Janice Kirkpatrick MBE spearheads British design at Ambiente

clydesdale-stallion-lord-stewart-by-castlereagh-10324Ambiente show organiser Messe Frankfurt has revealed more of its plans for the 2017 event, where Great Britain will take centre stage as the partner country.

 

Helping Ambiente celebrate all things British is award-winning furniture designer, Bethan Gray, who will create a special café in Hall 4.1 dedicated to British design.

bethan-greyWinner of the ‘Best British Designer’ award for 2013/4, Bethan’s signature style reveals a love of detail, tactile textures and luxurious materials. Her best-selling furniture collections and high profile pieces can be found in aspirational retail outlets around the world, including Liberty, Harrods and John Lewis in the UK.

Bethan said one of her main goals for the showpiece will be to provide a relaxing atmosphere, commenting: “I want to evoke an emotion. Trade fairs are often exhausting so I want the cafe to be calming and intriguing.”

janice-kirkpatrickTaking the British theme even further is internationally renowned Scottish product and graphic designer Janice Kirkpatrick OBE, who is to create a large scale partner country feature in the entrance to Hall 4.1, with a focus on Providence & Provenance.

During a press event held in London at the start of October, Janice shared her wonderful ideas for Ambiente, which she describes as “a very powerful barometer of how people live and what they choose to buy.”

churchill-teapotOutlining the fundamental challenges of defining a world of constant flux through design media, she said: “It’s hard to capitalise on constant change through design, you’ve got to move very fast to keep ahead of trends. In times of adversity we can turn to classics and design that’s immune to change”

Janice went on to cite numerous British companies that have stood the test of time and are synonymous with classic design, also pointing out that “Britain is King of the tabletop” with an immense heritage that has brought together fine dining as a backdrop to international diplomacy throughout the centuries.

arthur-price-cutlery-clive-christian-empire-flame-all-gold-dessert-fork-18700_hiresHer Ambiente showpiece will incorporate product from British exhibitors that pack a major historical punch such as Arthur Price and Churchill China, which have survived wars, revolutions and other seismic societal shifts, with hundreds of years of heritage between them. Other examples of classic British design will be supplied by Portmeirion, Robert Welsh and Dualit.

white-park-cattle“Each one of these British companies has a remarkable story to tell”, explained Janice, pointing out that they supply “truly local products with deep roots that are reliable landmarks and safe havens” in turbulent political times.

Janice went onto charm her audience with the source of inspiration for the wallpaper designs she’ll be creating for the installation, featuring historically resonant animals and plants from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. These national animals are the “real things that underpin so many aspects of trade and community” around the UK.

wolfhoundFrom her homeland of Scotland Janice chose the magnificent Clydesdale Horse and wild butterwort bloom, from Ireland the highly prized Wolf Hound and flax petals, from England is the beautiful White Park cow, a feature of so many myths and legends over the ages, along with the wode plant, and from Wales come the distinctive Welsh mountain Balwen sheep and Junpier plant.

tbrlw77144-xfPatterns featuring these natural themes will be used to form wallpapers for a series of UK dining room features that will also include a stunning variety of plates on the walls, evoking ideas of both stately homes and more domestic modern settings. Product will be a mixture of classic and contemporary design.

 

Rams Horn StickThe UK is consistently in the top ten of nations who send both exhibitors and visitors to the Frankfurt exhibition, the world’s largest consumer goods trade fair. In 2016 4,387 exhibitors from 96 countries joined the show, including 138 from Britain. Of Ambiente’s 137,000 visitors from 143 countries 3,249 were British.

The vice president of Ambiente, Nicolette Naumann, commented: “Our show is a way for companies to become global players, our industry needs to be global to survive.”

Ambiente will take place from 10 – 14 October at Messe Frankfurt, Germany.

dualit

Images from top to bottom: Clydesdale Horse, Bethan Grey, Janice Kirkpatrick with editor Charlotte Cowell, Churchill China, Arthur Price, White Park Cattle, Wolfhound, Ted Baker for Portmeirion, Balwen Sheep, Dualit.

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