As opening day approaches, preparations are in full swing for this year's London Design Fair, at the Old Truman Brewery from 21st–24th September 2017. An eclectic and punctiliously curated array of independent studios, global brands and country showcases are set to thrill, engage and inspire visitors. With many new product launches, an informative talks programme and new features throughout the 3 floors, there is much to keep eager design aficionados busy.

Trade, press and members of the public can register for the London Design Fair at londondesignfair.co.uk/visit.

New Launches at London Design Fair

Warwickshire-based designer John Eadon will launch MIMA, a handsome and versatile collection of handmade spindle furniture. The minimalist MIMA collection is inspired by the traditional Windsor chair and the curious manner in which furniture and plants interact. Eadon notes that 'this collection works wonderfully with the way the light is let in and the foliage is let out.' Based in Inverclyde, Scotland, designer and furniture-maker David Watson will exhibit the latest pieces from his Govan collection. Inspired by the Finnieston Crane—a huge disused cantilever crane sited in Glasgow—the Govan collection echoes the utilitarian forms of this area's erstwhile industrial heritage. Based in Taiwan, YIH Wood Studio draws inspiration from the warm, rustic charm of wood. The studio will show the visually appealing Ripple Chair, a design that incorporates four types of wood in its signature backrest.

Since 1994, Linwood, a family business based in the South of England, has been crafting a range of classic and contemporary fabrics and wallpapers. Using large-scale tropical prints with floral accents and strong, geometric weaves, Linwood's new Tango collection is a bold and lively, charming and balanced, mix of prints, weaves, wallpapers and plain velvets. Mijo Studio was established by textile designers Miranda Tengs Brun (from Norway) and Josefine Gilbert (from Denmark). The Copenhagen-based studio will exhibit new pieces inspired by Scandinavian surroundings, and characterised by fluid brushstrokes with vivid, eye-catching shapes. Based in the Highlands of Scotland, textile designer Catherine MacGruer employs bold patterns, meticulous compositions and a range of inventive colourways in her characteristic designs. MacGruer will launch a new collection of interior accessories as well as an exciting collaboration with rug maker Floor Story.

Part of the British Craft Pavilion, South London-based Stoff Studios is a partnership between textile printer Carys Briggs and furniture designer–maker Andrew Mason. The duo will present Survey, a collection of fabrics and furniture inspired by universal structures such as factories, the urban landscape, and sci-fi interpretations of future human habitats in space.  The collection includes a new customisable side table made from maple and Jesmonite. Based in London, Yenchen & Yawen designs and makes handcrafted objects by manipulating unconventional material combinations. The studio's Landscape of Oxidation collection comprises unique Jesmonite-based products—including candleholders and jewellery trays—whose patterns and textures have evolved over time. International textile magazine Selvedge has teamed up with celebrated furniture maker ercol and new brand Solidwool to create the innovative Herdwick Stool. Made using a solid oak frame and legs with a Solidwool top, thirty exclusive stools will highlight new ways of working with materials in a major installation that champions sustainability and natural products.

Crea-re (a contraction of the words 'creative' and 'recycling') is a studio alliance between Polish designer Maria Fiter and Italian designer Marco Migliorisi. The studio's Morphe collection is a new series of paper-mâché lamps, whose unique shapes are suggestive of eggs, mushrooms and oblong stones. Ceramicist Lotte de Raadt has developed 'Archiving Water Ware', a visually intriguing earthenware collection for Dutch design brand Vij5. The glazing is inspired by water—just as water behaves unpredictably, it finds its own way, producing realistic liquid-like beads. Istanbul-based global design brand Nude will exhibit new pieces that add to its contemporary, everyday living collections. Created by three highly respected designers—Studio Formafantasma, Defne Koz and Tomas Kral—the pieces include the artistic Layers vase and the charming and humorous Parrot carafe. Drawing inspiration from city shapes and surfaces, London-based architect-turned-jewellery-designer/maker Kate Trouw will showcase new pieces. Trouw uses polymer clay, shaped by hand, to produce geometric, elegant and playful jewellery.

Operating between Seattle and Brooklyn, Ladies and Gentlemen Studio was founded in 2010 by Dylan Davis and Jean Lee. L&G Studio's bicoastal make-up is reflected in both its aesthetic and design philosophy, with a focus on complementary opposites such as warm minimalism and playful austerity. Showcasing FLOAT, a new illuminated sculpture series, L&G Studio uses minimal combinations of elements, that act jointly to define space with light and form. In the course of a semester at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, and under the tutelage of Jean François Dingjian (of Normal Studio), Pierre Alexandre Cesbron (ENSCI) and Matthieu Muller (Design Academy Eindhoven) created LIGA, a colourful collection of metal storage furniture, with lids held in place by an elastic nylon ligature. LIGA is a simple and functional series of three pieces: a coffee table, bedside table and box.

