-proof field of textiles.

I was however interrupted by the winter, which left me unable to select a few more neutrals. I decided not to spend the season in another neutral maze and proceeded to (drumroll) soft furnishings!

I do indeed put so much emphasis on that because soft furnishings are what makes a house fit for living. Other than being associated with warmth, cosines, visual pleasure and overall feeling of a completed room, soft furnishings are indispensable for the acoustic comfort of any space.

I specifically bring this last one in, because my project one ended up with a nice tiled floor, has a huge window, is relatively small and I keep the doors preferable open. So, having already sorted the curtains (like in every other room), I gladly proceed to UPHOLSTERY.

While I find myself a reasonably skilled seamstress, the idea of doing something so novel and uncontrollable with fabric has always scared me. Here is how I lost my fear of the draper’s stapler.

1.A few good reads. Well, that is how I start most things – getting inspire and informed, and ultimately not following the rules proscribed in the books. Why’d I still insist on books then? Inspiration is the word. I noticed that for one – my book of choice had a great many examples of finished pieces and they are often of antiquary value. Therefore, I concluded, it should not be a great risk to start with an easy to replace and dispose IKEA items (Remember those fellows? – my precious chests which will become permanent in the dining area can be upgraded to saloon furniture whereas IKEA only sells them as garden pieces)

2.Toolbox. Again, the book may aim to discourage you by showing a myriad of almost surgical utensils. However, when carefully analysed, you’d notice that they are mostly needed for upholstering chairs where the jobs run so deep that an amateur would rather buy a new chair. So – just one new tool needed – the mighty stapler (provided that you already have sewing tools).

3.Materials – ordinary and extraordinary. I feel this is a subject for a full chapter, because other than the technique it is the correct choice of materials which will guarantee your success. 

My choice of fabric aimed to bring the chests in the colour scheme of the room – that is fairly obvious. However, I also wanted a more sophisticated look – therefore I considered from the beginning the use of piping (it is said that when you add piping to a cushion it instantly takes it to a higher level. Feel free to comment on that).

Next, I wanted to use the fabric to unify my sofa with the said chests – a very safe way to create an ensemble from different pieces. Thus – another criterion came by – the fabric should be good for both fixed and removable upholstery.

Finally – I love linen, and this solved it in the decision-making department pretty quickly. I do not however recommend it since it is easy to crease, tricky to saw straight on, and less durable than the synthetic fabrics. Having said that I am glad that the nice people at Max Bloch’s helped me choose the one linen which might answer better to the challenges above.

Lastly – the quantities were another difficult exercise to establish. Basically I had to think of the upholstery as surface area, but be careful not to include the bottoms. I’d also provide a fabric of lesser quality for the parts which are not exposed. So, taking into consideration only the pieces requested, I rearranged the puzzle several times, until optimal solution was found (and must admit to my chagrin – could have done it better if taking the exact measurements of the pieces to cut, that is size plus borders).

As extraordinary materials I’d supply padding, foam and buttons. Watching a number of YouTube videos helped me reduce the choice to what was really necessary. Because it was my first attempt at upholstery, I avoided on-line shopping. It may have been more expensive and time consuming to go to the shops, but the advice from weathered professionals, was indispensable. Another not-do-it-yourself are the buttons – those available with the DIY kits are only meant for very fine fabrics. The price is sadly the same as when ordered in specialised shop...

4.And action! As mentioned beforehand – stapling is clearly easier than sawing. So the work was pleasant and advanced smoothly. I mostly hesitated before cutting fabric (expensive mistakes possible!) and made sure to measure for fit most of the pieces. I may have given the piping more consideration – when cut it doesn’t look good, so it is interesting to initially consider where piping can work in closed loops and therefore not cut ends exposed. Halas – next time!

5.Will I do it again? Most certainly yes – in fact the experience makes me fearless of fixed upholstery and am already evaluating other ideas. What next? Removable upholstery is definitely the challenge, so stay tuned!