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Last week we spoke about luxury craft and what it means to us, as well as how it relates to high-end design. In the article, we briefly touched upon London Craft Week and how this is having an impact on the luxury craft world. With the event soon upon us, we’ve been mulling over the website and picking some of our favourite events featuring fine British and luxury craftsmanship that can’t be missed.
What is London Craft Week?
If you haven’t heard of London Craft Week before, the annual event, returning for its fifth edition from 8-12 May 2019, is a showcase of exceptional craftsmanship and a celebration of outstanding British and international creativity. Everything we love here at AUTHOR.
Authenticity is at the heart of the programme and from heritage to contemporary brands, the concept aims to attract a broad range of objects of beauty and substance against a flowering of craftsmanship worldwide. The event allows artists and craftsmen to tell their story to a wider audience.
This year, a curated programme of events will bring together over 240 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries for workshops, talks, exhibitions. We’re brimming with excitement just thinking about the wonderful world of luxury craftsmanship taking over the capital we know and love.
AUTHOR SELECTS: The 10 best events for London Craft Week 2019
We’re fans of Sebastian Cox at AUTHOR so we’re excited to see the award-winning design studio and workshop which will open its doors to exclusively share the making of their debut tableware collection, Wealden. Attend one of the daily demonstrations in the workshop to see how the collection of ceramics is made or explore a richly coloured spring installation of the new Barker collection in the showroom.
Sebastian Cox Ltd, Thames Side Studios, Telegraph Building 16, Harrington Way, London, SE18 5NR
We all know that plants are a great way to style your home, but how many of us actually think about using them in innovative ways? Tom Dixon will host a series of workshops and activities to inform and inspire new ways of using plants at their showroom in Coal Drops Yard.
Tom Dixon, 4–10 Bagley Walk, London, N1C 4DH
This exhibition will explore tactility in design and fine craftsmanship via ceramicist Emma Lacey’s Everyday tableware range and the JT Classic bespoke kitchen design by Jack Trench. Lacey and Trench will consider the importance of tactility in their work and how the intersection between fine craftsmanship and thoughtful design forms the common ground in their respective disciplines.
Jack Trench Clerkenwell Showroom, 5a Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4SP
Glass artist Liam Reeves and interdisciplinary designer Charles Stern will present Taskmaster Burst – a series of sculptural works inspired by industrial landscapes and chimney stacks, mixing traditional glass-making techniques with 3D-printed ceramics. On Saturday 11 May specifically, you can also meet the artists for a brunch reception and Q&A, as well as 3D-printing demonstrations throughout the day.
Vessel Gallery, 114 Kensington Park Road, London, W11 2PW
Discover the work of Zuza Mengham, a London-based multidisciplinary artist, known for her play on merging natural with synthetic elements, both historical and contemporary. For London Craft Week, Mengham will be exhibiting a collection of sculptures in the J&M Davidson boutique in response to the brand’s Spring Summer 2019 collection. The collection builds around Zuza’s clever way of working clean lines into abstract form using Jesmonite – a material which lends itself well due to its chameleon qualities. Calling for neutral tones, the collection is peppered with materials such as marble, slate and bronze – teasing through the sculpture’s surfaces, they work in harmony with their new surroundings.
J&M Davidson, 104 Mount Street, London, W1K 2TL
One of our favourite craft destinations Oxo Tower Wharf will present The Future of Craft where they’ll be hosting workshops in collaboration with Design-Nation and Future Icons. You’ll have the chance to get involved with hands-on craft workshops by Yodomo including; Make a Terrarium with London Terrariums, An Introduction to Embroidery with Embellished Talk, and Rise and Shine Shoe Shine with shoemakers Carreducker. What a great week of events! Booking required.
The Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, London, SE1 9PH
The Odd Chair Company’s Design Director James Cook will lead a breakfast talk on the history of furniture making, celebrating 50 years of hand-making furniture and crafted upholstery. Taking place on 8 May, the talk will look at making fine, sustainable and comfortable furniture, drawing upon 100 years of cabinet making and upholstery knowledge.
The Odd Chair Company, 45 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8NE
Paul Smith has partnered with design-driven ceramics brand 1882 Ltd. to present unique objects made of fine bone china for this year’s London Craft Week. These objects will highlight the industrial heritage craft skills of Stoke-on-Trent and subvert the norm. British craftsmanship shining through.
Paul Smith, 9 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BL
Rose Uniacke is a British architectural interior designer, antiques specialist and product designer based in the heart of one of Pimlico Road. For LCW, Unicacke will present the RU Fabric range, including her new collection of hand-printed fabrics, across traditional upholstery, soft furnishings, wall coverings and curtains. Expect a treat in terms of luxury craftsmanship inspiration.
Rose Uniacke, 76-84 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8PL
Upholstery is a skill that’s hard to master so we’re jumping at the opportunity to learn how to upholster a stool during the Shoreditch Design Rooms’ open weekend. Book onto one of the workshops or join a giant ‘make-a-thon’ with their students on Sunday 12 May to benefit local charity, the Albert Kennedy Trust. Watch upholstery in action or help out yourself!
Shoreditch Design Rooms, 2-4 Scawfell Street, London, E2 8NG
AUTHOR sources high-quality furniture and accessories, designed and made in Britain by talented designers and craftspeople to add to our inspiringly themed collections. If you’d like to know more about incorporating luxury craft or high end design into your home, the AUTHOR team is here to advise on any aspects of design and furnishing. If you would like any further advice or interior design tips on how to make the most of your interior space, please do get in touch.
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