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What was the event?

Around 25,000 design enthusiasts, architects and interior designers flocked to Design Junction at The Sorting Office. The consumer and trade event provided an eclectic programme of practical workshops, seminar talks and bicycle tours, as well as pop-up shops and a street food market.

How did the event unfold?

The 1960’s Sorting Office on New Oxford Street in central London was an unlikely venue to play host to a slick and stylish design show. Nonetheless, the industrial feel of this 11,148sqm building lent itself well to the contrasting display of high-end, contemporary furniture, lighting, furnishings and artwork.

The show, spread across three floors, showcased a range of British and international design brands such as Modus, Innermost and Channels. On the ground floor, one of the most unexpected but animated elements of the show was the Real Food Festival featuring a hand-picked selection of food businesses conjuring up authentic street food dishes.
The Community Kitchen was on-hand serving Dorset lamb filled wraps, while Horn OK Please created a wide array of Indian meals for guests to salivate over.

The nearby seminar theatre, designed by London-based architecture practice VW+BS, drew in a crowd of people. Its latest talk in a series of seminars was on digital craft and computer generated processes and fabrication, something which is increasingly being used in customised building elements and detailing.

Weaving through aisles of exhibitors, one of the show's interactive Flash Factory areas hosted by Brooks Saddles created a buzz as attendees gathered around to learn more about the process of making beautifully handcrafted leather bicycle saddles.

The first floor contained a range of design brands such as Menogranoblu with an impressive warm purple lighting display as its focal point, and Portugese sustainable flooring manufacturer Granorte, which had constructed a cork display. Ice cream experts Gelupo brought a taste of Italian class to the day's proceedings serving up gelato and processco.

Floor two again boasted a sea of uber-funky designers complemented by quirky show features such as Transport for London's micro-brewery bar, in partnership with Camden Town Brewery. The bar highlighted a number of new products from some of the show's exhibitors, including Fired Earth's latest range of historic tiles, manufactured from original Underground heritage station tiles. Bespoke furniture pieces from Michael Sodeau upholstered in a selection of vibrant new textile designs by Kirby Design were also on display, inspired by original Underground moquette seating patterns.

Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa restaurant took the opportunity to bring its first pop-up outlet to Design Junction, fully furnished by Modus, Michael Sodeau, PearsonLloyd, In Opera and International. On the menu was pit-smoked pulled pork sandwiches and smoked short ribs with chipotle tomato salsa, alongside sweeter treats including carrot and zucchini cake and red velvet cookies.

The extensive food offering at the design show was a welcome sight for many visitors, especially those fueling up for Design Junction's more active elements. Japanese brand Tokyobike had organised a series of bike tours for attendees to learn more about the design highlights of the capital led by a series of experts. The West End Design District also provided ample opportunity for attendees to savour and purchase the latest home products from a selection of brand showrooms, design boutiques, pop-up shops and department stores within the City.

The Design Junction highlighted the latest design products available on the market - something most of its consumer and business guests were there to see. But the cultural elements added a different dimension to the show and helped to make it a day out rather than a two or three hour trip.

On the spot: Deborah Spencer, event director, Design Junction

How would you describe the format and content of the show?

Design Junction is very much a curative show with leading-edge international brands. We have over 150 brands representing at the show. We divide the spaces into social quarters, and the food element is really important because it encourages the visitors to spend the full day here. We work really hard to bring in strong food offerings like Jamie Oliver, Gelupo Café and a street food offering.

There is also an entertainment aspect to the event, whereby you can see live demonstrations in our Flash Factories and see the craft of making furniture. People are also here to do business as well, so as a show we have both a trade and consumer audience, catering for both sides. For the consumer side we have a really strong retail offering, with about 30 different pop-up shops. On the trade side, it is perfect for architects, interior designs and specifiers who are looking to source products for hotels, bars and restaurants.

How has the show grown over the last three years?

We launched the show in Milan in 2010. It was a very small, edited show with about ten brands, all UK-based, and through the success of this show, which ran through the Milan Furniture Fair, we brought it to London. We felt that because of the London Design Festival in September, and with other design shows taking place in east and west London, nothing was being targeted at the centre of the City. We saw a gap in the market for something that was centrally located, brand focused, high-end quality and a cultural show.

Have visitor numbers grown over the years, and are you expecting to see an increased figure at the 2013 London event?

In our first year in London we had 6,500 visitors through the doors – a very trade-focused audience. When we moved to the Sorting Office in 2012, it opened the show up to more consumers so we grew to 17,500 attendees. This year we expect to attract between 22,000 and 25,000 guests throughout the five-day event. If we hit the top end we could see a 30% annual growth in visitor numbers in comparison to 2012.

Behind the scenes

Organiser

Design Junction
www.designjunction.co.uk
07860 772968

Venue

Location House
www.locationhouse.co.uk
(020) 7269 9750

Suppliers

Modus
www.modusfurniture.co.uk
01460 258590

Moyne London
www.moynelondon.co.uk
(020) 8998 2084

Outback Rigging Group
www.outbackrigging.com
(020) 8993 0066

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