The 46th edition of Decorex was an unforgettable four days of interior design excellence at Olympia Events in London. 280 brands took over the exhibition floor from 6-9 October, filling both Olympia’s Grand Hall and National Hall, with over 12,500 of the interior design community arriving through the doors over the four days of the show.
This year’s event featured exceptional exhibitor stands, inspirational designer collaborations, new collection launches and show-stopping features. It also hosted a packed schedule of design talks and sustainability discussions to ensure visitors were informed and entertained. Decorex welcomed a high calibre of visitors from leading interior design studios such as Beata Heuman, Carden Cunietti, Studio Ashby, Elicyon, Natalia Miyar Atelier, Nicola Harding & Co, Rose Uniacke, Paolo Moschino, Sims Hilditch , Suzy Hoodless, Studio Atkinson, Taylor Howes and Turner Pocock.
Decorex Event Director Sam Fisher commented: “We were delighted to welcome the Decorex community back to Olympia Events over 4 incredible days, to experience the very best in interior design. We showcased everything from exceptional British craftsmanship, up and coming new brands, to big global names, sharing the very latest in high-end design and manufacturing. We want to thank all our visitors, exhibitors, collaborators and speakers for once again making Decorex, the must-visit event of the design calendar.”
Already looking ahead to next year, over 100 brands have booked their space for the 2025 show, including Frato, The Soho Lighting Company, Riviere, Original BTC, Linwood Fabric Company, Haberdashery, Bert Frank, Arte International and Armac Martin.
Designer Collaborations & Special Features
Decorex’s creative collaborations inspired visitors throughout the show. Welcoming visitors through the show’s Grand Hall entrance, The New Craftmakers inspired with ‘The Woven Room’ – an immersive space that explored traditional basket-making with the extraordinary variations of regional basketry, from makers all over the UK.
At the National Hall entrance, visitors experienced live artistry by London-based muralist Maria Christina Design, who created an evolving bespoke mural throughout the show.
This year’s VIP Lounge concept, Synesthetic Studio by YesColours was a huge success. John Stubbs, CEO and Founder said:
“It was great to be back at Decorex, this time transforming the exclusive VIP space into the Synesthetic Studio. A standout destination for attendees, we wanted to bring something unique to the space, tapping into the senses whilst conveying what YesColours is all about. Not only was it a great place to make new connections but also to reconnect with familiar faces. Our thought-provoking, and perhaps unexpected, talks programme featured a range of industry experts across many different topics including sustainability, Synesthesia, and the connection between AI and the creative process. It was also the first major showcase for YesColours Studio, our interior design service, and was great to receive such positive feedback from the industry.”
BradyWilliams’ eye-catching hummingbird installation at the Decorex Bar was the perfect focal point to meet, network and relax. Inspired by a recent trip to Hiroshima and Sadako Sasak, the design displayed a minimalist, modern approach with a futuristic twist, featuring reflective finishes, with tones of green, silver and grey to reflect the iridescent plumage of the suspended flock of hummingbirds.
Returning for its third consecutive year, the Making Spaces feature for 2024 showcased exquisite hand-painted and embroidered silk wallcoverings and sheer silk panels by Fromental. The installation celebrated the brand’s deep-rooted dedication to traditional Chinese painting and embroidery, highlighting its mastery in preserving these ancient techniques while infusing them with a fresh, contemporary vision.
The Making Spaces area featured 16 artisans showcasing their craft live and visitors were invited to take part in a series of Making Spaces workshops, an exclusive series of one-hour sessions led by talented artisans. Each day, visitors engaged in a unique hands-on experience, from painting framed silk artwork with Fromental to creating stunning embossed copper tiles with the skilled Bryony Knox.
Ellen Merchant, talented designer and printmaker who created this year’s striking, fan-shaped flower print for Decorex, has participated in Making Spaces for two years in a row. There were plenty of opportunities to discover Ellen’s work at Decorex, where she launched her new collection ‘Joya’.
Decorex Stand Awards
The creativity of this year’s exhibitors reached new heights with spectacular designs to captivate visitors. Decorex Event Manager Carly Barclay commented: “The Stand Awards celebrated the exceptional creativity and innovation on display at Decorex 2024. With such a high calibre of design from both emerging and established brands, our judges had a tough task in selecting this year’s winners.”
Bert Frank was awarded ‘Best Space Only Stand’. To mark the British lighting brand’s 10th year at the London design trade show, the brand created two immersive exhibition spaces, the Renaissance stand and The Making Of stand, highlighting the artistry and craft behind its products.
