If June is the month of celebrating cutting-edge design around the capital, then July is all about going gloriously analogue.
Thanks to the weather — usually decent — every corner of the capital is staging a flea market, vintage fair or brocante of sorts, with one-of-a-kind wares spilling out into streets and car parks.
Reassuringly lo-fi, the magic of these weekend wanders is that you’ll never quite know what you’ll find. Keep an open mind, remember to pack a tape measure, and visit an ATM beforehand for maximum bargaining potential.
Exhibitions to see in July
Root for the underdogs by paying a visit to Rejects, a celebration of artworks rejected from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, at Stokey Pop-Up in Stoke Newington.
Each year about 18,000 artists apply for a spot in the prestigious showcase but only about 1,500 make the cut; this exhibition, from July 3-13, puts many of them in the spotlight (11am to 6pm weekdays, 10am to 6pm at weekends, @stokeypopup).
Rejects is a celebration of artworks rejected from the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Idol Design
The Spotlight Market at MKII in Clapton has established itself as the pop-up to land on rare furniture finds (July 18 and 19, tickets from £5, thespotlightmarket.com).
No trawling is required, as traders such as Ancien et Jolie, Vantage Living and Stowaway London gather only the best of their curations.
Enjoy the rummage? Head east for flea markets: the Giant London Flea Market is at the Olympic Park on July 6 (queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk) while Hackney Flea Market (hackneyfleamarket.com) returns to Stoke Newington Church Street on July 19 and 20.
The Spotlight Market at MKII in Clapton
Handout
The Vintage Furniture Flea (@vintagefurnitureflea) is doing the rounds, popping up at St John’s Church Hyde Park on July 5, Chelsea Old Town Hall on July 6, Phillimore Walk in Kensington on July 26 and Leadenhall Market on July 27.
Not forgetting the So Last Century vintage and retro fair (solastcenturyfair.co.uk) at Beckenham Place Mansion on July 20.
Never made it to New Designers at Islington’s Business Design Centre? Let the 40th anniversary of this annual showcase change that.
The ambassadors for the 40th New Designers show
Mark Cocksedge
From July 2-5 and July 9-12 (tickets from £27, newdesigners.com), thousands of design graduates from as far as the University of Plymouth to Manchester School of Art will be joined by ND alumni including ceramicist Ikuko Iwamoto and textile artist Margo Selby.
As well as providing a platform for young talent, there’s the opportunity to shop from fledgling businesses through ND Select, a space which attracts trade buyers sniffing out the latest trends but is open to all.
Paris Living by Guillaume de Laubier (Lannoo Publishers, £70) provides a trip to the City of Lights from the comfort of your armchair. With 200 photographs, you get to snoop around the opulent, eclectic and occasionally eccentric homes of some 20-plus creatives which haven’t been endlessly splashed across Instagram. Highlights include the pink boudoir of lingerie designer Chantal Thomass.
Paris Living by Guillaume de Laubier provides a fascinating glimpse into the homes of creatives
Paris Living
Clear out the car boot (or book that Zipcar) and build a day trip around the Home Counties centred on vintage fairs. In Kent, head to the monthly Faversham Antiques Market on July 6 for one-of-a-kind furniture and pre-loved textiles (favershammarket.org). On July 19, Folkestone Flea (@folkestoneflea) returns to Docker Brewery, with handpicked retro accessories next to a tap room. Mark July 13 for the Antique and Brocante Market in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire, where you can trawl for antiques and collectibles fuelled by a live music soundtrack and street food. And a trip to Rye, East Sussex is never wasted, but arrive early to find the best treasure at the weekly Rye Sunday Brocante, from 8am to 2pm.
Good luck keeping fresh flowers perky in a heatwave; a much savvier investment are Sandra Alexandra’s Murano glass blooms (£80 each, sandralexandra.com). Designed by the Kensal Green-based studio and made by glass blowers in the UK, the delicate cosmos, poppies and hellebores are like jewellery for the home — and will never wilt.