HIGHLIGHTS FROM LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL
- By Ann Allan
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- 01 Oct, 2017
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STORIES, SURFACE TEXTURE AND SUMPTUOUSNESS:
It’s taken several deep, hot baths, a few healthy square meals and a number of early nights but we’ve now recovered from our wonderful, exhausting, inspirational trip to Decorex and the London Design Festival – and we’re bringing some incredible gems back to Yorkshire.
Our priorities were to discover new suppliers of lighting, occasional furniture and carpets – and we can’t wait to show off what we’ve found for you.
Having trawled trade fair Decorex, London’s prestigious Pimlico Road and exclusive Chelsea Harbour, we’ve chosen our edit to bring back to the heart of Yorkshire.
The Middlethorpe Interiors ethos is to source carefully, based on exquisite quality and a captivating story. We’re always curious on your behalf – we want to know everything about the materials, the design story and the artisans behind every finished piece. And we were thrilled with what we uncovered.
Although we don’t follow trends, it’s vital to be aware of the what’s going on in the wider design world. The main story we came away with for upcoming seasons was around texture. From natural metal to alabaster, from rock crystal to carrara marble, inspiring blends of texture and surface design were everywhere.
Now we’ve had time to process everything we saw, here’s our round up of the highlights.
Faolchú
Tom Faulkner
Another of our favourite hand-crafted furniture-makers, Tom Faulkner fits beautifully with our stated aim of sourcing from the UK wherever possible.
Made predominantly in steel but incorporating bronze, stone and wood, Tom’s strongly architectural furniture is all made in Wiltshire – in a workshop that once formed part of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s railway workshops.
Ochre
Furniture, lighting and accessories designer Ochre elicited the biggest gasps among the Middlethorpe team, thanks to its stunning Seed Cloud chandelier.
This incredible, hand-made piece – customisable to your own dimensions – is made up of solid cast bronze buds, available in polished bronze or satin nickel. Each little ‘seed’ houses a tiny glass drop, illuminated by LED. Lighting nirvana.
Jennifer Manners
Shifting focus from above to below, we’re excited to introduce our clients to some beautiful new carpet suppliers. Jennifer Manners is one of our favourites.
Jennifer’s designs were initially sparked by her travels around the world as a US TV news reporter, blending images and influences collected from Mumbai to Monte Carlo – and everywhere in between. These exquisite handcrafted rugs are made by artisans in India and Nepal, who have passed their skills down through the generations.
Linley
When it comes to wood, Linley is, to this day, the pinnacle of skill and finish. We visited the Pimlico Road showroom to find out more about Linley’s bespoke kitchens and we were utterly bowled over by everything we saw.
One of the most awe-inducing pieces, though, was the London Skyline Panel – designed to showcase its artisans incredible marquetry skills. The design itself took more than 750 hours to create, while one craftsman spent a further 800 hours putting together the 20,000 individual pieces of wood together to create this breathtaking image of London at dusk.
Years ago we had a thermal survey done on our house and it showed just how much heat we were loosing from our windows, n ow no one likes to throw hard earned money away so one of the first things we did was to upgrade the insulation in the loft. To be fair, the loft is usually an area most of us wouldn't hesitate to insulate but when it comes to our windows we often forget just how hard our curtains can work for us.
Curtains are an investment and often thought of as purely decorative to compliment the rest of the interior. I have plenty of clients, friends, and family who insist on a black-out lining in the bedroom to ensure a good nights sleep but when it comes to the rooms we entertain in such as the lounge and dining room most would opt for a standard lining. Unless, of course, they have already experienced the benefits of interlined curtains...it really is one of those things...once you've had them you wouldn't want to go back. Not only do they drape beautifully, add a really sumptuous quality to what might be an inexpensive face fabric but they really do keep the draughts at bay.
We have worked on some wonderful period properties over the years and the owners are always absolutely delighted with the difference the interlined curtains have made to how warm the property feels. On a personal note, we live in a 1930's property, we have an old reclaimed front door, it is absolutely beautiful so I can't bear to change it but it cracks every year and the stained glass is a single layer. The hall used to be freezing in the winter and because it's quite open you could feel the cold air upstairs too. Installing thick interlined wool curtains in this space alone has made such a difference to the overall warmth of the house. The space no longer has a regular stream of cold air flowing through from the door, instead, it looks beautifully dressed and feels warm and comforting.
We are offering all our clients a free upgrade when they order new curtains and blinds from us from 10th January - 17th February 2019. Please don't hesitate to message me or call with any queries.
More than 40 million monthly unique users nominated best home improvement and design professionals in the UK and around the world York-based interior design business Middlethorpe Interiors has been awarded the title Best Of Customer Service on Houzz ®, the leading platform for home renovation and design.
The company was only established by owner Ann Allan in 2010 but it has swiftly made a name for itself for bringing spaces to life with sophisticated design principles, clever space solutions and lashings of personality .
Ann said: ‘As designers, we all know how important customer service is. At Middlethorpe Interiors, it is of the utmost importance and just as highly regarded as the design we deliver. Through building long lasting relationships with our clients and our support teams we have gained a reputation for being approachable, professional, reliable with a can-do attitude. I believe it was that combination that helped us win this fantastic accolade.’
Middlethorpe was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community, from among more than one million active home building, home improvement and design industry professionals.
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography.
Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2017.
It means the team can display the coveted Best Of Houzz 2018 badge their profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals on Houzz.
‘We’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2018 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals, including Middlethorpe Interiors,’ said Marcus Hartwall, managing director of Houzz UK and Ireland.
‘Each of these businesses was singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality."
As well as cosy textures, evocative scents, elegant looks, tinkling sounds and festive flavours, I’ll be taking a little inspiration from Nordic simplicity, where every detail is considered. But there’s also a touch of glamour: hinted at but not overwhelming.
Whether you lean towards maximalist flair or a more modern style, the final result is entirely personal. It’s all about finding a look that makes you happy. Here’s how I create a more relaxed festive feel in our home.
We specialise in full interiors services, working with bewilderingly talented artisans, designers and trades to create spaces you’ll never want to leave.
Designers always talk about being customer-focused but in our case that doesn’t just mean devising a scheme that suits your space and tastes. It also means we’re professionals with a can-do attitude and a reputation for reliability. We’ll communicate with you in your preferred style – and we’ll be in touch as agreed between us.
You won’t get an off-the-peg interior from Middlethorpe Interiors. Our look is your look. We have enough experience under our belts to take a fresh approach to each project, according to what you’ve got in mind. And we’ve got the contacts book to make it happen, too.
With solid architectural knowhow in our skillset, we think about spaces in a different way to many interior designers. But at the other end of the scale, our experience with fabrics means we have an unrivalled understanding of texture, drape and wear that’s often missing from finished schemes.
Whether you want us to take on a fresh project or you’ve had your fingers burned by being let down by another designer, you’ll want to know what’s in store when you commission us.
Here’s how we work:
