The sun is finally shining, the days are longer and the capital is showing off the best of its creativity thanks to an array of art fairs alongside the annual big hitters: Clerkenwell Design Week, London Craft Week and the Chelsea Flower Show. Arrange to meet friends and make a day of taking in art and installations.
Fifteen years of Clerkenwell Design Week
Typically industry-facing, Clerkenwell Design Week (May 19 to 21) is offering something for everyone with a pop-up trail of installations around EC1. Following a call-out to designers and architects — emerging and established alike — discover The Fountain of Technicolour Beads by Hong Kong-based multidisciplinary studio One Bite Design on Clerkenwell Green and the Canary Clock Tower, a sculptural landmark by George King Architects which draws on Clerkenwell’s historic tradition of clockmaking using recycled plastic offcuts supplied by Smile Plastics.
The Affordable Art Fair Hampstead returns to the Heath from May 6 to 10, with an inaugural ceramics exhibition, painting workshops and more than 1,000 artworks, costing from as little as £100. Tickets start at £14. The Summer Lates (5pm to 9pm, on Thursday and Friday) make a cultural alternative to the pub and there is also a children’s art competition.
The Affordable Art Fair
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If ceramics are your bag then hotfoot it to Ceramic Art London at Olympia West, which runs from May 8 to 10. Tickets start at £21. Potters from around the world apply for a spot at the show and prices range from £30 to £10,000. There is also a lively programme of talks to dip into, including fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes in conversation with Kate Malone about what it means to be a devoted collector. For one-of-a-kind furniture finds, there are three instalments of So Last Century fairs taking place across the month (at Beckenham Place Park Mansion on May 4 and 25, and Merton Abbey Mills on May 16), while the Decorative Fair in Battersea (from May 12 to 17, tickets £20) is the one interior designers and insiders flock to.
The official programme for London Craft Week, which runs from May 11 to 17, spans a mind-boggling 188 events. Make life easy by heading to Pimlico Road, where you can drop in to observe rattan-weaving at the Soane Britain boutique and the art of rug restoration at Robert Kime (both on May 13), as well as the Son Mai lacquering technique at the Lacquer Company (May 11 to 15). It’s then worth returning to SW3 around the start of the Chelsea Flower Show (May 19 to 23), regardless of whether you have tickets. Floral displays flow out on the pavements from Victoria through to Belgravia, around Sloane Square and up the King’s Road — they’re a delight to behold; and free. Head for the MG&Co. store on Ebury Street, where C.Atherley, the bodycare brand founded by Cath Kidston, will be taking over with a living display of rare and scented-leaf pelargoniums.
Belgravia blooms
PhotoEdge Ltd.
Just across Orange Square, ceramicist Deborah Brett is showcasing her DB Ceramic collection for one month at Bertioli by Thyme. Swing by on May 19 for drinks and an evening masterclass on styling summer tables with flowers, linens and ceramics. Tickets are £10.
Bringing some much-needed homeliness to London Bridge, e-tailer The Roost has opened a showroom at Borough Yards. Popping up until late June, the space champions British brands such as Maro Home, Hastshilp and Christopher Farr Cloth. Walk away with a handsome splatterware bowl or a candle holder and make use of its visualiser tool to get a feel for how larger pieces, such as sofas and beds, would look at home.
Get out of town on the early May bank holiday weekend with a drive to Water Lane Walled Garden for its Spring Fair (May 2 and 3, 10am to 4pm, entry £7). Nestled in the Kent/ East Sussex borders, this beautiful site is home to a modern flower farm that is usually reserved for private events. A coterie of makers and creators including Merchant & Mills and the Natural Dyeworks will be setting up camp. From there it’s a 15-minute drive to Great Dixter House and Gardens, the home of late gardening writer Christopher Lloyd. The majestic manor house and experiential garden make for a memorable afternoon out.
The term “pretty desk chair” was an oxymoron until The House Upstairs designed the Daisy. This functional swivel style (£895) can be upholstered in any fabric, turning your WFH set-up into a thing of functional beauty.
Daisy chair
The House Upstairs
On the subject of fabrics, London-based lampshade maker Imogen Pope has just added a range of fabrics to her offering, with woven stripes and delicate florals suitable for all upholstery, from £48 per metre. And after being teased at Milan Fashion Week, Ikea’s PS collection launches on May 13. Highlights from the range include the bendable floor uplighter for £29 and the cool-looking easy chair, a fabric-wrapped riff on an inflatable chair housed within a carbon steel frame, for £129.