The house of fun
In June, the Wow!house will offer a thrilling opportunity to see the work of leading designers brought to life
ANYONE with an unhealthy interest in interior design (me), who got into the game quite early (me… at 19 to be precise) and is over 50 (well, just a bit) might have vague recollections of the British Interior Design Exhibition in 1987, when Chelsea Old Town Hall was transformed into a series of rooms by some of the greatest interior designers of the decade. It was a mesmerising opportunity to experience the extraordinary depth and breadth of design talent under one roof, most memorably that of the London-based designer Alidad, who re-created his Mayfair dining room to demonstrate a restrained, stately antidote to the prevailing taste for over-layered fussiness.
In the US, the concept was already a wellestablished feature; since 1973, the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York has offered visitors a glimpse of the very best in upscale
US decoration. More than 30 years on, the concept will be revived at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, with the launch of the Wow!house that will provide a heady cocktail of pattern, colour, carefully considered design and a big dose of glamour. Interior designers have been invited to dream up a variety of rooms; a drawing room by Emma Burns and Philip Hooper, joint managing directors of the totemic Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler; a Julian Chichester Library by Turner Pocock; and a G. P. & J. Baker morning room by Rita Konig. Echoing Kips Bay, which supports disadvantaged children, the Wow!house will raise money for Centrepoint, the charity that supports the homeless.
The Wow!house is the fulfilment of a long-held ambition of the Design Centre’s managing director, Claire German, who, over the past decade, has created the beating heart of the
European interior-design industry, offering more than 600 brands in 120 showrooms and a remarkable venue for interior-design events and exhibitions. Although the Design Centre has, to date, exhibited a dizzying array of fabrics, furniture, lighting and accessories in an inspirational setting, it has never been able to provide designers with the chance to demonstrate the magic that can be achieved in the right hands and with the right furniture, fabrics, wallpaper and lighting. Although imagery plays an invaluable role in bringing interior design to life, there’s no substitute for the opportunity to see it, meet the designers and get a deep understanding of how beautiful rooms are made. The Design Centre first opened its doors in the 1990s, yet this has the makings of the most exciting chapter in its history. The Wow!house takes place from June 1– July 1 (www.dcch.co.uk)