BCFA Open Spring Design for us began with a quick drink at the Courthouse Hotel, where the concept behind the bar design embraces the original prison cell blocks, which we thought was very quirky! We then went onto the BCFA Open drinks party at the rooftop bar in the Ace Hotel. Having previously visited this hotel, the lobby set up always fascinates me as it is a clear example of how lobby spaces are becoming more appealing to both the hotel guests and people who work remotely. The rooftop bar was packed with designers, suppliers and familiar faces, so we enjoyed a glass of wine whilst taking in the views of East London! (thank you PS Interiors and Edinburgh Weavers for the invites!)
The next day we attended the BCFA Open Spring Design show at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. This was a new event to London and so we were keen to explore what it had to offer in the inspiring location! Despite it being a smaller event than we are used to, there was still a lot of interaction with suppliers and some interesting products! Some particular favourites were the new geometric fabrics from Kobe, some contemporary seats by Edge Design and we even received a demonstration of the new “wellness” toilet by Roca.
Our design team participated in a workshop by Patternistas called Surface Pattern. We learnt about how important pattern is in our daily life and we were made aware of how often we are surrounded by patterns and how people will always have the urge to continue developing them. They are in our genetics! We were able to get hands on and be creative with just some paper, scissors, a rubber and some ink to see what patterns we could come up with, which we all really enjoyed. It was great to let our imaginations run wild and just see what our creativity could produce without overthinking the marks on the paper.
Our day ended with a team outing to The Sanderson Hotel, near Oxford Circus where we enjoyed an Alice in Wonderland themed Afternoon Tea! Lots of lovely treats shaped as mushrooms, ladybirds, watches transported us to another world and enticed our imaginations as well as our tastebuds. We were even able to enjoy eating and drinking tea outside in the Spring sunshine which left us feeling very full but happy after an inspiring day!
To find out more about The BCFA Open and other BCFA events visit their websites www.bcfaopen.com and www.thebcfa.com
