Design Junction

Design Junction 2015 was the first year that the event organisers had to tackle the tricky logistics of hosting a new location, 2 sites were chosen on Southampton Row and the exhibitors were split into furniture/lighting and accessories. We thoroughly enjoyed negotiating the warrens of old Central Saint Martin’s College corridors. There were a few discontented grumbles about the challenges of the site from exhibitors and visitors, admittedly we did get lost and missed out on some exhibitors that we would have liked to see. However, a few teething problems are to be expected from a new location and it didn’t stop them welcoming a record breaking 26,000 visitors.

The appeal of Design Junction for a company such as ours is threefold,

1. To catch up with some of the more established companies that we love working with and seeing what they have been up to; Areti, Andreu World, Brokis, Dare Studio, James, Modus, Orsjo, Varaschin.

2. To have the opportunity to meet people and investigate the products of companies we have admired from afar and dealt with by phone or email but never had the chance to meet in person; Gemla, Rothschild & Bickers , Rubn.

3. However what most excites us about the fair is that every year there is the opportunity to discover some really special designs by some incredibly talented people that need a platform like Design Junction to showcase themselves to a larger audience. This is something that is core to the way we work at Dodds & Shute as we passionate about promoting new and exciting companies that deserve more recognition. This year those brands were; Beynon, Novocastrian, Speckled Grey, The Workshop MM.

However there were two companies in particular that I thought stood out from the entire fair.

Novocastrian, a Newcastle based fabricator of spectacular objects. Their craft is born of industry and the industrial heritage of the North of England. They believe in the honest beauty of raw, natural materials and metal is not only their obsession but the backbone of their work. We absolutely love their designs but situated in the basement of the College and sharing a space with a few other makers it would have been incredibly easy to have missed them completely.

Areti, based in London but working in close collaboration with master craftsmen in Germany and Sweden. We have been big fans of Areti for a number of years but what was most impressive about their stand at DJ 15 was that they were exhibiting a completely new collection, so new that they were seeing some of their designs for the first time and prices are still to be confirmed. It was a rare and bold approach for a supplier and very refreshing to see. It’s also great to see that they are making furniture again.

If we had one concern about the fair (except for the fact that both these suppliers were tucked away and easy to miss) it would be that DJ should shout out more about brands like these and give them central stage, these smaller companies are dedicated to their craft and their passion is infectious. If stand prices continue to rise we will be seeing less of these suppliers as they start to question the cost, and if they are replaced by larger organisations with more financial backing the fair will lose a lot of its charm. We understand that DJ is a commercial operation but hopefully a balance can be struck.