London Design Festival: Monday all-day reportage

Perfection is an idealized conception and mostly unreachable for common mortals. Unfortunately I am one of them. Therefore I cannot promise you, my dear readers, extremely articulated and long blogsposts about London Design Festival DURING the London Design Festival. The days are long, too long, and the nights are getting shorter and shorter, my calendar is overbooked and agenda incomprehensible. And just to add a few more things - I haven't got a stable internet access and I'm also in the middle of moving. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, something called "social life" if I remember correctly.. Never mind! Anyways.. Since the opening of the festival and after my intense attention (purely virtual) on the talks at the V&A museum I have now officially started volunteering. My job is to go to different galleries and do reportage. Check if everything is running smoothly, chat with the staff and organizators, ask a few questions, take photographs and later give feedback. Today I went to the following places:

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FRITZ HANSEN

DWELL

HEAL's

NATUZZI

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All of the four shops are located in the FRITZOVIA NOW Design District which will officially celebrate the LDF on Wednesday. Shops will be open till late and if you're lucky you might get a free drink or even attend a talk.

For more information check the FITROVIA NOW Design District webpage:

http://fitzrovianow.com/

Fritz Hansen was probably the most interesting out of all. The brand coordinator was extremely helpful and friendly and explained me exactly what was going on. Basically the brand decided to collaborate with Jamie Oliver in the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his BETTER FOOD foundation. 20 ANT chairs, an icon creation of the design house, were re-created by famous and known designers like Sarah Burton and Paul Smith. All of which will be auctioned by the Christie's Auction House. 

After a brief lunch at the Soho Square I was already heading towards the Tottenham Court Road where three other shops anxiously awaited reportage. The trendy Dwell shop of contemporary home furniture was unfortunately too busy and short of staff so I'll be returning there some other day. I went to Heal's instead which was huge and where I almost got lost forever in the sea of sales (70% off on most designs for home!!!). When I finally managed to reach the Melin Tregwynt collection I found a kind expert to tell me all about it. Those truely British creations of very nostalgic atmosphere evoked in me some sort of an illusion of being somewhere else, in the middle of the mountains and woods.. It was odd how these designs of a traditional touch seemed so unreal after all those contemporary objects. 

After this I went to Natuzzi, an Italian luxury furniture brand, more prezisely from Puglia, where I had a lovely chat with Nico who kindly showed me around the showroom. After I finished with photos I was invited to have an espresso at the bar. I couldn't believe my eyes - they had an actual italian bar! (Bar in Italy equals a cafe'). 

Tomorrow I will spend the day at the V&A and in the evening I will attend the FLOCK TALK at the London Roca Gallery, and if I'll manage, I will go to Shoreditch. Stay tooned!