Michael Evesque, Managing Director, Bert Frank, commented: “We are delighted and humbled that our 10th year at Decorex can be marked with being awarded such an accolade. The journey to create both stands was ambitious, but I am delighted that, together, they showcase the essence of Bert Frank.”
Best Newcomer was awarded to Floor Story who launched their new collection of eclectic rugs in collaboration with designer Henry Holland. Best Product was awarded to luxury hardware and accessories brand Armac Martin for their decorative cabinet handle from their debut bronze hardware collection. Best Shell Scheme was won by Tori Murphy Textiles who created a beautiful, open space to explore their range of fabrics and accessories.
Four new award categories focused on sustainability and were judged by members of the Decorex Sustainability Task Force. The awards proudly recognised exhibitors who demonstrate outstanding sustainability achievements within the interiors industry.
The Planet Conscious award was won by exceptional lighting brand CTO Lighting. The Social Change award was awarded to Allwina. Isabel Troise Aller, Co-Founder & Designer at Allwina commented:
“We were honoured to win the Social Change Award, recognizing the work Allwina does to support and preserve artisan weaving communities in South America, particularly by empowering women. By providing them with stable jobs and incomes, we help reduce gender-based violence and give them a stronger voice within their communities.”
The Circularity award was won by Naturalmat. Mark Tremlett, Founder of Naturalmat said:
“We were delighted to win the Circularity Award at Decorex. 5 million mattresses end up in landfill every year in the UK alone so ensuring this never happens to one of ours, thanks to our pioneering Mattress for Life Initiative™, is a fundamental pillar of our Sustainability Strategy.”
The Sustainable Innovation award was won by Tamasine Osher who commented:
“We really enjoyed returning to Decorex this year! It was a great opportunity to introduce our new designs to the constant stream of designers and specifiers coming through the doors. We were very proud also to receive the Sustainable Innovation Award.”
The Green Room
The 2024 edition of Decorex saw an exciting collaboration with The Green Room – a sustainability forum for interiors brands, created by Mirry Christie from B·ABLE and Jules Haines from the Haines Collection. During the show, the Green Room provided visitors with a series of workshops and talks each day, as part of its interactive ‘Sustainability Discussions @ Decorex’ programme.
Cleaner Oceans – a Soho Lighting x Schools Competition
Returning Decorex exhibitor, Soho Lighting announced the winning design for the company’s Cleaner Ocean Project, a competition in which Primary school children have designed lighting inspired by beach clean ups and salvaged plastics. The winning young designer, ten year old Emily Osborne attended the show as a VIP guest and saw first-hand her design, the Bluebell Pendant light brought to life.
Design Talks Programme
Decorex once again hosted a rich programme of talks by design industry professionals. Visitors had the opportunity to hear from over 85 expert speakers on a variety of specialist topics, ranging from sustainability to using AI in interior design. The renowned talks programme offered the perfect opportunity to learn and be inspired by industry peers and each session was packed with engaged visitors.
Exhibitor Debuts
In addition to featuring a stellar line up of established and returning brands, the show also saw many fresh new brands exhibiting for the first time. Amy Bartlett, Creative Director at Kast said;
“We set out to make a bold statement with our Decorex debut, and our vibrant, coloured concrete basins drew plenty of attention. Decorex provided the perfect platform to showcase both our collection and new additions, allowing visitors to not only see but experience the tactile quality of our products firsthand. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with a community that truly values craftsmanship and bold aesthetics.”
Paint brand Lick also joined the show for the first time. Matilda Martin, Brand Manager of Lick commented:
“It was Lick’s first time exhibiting at Decorex and we were thrilled with our success there. Our stand attracted hundreds of high-value designers, architects, property developers and more, allowing us to have meaningful conversations, acquire strong leads and onboard hundreds of new members onto our trade programme. Decorex not only increased our brand visibility, but seeing how positive the reception was to Lick from visitors, it also further solidified our position as an industry leader and innovator, making it an unforgettable and highly rewarding experience.”
Charity Partner
This year Decorex was proud to donate a percentage of tickets sales to charity Furnishing Futures, who create healing homes for women and children who have escaped domestic abuse and been placed in empty social housing. Sam Fisher commented:
“We are so proud to partner with Furnishing Futures who do such incredible work in designing transformative homes for women and children escaping trauma, to recover and rebuild their lives in.”
Decorex will return to Olympia Events from the 12th to 15th October 2025.
Revisit Decorex 2024 by taking a trip over the show floor via drone here.
