Every year the APM team ventures down to Olympia London to see what Decorex has to offer. The show always has a selection of amazing suppliers, exciting new products and inspiring talks. This year we attended with agendas – to be more involved with conversations about sustainability, and to assess suppliers based on manufacturing in the UK and network with designers via the talk programme. Our key takeaways included the below:
Inclusivity:
Our Brighton Director, Jo Sampson, is on the board of the BIID Diversity & Inclusion committee. We’ve always been aware of the work they’ve done (alongside Decorex) to make the shows more inclusive for all attendees. This year inclusivity was especially evident ,with the reveal of the ‘quiet room’ and subtitles during live talks – small yet important additions.
Design Talks:
Every year the talk programme at Decorex features interesting panels & debates. This year there was a clear focus on sustainability, with panels made up of Interior Design Declares members across the full programme – bringing their expertise for sustainability to each conversation.
This included APM director Cat Hoad sitting on a panel with three other IDD members for the talk titled ‘Interested in Sustainability, where do I start?’ The talk not only included advice but an open discussion with the audience on how we can get more involved, evolve our businesses and educate our clients. As audience members, we left feeling more inspired and motivated than filled with eco-anxiety (feelings most of us associate with the climate crisis!) As designers & attendees to these events, we feel it is key these conversations are at the heart of the agenda. Our industry is a key contributor to meeting our 2030 & 2050 targets, so it’s important you get involved, learn & create action within your own business!
You can watch Cat’s panel discussion here.
UK Suppliers:
Decorex is a great platform to network with longstanding suppliers & review their latest collections. The team is always most excited to see what new products are out there and meet new suppliers. As a business who strives to meet our own carbon footprint targets, we are aspiring to use more UK-based suppliers to minimise shipping & raw material sourcing. Our favourite finds were:
Armac Martin– a high-end ironmongery supplier, with all manufacturing (including sourcing of raw materials) based in the UK. With a great range of traditional-modern brass collections, their products look like a perfect fit for period properties that have modern features.
The Isle of Wool– 100% British wool based products, milled & constructed in Scotland. With wool being the most renewable fabric to source, we are always looking for a UK supplier that meets our clients’ styles. Neutral colourways, able to fit seamlessly into both modern and period properties, and high quality with 10+ years longevity. Isle Wool meets these criteria, with a wide range of multi-weave collections- stylish and practical (a win in our clients eyes!)
Oli Carter– A joiner based in the UK, creating unique furniture out of waste tree stumps. While this is a luxury piece, it was great to a supplier who designs products that our clients would not find anywhere else.
Decorex continues to be a key show in our team calendar. As sustainability becomes an even bigger focus within our business, it is so important to discuss this with other designers. We are also keen to challenge suppliers on how they are incorporating sustainability within their services, and we strive to make new connections with those that are practicing exactly that. We look forward to seeing what is new & evolved next year!
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