LDF: Tent 2011 – my top 5 favourites

Tent London is one of the design trade shows that takes place during the London Design Festival each September. It’s a phenomenal show that predominately showcases smaller makers/designers and often has new to market products. It’s one of the reason’s I always make time to head to Tent – you are bound to see something new. This year it was bigger than ever and just as good.  You can see some of my favourites from this years show below;

I instantly fell in love with the sweet shop charm of Anthony Hartley’s brightly coloured furniture. I loved that it was functional yet tongue in cheek.  Anthony himself was a pleasure to meet (and his lovely assistant Nell) and he seemed genuinely surprised (and pleased of course!) with the wonderful response he was getting to his products. I wasn’t surprised at all as he delivered fantastic pieces with high-octane colour, movement and curvaceous form. Just what we’ve all been screaming for and bang on trend.

The crunchy and chewy liquorice sweets I used to eat as a kid and Anthony’s furniture.

Whilst not new to Tent, Zoe Murphy’s wonderful stand was guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Zoe up-cycles unloved mid century furniture giving it a new lease of life, using graphics, colour, fabric and printed paper.  Her challenge it seems, to keep up with demand is to now find the wonderful second hand furniture pieces she needs for her work– trawling through junk shops, car boot fairs and the odd roadside dump/skip. Zoe is passionate about her hometown  (a one woman tourist information on Margate) and as a fellow seasider I find her enthusiasm and genuine love of what she does and where she comes from infectious.

Capitalising on the theme of day trippers the lovely chaps at Mini Moderns showed off their wonderfully charming print collection that includes wallpaper and home accessories. Top of my lust list was the new and seaside-y ‘Whitby’ porcelain collection – which looks brilliant when mixed and matched. Closely followed by ‘Hold Tight’ the latest print in the Mini Moderns ‘Day-tripper’ collection – a collaboration with the London Transport Museum.

Donya Coward’s 3D sculpture, which she calls textile taxidermy. Each of Donya’s creations is carefully made by hand from reclaimed materials using traditional techniques and crafts skills utilising hooks, glass buttons and jewellery that give sparkle and texture to the details. In addition to her sculptures Donya also showed banners – I hope she does a dachshund based one in the future!

From flights of fancy to a practical solution that I know my home needs. The perennial question of where to store your bike. Tamasine Osher showed the Pedal Pod, a bicycle rack and storage unit in walnut to safely stow away your bike in the home. My bike loving husband could do with this, particularly as he regards his bike as his ‘precious’. Plus it looks good – a must as far as I am concerned.

Remember to put Tent in your diary for next year 20-23 September 2012