As the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour opens its doors for London Design Week, The Resident takes a look at how the interiors emporium has shaped Chelsea Harbour…
WORDS: Jacky Parker
Chelsea has long attracted artists and designers: from its spell during Victorian times as the capital’s bohemian quarter, to its 60s heyday when the King’s Road was the fashionable epicentre of Swinging London, swiftly usurped as the birthplace of punk in the 70s.
Since then its reputation may have become rather more genteel and its residents more establishment than edgy, but it’s still a magnet for the design world. The arrival of the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, on the site of a derelict coal wharf in the late 80s, has seen the surrounding area quietly morph into an international interior design mecca. Originally the preserve of those in the industry, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour now also attracts an increasingly design-savvy public.
The Harbour has always been somewhere for beautiful things, but it has gained focus and a density of quality brands
With its warren of exclusive fabric and furniture showrooms offering over 600 luxury brands – housed within its three striking glass domes – customers can find ‘couture for the home’ alongside the professionals who visit from all corners of the globe. In turn, this increased popularity is drawing ever more respected names, both home-grown and from overseas, resulting in the development of the adjacent Design Centre East, which this spring will see Arte, Front Rugs, Giorgetti and many other top names move in.
Tim Butcher, co-founder of handmade wallpaper company Fromental chose DCCH for their new showroom last autumn. ‘The area around Pimlico Road, King’s Road and Chelsea Harbour has the largest cluster of high-end design names in Europe,’ says Butcher. ‘The Harbour has always been somewhere for beautiful things, but it has gained focus and a density of quality brands. It’s reached a critical mass and it’s where everyone wants to be, particularly if you want to reach an international audience. I see clients there from the Middle East, America, Russia and elsewhere. There’s a real buzz now and that has happened over the last five to ten years.’
This end of the King’s Road has been a destination for interior designers for decades
The opening of Imperial Wharf overground station in 2009 – making the location more accessible – has clearly contributed to its popularity, but it’s not just DCCH that design-lovers swarm to. Recent years have seen an influx of interior showrooms along the Fulham stretch of the King’s Road, extending the reach and spawning the Chelsea Design Quarter, an initiative set up in 2012 by a collection of independent shop owners. With its ‘from Bridge to Bend’ tagline, CDQ encompasses over 45 shops, showrooms and galleries within a short stroll from Lots Road to the top of the New King’s Road and Imperial Wharf. Here visitors can find anything from fabrics, furniture and flooring to baths, basins and tiles; lighting, antiques and home accessories.
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A long-term resident who has observed these changes is Sally Storey, Design Director at John Cullen Lighting. ‘This end of the King’s Road has been a destination for interior designers for decades, but it was always a hidden jewel,’ says Storey. ‘There was Guinevere Antiques, Christopher Wray, Charles Edwards and a few others, but it has since changed in all proportion.
‘It’s a great location for us as we have the space to show lighting demos in different room sets, and the Harbour has encouraged trade. The arrival of the other showrooms complements our business; it means someone can come here – whether professional or not – and find everything they need to design the nuts and bolts of a scheme, the plumbing and lighting elements that you do at the beginning, as well as the furniture and decoration.’
Chelsea is perceived as upmarket and some suppliers are out of reach, but there is plenty of affordable design
This area is attracting newcomers from overseas, who are putting down roots too. Waterworks, a high-end bathroom and kitchen manufacturer from the US, made this stretch of the King’s Road its UK base when it opened its three-storey showroom last spring.
‘We wanted to be somewhere that drew people who were interested in design,’ explains Waterworks co-founder, Barbara Sallick. ‘We are a luxury brand with a focus on quality, craftsmanship and design and we thought our business would fit well with those already here. In New York we are close to the D&D Building and in LA we’re at the blue Whale Design Centre, so this felt like home to us. Being part of a community is good for us and for our customers as we are all concentrated in one area. There’s a lovely café and the local pub has even had a makeover, so when people come here to shop there are places they can stop for a drink or a bite to eat.’
Someone with a foot in both camps is interior designer and retailer, Nina Campbell, who although based on Walton Street for many years, has recently headed south and opened a new showroom at DCCH. ‘It got off to a difficult start but the Harbour has changed the design industry a lot,’ says Nina. ‘It has been a huge benefit for interior designers and architects. With the parking and cafes, it’s so convenient to go there and do everything.’
Although known for its world-class luxury brands, you don’t need to own a super-yacht to shop in Chelsea. Clare Topham is a Sussex based interior designer, with a studio on Lots Road specifically for her London clients. ‘Chelsea is perceived as upmarket and some suppliers are out of reach, but there is plenty of affordable design too,’ says Clare. ‘I include luxury touches in my schemes, which I mix with beautiful pieces from suppliers like Pooky Lighting, Sofas and Stuff, Fired Earth and Harlequin, who are all around here too.’
DCCH Design Week runs from 16-18 March 2016; dcch.co.uk