A Guide to the Best of Focus 19
Events | 13.09.2019
Focus, a key event in London's interior design calendar, is now upon us! From Sunday 15th September at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, there will be a world of inspiration for homemakers and interior designers alike. From our own jungle-covered installation - the Lost City of Ozymandias - to a packed programme of talks, workshops, and meet-the-designer events, Focus is awash with creativity and innovation. In this article, we explore the inspiration behind our own pop-up and also highlight the best bits from the rest of the show.
The Lost City of Ozymandias
In true adventurous Andrew Martin spirit, we've built our very own lost city showcasing artefacts from mystery shrouded corners of the world alongside new collections in an enclave of treasure and travel.
The pop-up installation is inspired by the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Horace Smith that explores the fate of history itself; how the unforgiving march of time obliterates even the greatest of man's achievements. Of the new installation, Martin says: "we are all seduced by the romance of discovering lost and forgotten civilisations. The lost city of Ozymandias aims to create that sense of wonder as a backdrop to a quintessential Andrew Martin collection of furniture and artefacts from every corner of the globe". The lost city of Ozymandias fuses cultures, literary reference and design to form a wondrous and captivating story, complete with jungle animal projections, large-scale murals and new furniture designs.
1. The Power of Collaborations, O&A London
Joining forces with design heroes has long been an integral element of the Andrew Martin philosophy; nothing is more powerful than the coming together of individuals. Most recently, we have been lucky enough to work on collections with Kit Kemp, Sophie Paterson and Kelly Hoppen. It's no wonder then that a conversation on the benefits of collaboration is one of our top choices.
2. Lighting Advice, Fox Linton
With the recent explosion in our lighting offer and the installation of the Lighting Gallery at Walton Street earlier this year, lighting design is a subject that's close to our heart. Chris Turner, Jay Williams, Peter Veale, and Kathleen Butler will be giving expert advice on how to effectively cast light in your home, an essential ingredient for any successful design scheme.
3. The Kit Kemp Edit, Blithfield
Andrew Martin has long been a supporter of Kit's brave approach to colour and design; and we are still reeling in the success of the Kit Kemp for Andrew Martin fabric and wallpaper collection. It will therefore come as no surprise that we are longing to explore the Kit Kemp Edit at Blithfield, which marks the launch of their new colourful Brookfield collection.
4. Bespoke Design, Collier Webb
We have always been a huge fan of exclusive, one-off pieces as most recently shown by our latest Tutti Frutti collection and masterpiece artworks, like Dollar Bill. So we think the panel discussion at Collier Webb between designer Gemma Marnier and head of design, David Arratoon on the growing demand among the interiors community for one-of-a-kind, bespoke pieces will be well worth a listen.
