From the 20th to the 23rd of September, designjunction, the contemporary interior design event, returns to the setting of Oxo Tower Wharf in Doon Street in the South Bank area. Now in its eighth edition, the show hosts 200 exhibitors of lighting, materials, furnishing, accessories and hi-tech in an attractive selection that every year acts like a magnet on interior designers, decorators and architects from all over the world.
A multifaceted programme with many points of interest: Doon Street will host a series of workshops and more than 70 pop-up stores where visitors can hunt down unique examples of fashion accessories to adorn the home; from textiles and jewellery to technology with Nolii along with ceramics for the table with Iittala, which is celebrating half a century of the Ultima Thule collection, offering a new shade of blue to recall the landscapes of northern Europe. Oxo Tower and Bargehouse are offering a packed schedule of meetings and shows, while the Riverside Walkway will be a popular spot where open-air installations can be admired. Among the brands not to be missed, Bolon, Cattelani&Smith, Flos, Icon of Denmark, Vitra, Petite Friture and Gufram, with the Disco Gufram installation devised by Atelier Biagetti and dedicated to the world of night clubs and the pop culture of the Sixties.
Among the new developments this year will be a space called The Designers’ Dreamscape, which will be the setting for meetings, lessons with architecture students and interactive workshops. Along with the initiatives of the individual brands to get the public involved: such as The Experimental Perfume Club, where visitors can discover the key ingredients of the perfumes created by the expert Emmanuelle Moeglin.
Meanwhile, Rado Star Prize UK will be making a grand return, the English version of the international prize of the Rado watch brand: in its second edition, the competition will showcase the best talent and their brilliant design ideas in the exhibition area of the Bargehouse, also in Oxo Tower. The winner, to be announced during designjunction, will be selected from ten finalists and will receive a prize of 5,000 pounds and a Rado watch; there will also be a winner chosen by the public, who will also receive a Rado timepiece. The theme of the competition this year is On Time/Time Off, the time that passes in the lives of every one of us and the products that improve our time. The projects of the finalists range from lighting to ceramics, from furnishings to innovative production processes and the jury will include the designer Bethan Gray, the design manager of John Lewis, Philippa Prinsloo, the vice chairman of Product Management at Rado, Hakim El Kadiri, the founder of the Arts Thread, Katie Dominy, and the director of the London Design Festival, Will Sorrell. Finally, talks will be given in the Bargehouse space on the topic #designevery, that is, the importance of design in everyday life, with the focus on equality and diversity.
