Style meets substance in this completely sustainable lounge
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This week, top interior designers from across Europe descended on Kensington Olympia for Decorex, the annual industry show where they go to get their furniture, fabric, lighting and craft inspiration for the next year.
The centrepiece of the event is the VIP lounge, which is taken over by a different design team each year with a brief to create a space which reflects what’s happening in the design world right now.
This year Harding and Read picked up the baton, and decided it wanted to create a space that was as sustainable as it was beautiful, dubbing it the ‘legacy lounge’.
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“Our approach to interiors rejects today’s impulsive, disposable culture, which fuels over-consumption and waste,” explains founder Nicola Harding. “It is a mindset that we hope to have demonstrated in this year’s legacy lounge: an immersive experience of our inherently sustainable approach to interiors”.
Harding and Read has filled the space with objects that are eco-friendly down to the very finest detail. The violet cabinetry in the bar area was created by British Standard, and is topped with a reclaimed iroko wood worktop from architecture and design salvage specialist Retrouvius.
Our approach to interiors rejects today’s impulsive, disposable culture which fuels over-consumption and waste
Nicola Harding, founder, Harding and Read
The delicate, hand-painted delft tiles adorned with tiny people, creatures and buildings were originally unwanted tiles that would otherwise have become waste, and were supplied by The Douglas Watson Studio.
The central table was made from antique off-cuts by a team of apprentices in the studio of antique dealer Matthew Cox; while the slightly weathered leather sofas in a rich, shiny deep tan were provided by fellow antique dealer Christopher Howe who carefully scrutinises his supply chain and carbon-offsets all his products that are shipped from overseas. Other pieces for the lounge were sourced from the vintage furniture selling platform Vinterior.
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“Part of what I’ve realised when designing the VIP lounge for Decorex is how broad the definition of sustainability is”, Harding adds. “It’s not just the environmental side that needs exploring: it’s the social, economic and cultural side as well.”
The graphic-patterned rugs in pastel shades were provided by textile designer Christine Van Der Hurd, who has forged long-standing relationships with makers in Nepal and India and says the business she gives them helps to keep their craft alive.
To complete the virtuous circle, all of the furnishings will be sold at an auction to benefit the charity Emmaus – which trains homeless people to restore and repair items for the home – when the lounge is dismantled.