A few weeks ago we had the chance to visit some of the most important venues of the London Design Week, such as Designjunction, Tent, Superbrands and – of course- 100% Design.
The city was full of people. It was so nice to enjoy the exciting atmosphere in the world of design and the related business.
It was a completely new experience for us. London is one of the best known capitals for design, but it has its own identity and it is so different from Milan!
It’s difficult to explain. In brief we can say that Milan is the fair of the Italian big brands which was set up to express the values of Italian design and Italian lifestyle.
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Each pavilion is like a fashion show and showcases the new collection and the usual features of each brand. There is precise attention to every single detail on each stand. The effect is like a show in a theatre. The pieces of the new collection are like the main actors. The setting is everything.
In London, we found a completely different approach. There is not a specific fair but many different venues scattered around all the city.
London seems more a land of single designers or creative people. Although there are some exceptions, they seem to be artists rather than artisans.
Of course the American movement of Makers is well represented here as well but this fact underlines what I am saying. Creative confidence is very high and there are lots and lots of new companies, new names and start-up firms of design here.
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The London way seems to be about new ideas and experimentation of thousands and thousands of small new firms of Design and not only British artists. We found there many firms from Northern Europe. Scandinavian design is appreciated here more than in Italy.
We also found a strong emphasis on engaging the customer in the design process, for example a smart Norwegian brand named Tylco.
They are completely focused on “made to measure” production and “just in time” for each client. They have specific software for their online shop where you can decide to customize a piece of furniture by changing the measurements, materials or colour to your exact needs and tastes.
The design of the collection is fixed, but before ordering your own piece you can ask for some adjustments as also happens in fashion for a made-to-measure suit.
Learning about approaches like this helped us again to focus on the really crucial point of our identity as Ermesponti. The world of bespoke furniture is completely different! We haven’t got any shop online or any collections of pieces.
We custom design and produce each interior as a unique interior. Each piece of furniture is unique for its owner.
In our opinion the most impressive stand of the whole design week was the Korean Pavilion. The amazing collection of unique pieces by young artisans from this country is impossible to forget for their contemporary nature and lasting beauty of each pieces, such as fabrics, vases, porcelain or baskets.
Each artisan or artist has developed a personal way of making his own products by learning from old techniques and know-how. This is exactly what we do. The product is completely different but the approach is the same.
Starting form the legacy of our artisan tradition and architectural culture we can find new paths for the present and the future of interiors.
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“We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of Giants”( Bernard Chartres)
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