London Design Week 2021

This year LDW took a hybrid format. A virtual launch on Sunday 16 May was followed by a five day programme of more than 50 online talks, and in-person visits possible at 100 showrooms

Rug companies Jennifer Manners and Topfloor by Esti reported a buzz of excitement and sense of relief among London Design Week visitors at being able to hold in-person meetings again (wearing masks) after months of lockdown in England, and that most business was done in-person. ‘People were ready for this,’ said Esti Barnes, founder of Topfloor by Esti. ‘We met with old and new clients, mostly from Greater London. We received a good reaction to samples of different weaves and the new Matrix collection proved popular, especially Nebula (see COVER 62).

Jennifer Manners launched the new Check rug collection with interior design duo Salvesen Graham, saying, ‘We celebrated with an invite-only interior designer breakfast, complete with Battenberg cakes baked in the colour of the designs!’ The designers, Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, joined Manners for the talk ‘How to Decorate with Colour and Pattern’. The trio’s earlier Scallop rugs were Manners’s most popular of the week. Kvadrat’s window installation showcased the 2021 Sahco textile collection, Beau.