Welcome to our monthly newsletter, providing you with the latest events and courses, trend forecasts, new sources, and answers to your interior design problems.
Tips & Trends

‘To me a room without books is missing an essential feature, as important as lights, chairs or carpets. Or pictures: in their way, books are like pictures on the wall; they reveal whether you are a minimalist with all covers hidden under plain wrappers, a maximalist whose every room has a generously filled bookcase, or an anarchist whose preferred method of storage is an untidy heap’.
 
Leslie Geddes-Brown, from her new Books Do Furnish a Room, which offers plenty of inspiration and tips for bibliophiles on displaying books in all parts of the home. Published by Merrell, and available at the special price of £22.95 including p&p (rrp £24.95) from Marston Book Services on 01235 465 500. Just quote code MPMERBDHD. The offer is valid until the end of the year.


This month don't miss

Exhibitions, sales, fairs, courses and events you should know about.

Alfies’ Great Treasure Hunt (5 Sept) Church St, Marylebone, London NW8. Come and navigate Alfies Antique Market’s labyrinth of dealers with the chance to win a myriad of prizes in a good cause – to raise money for St John’s Hospice. Take part with a voluntary donation of £1. www.alfiesantiques.com

Detling Antiques & Collectors Fair (5-6 Sept). Kent County Showground. Only 30 minutes from the Channel Tunnel, this fair attracts stallholders travelling from continental Europe to sell their wares. They are offering 2 for 1 tickets for the first 25 people who apply. Just phone 01636 702326 and quote The House Directory. www.dmgantiquefairs.com

Heritage Open Days (12 Sept), National Trust properties nationwide. Over 200 historic properties will open their doors to the public for free. To see which are taking part, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Top Drawer Autumn (13-15 Sept) Olympia, London
A trade show with 600 suppliers of gifts, home accessories, jewellery, cards & stationery, outdoor products and more. www.topdrawerautumn.com

20/21 British Art Fair (16-20 Sept), Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, SW7. Now in its 22nd year, this fair brings together 60 exhibitors selling paintings, original prints, drawings and sculpture. Over a hundred years of British art, with prices from the low hundreds to hundreds of thousands. www.britishartfair.co.uk

Open House London (19-20 Sept), The capital’s largest architectural showcase is now in its 17th year. 700 buildings will open their doors to Londoners for free (but some tours must be pre-booked). www.openhouse.org.uk

The London Design Festival (19-27 Sept), An annual event celebrating British design. Visit over 200 specific events and activities over nine days to sample the extraordinary diversity of world-class design talent in the capital. For more information, visit www.londondesignfestival.com or call 020-7734 6444.

The 102nd Chelsea Antiques Fair (23-27 Sept), Chelsea Old Town Hall, King's Road, London SW3. Forty dealers take part, offering formal and country furniture, ceramics, oil and watercolour paintings, fine silver and jewellery. Prices from under £100 to over £20,000.Visitor Information Tel: 0870 350 2442. www.penman-fairs.co.uk

100% Design (24-27 Sept), Earl's Court Two, London, SW5. The UK’s best-known contemporary interiors event. Presenting big brands, emerging talent and new building materials, 100% Design attracts leading manufacturers, star designers and specifiers from the UK and overseas. For more information about 100% Design, or to register, log on to www.100percentdesign.co.uk Visitor hotline: 01923-690624

Tent London (24-27 Sept), Truman Brewery, Brick Lane.
In a vast, reclaimed industrial site in Brick Lane, Tent London is a diverse design exhibition consisting of shows, competitions and installations covering art and architecture, vintage and contemporary design by emerging and established designers, dealers, retailers, manufacturers and brands from around the world. www.tentlondon.co.uk

The Lapada Art & Antiques Fair (24-27 Sept), Berkeley Square, London W1. A glamorous fair in a purpose-built marquee in Mayfair. Some 80 members of the UK's largest association of art & antique dealers will be selling contemporary and traditional fine art, furniture, sculpture, jewellery, silver, watches, clocks, glass and ceramics. www.lapadalondon.com

Decorex International (27-30 Sept), Royal Hospital Grounds, London SW3. The essential pilgrimage for interior designers, buyers and architects from all over the world. Over 300 top interior companies take part, including The House Directory – don’t forget to come and see us on stand K320 !
Visit www.decorex.com to register.
Members of the public may attend a Private View on Tues. 29th Sept. 1-7pm. Tickets cost £20.  Call 0844 557 2306 to book.

Focus 09 (27-30 Sept), Chelsea Harbour, London SW10. The Design Centre showrooms (and selected showrooms in Chelsea) present their latest collections. The first three days are trade only, and on Wed 30th everyone is welcome. For information, call 020-7225 9101 or email enquiries@dcch.co.uk

The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair (29 Sept-4 Oct), The Marquee, Battersea Park, London SW11. This thrice-yearly fair, in the relaxed surroundings of The Marquee in leafy Battersea Park, has around 140 exhibitors and is an excellent source of painted furniture, Gustavian & Swedish design, 20th century design, lighting, accessories and named-design furniture, and excellent mirrors. For a free email ticket for two, contact pr@pipparoberts.com, quoting The House Directory. www.decorativefair.com

















Special Offers


Linenme are offering us 15% off their lovely and affordable table linen, bedlinen and linen by the metre. It’s all produced in a small family-owned business in Lithuania, a country with a long tradition of flax growing, weaving and linen production. There are plain and striped tablecloths, runners, placemats, napkins, tea towels, aprons, coasters, napkin rings and accessories. The offer is valid during September – just quote THD15PC. www.linenme.com

Darlings of Chelsea sell high quality, UK crafted leather sofas and chairs in both contemporary and traditional designs. They are offering an exclusive £100 off any order over £700 to The House Directory customers. To claim your discount in store, online or over the phone, quote "Housedirectory100". www.darlingsofchelsea.co.uk





News


Artist and lighting designer Bruce Munro has installed an 8metre-tall chandelier in the entrance foyer of the newly-refurbished Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Westminster. His amazing Random Drop fibre optic chandelier cascades down the main stairwell through two floors. 300 clear glass balls are suspended on optic fibres of varied drops from half a metre to eight metres long. Light is supplied via a projector, so there are no light bulbs to change ! www.brucemunro.co.uk

Textile design and printing company Elanbach are opening a new showroom at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour on 10th September. Their full range of over 200 cotton and linen fabrics will be on offer, as well as a bespoke coloration service. www.elanbach.com

www.thehousedirectory.com