Christopher Stuart is an American artist based in Indiana, who seeks to explore that undefined area between art and design, while challenging the idea of function. In his latest explorative work, Stuart will present Drapes—'digitally draped' objects made using CAD software that simulates real fabric. Known for her powerful, iconic expressions in steel, wood and sheepskin, Los Angeles-based artist and designer Azadeh Shladovsky adopts an unrestrained approach to artistic self-expression. In a return to the world of functional art, Shladovsky's much anticipated new collection is called QUALIA [kwah-lee-u]. This series of functional objects explores the importance of touch in visual processing.

New Features at London Design Fair

Talks 2017

Hole & Corner, the magazine that celebrates craft, beauty, passion and skill, is curating a short series of talks & workshops within this year's British Craft Pavilion at the London Design Fair. During the Fair, Hole & Corner will host a series of talks and workshops in The Common cafe, situated in the British Craft Pavilion. The programme includes: 'Communicating Craft', where Hole & Corner founders' Sam Walton and Mark Hooper are in conversation with Dean Hearne of The Future Kept; 'A Playful Search for Beauty', a panel discussion on the importance of material, process and approach in ceramics; a weaving workshop with tapestry weaver Christabel Balfour, and 'How We Make Things', a panel discussion with Forest + Found, Stoff Studios, Julian Mayor and Par Avion.

Other talks at London Design Fair include: 'Talking Timber', a panel discussion in which designers and architects involved in the 2017 Wood Awards will explore the role of timber in UK design; 'Revitalisation—A Discussion on Heritage and Design' in The City of Łódź, and 'The Art of Making & Manufacturing', a panel discussion based around an artist's practice, chaired by Rosie Wolfenden, co-founder of Tatty Devine.

View the full line-up here

Wood Awards

Launched in 1971 as the Carpenters' Award and later renamed the Wood Awards, this is the UK's leading competition for excellence in architecture and product design, using the world's only naturally sustainable material. The competition has had a positive impact on the architectural and design landscape, becoming a 'mark of excellence' in wood.

In total, twenty outstanding structures, featuring some of the UK's best architectural designs in wood, and fourteen furniture and product designs, have been nominated for the Wood Awards 2017. The shortlisted designers include Mark Laban, Eleanor Lakelin, Matthew Hillton, Gareth Neal and David Irwin.

During London Design Fair, the Wood Awards will exhibit each of the shortlisted furniture and product designs on stand B05, T2. Shortlisted structures will be displayed on posters on the stand.

Bala Baya

Southwark-based eatery Bala Baya will bring 'a day in the life of Tel Aviv' to the London Design Fair, providing sustenance for hungry visitors. Chef Eran Tibi has created an Israeli-inspired grab-and-go menu that will change daily. Serving coffee and pastries in the morning, Bala Baya will then dish up fresh, tasty plates for lunch. Seared sesame-crusted tuna, stuffed peppers with couscous and crunchy salads, all served with Bala Baya's famous fluffy pitta breads, will have mouths watering. Tahini and pistachio babka and lemon polenta cake will provide sweet afternoon nourishment.

Resembling the all-day eateries found in Tel Aviv, MPH Joinery will construct Bala Baya's restaurant space at the Fair, recreating its lively Bauhaus-inspired Southwark restaurant and bakery. The space will feature specially imported breeze blocks from Israel and plants from the region. A playful use of light and shadow, overflowing palm leaves and upbeat tunes, will complete the scene.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Press Contacts:

For General fair enquires contact David Gorrod at Seen PR Tel +44 (0)1273 722469 - londondesignfair@seenpr.com

Date: 21-24 September 2017

Location: Old Truman Brewery, 26 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR, UK

Opening Times:

Thursday 21 September : 10am - 7pm (trade only) Private View 8pm-11pm (Invite Only)

Friday 22 September : 10am - 7pm (trade only)

Saturday 23 September : 11am - 6pm (consumer and trade)

Sunday 24 September: 11am - 6pm (consumer and trade)

Trade and Press free in advance or £15 on the door.
Consumer ticket £10 in advance or £15 on the door.

Register at www.londondesignfair.co.uk

About London Design Fair

Located in Shoreditch, the creative heart of London, the London Design Fair is a four-day industry event that brings together 500 exhibitors from 28 countries, including: independent designers, established brands, international country pavilions, features and exhibitions.

Launched in 2007, the London Design Fair has earned itself the reputation as the go-to trade show during the annual London Design Festival, hosting the single largest collection of international exhibitions, designers, brands, country pavilions, features and galleries throughout the festival. Each year, over 27,000 influential retail buyers, producers, architects, designers, interior designers, press and design-savvy public, will attend to see the very latest in furniture, lighting, textiles, materials and conceptual installations, from all around the world.

Building on its prodigious reputation, visitors to the 2017 London Design Fair can expect a first-rate design exhibition. This year, the London Design Fair will launch its Material of the Year—Jesmonite—as well as its inaugural show theme—botany.

21st–24th September 2017
www.londondesignfair.co.uk @LDNdesignfair #LDNdesignfair

About London Design Festival

Established in 2003 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans, London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London as the gateway to the international design community and the world's leading stage for design innovation.

London Design Festival has since earned the reputation as a key calendar moment of London's autumn creative season, alongside London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival, attracting the greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to the capital, in a citywide celebration.

www.londondesignfestival.com @L_D_F_official #LDF17