FOCUS 2023: A glimpse into the design world’s newest trends at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour
Focus /23 is the ultimate international design and decoration show, taking place at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, the heart of London’s design district. The TOI team took our annual visit to this unmissable event, where we were flooded with inspiration from the 130+ showrooms and their new collections that will shape the design vision over the coming months.
Focus is not only an opportunity to witness the latest Autumn/Winter launches, but an event where connections are made, and ideas are shared by the best and brightest minds in the industry. Design enthusiasts, including our very own TOI design team, have eagerly awaited this event, and it certainly did not disappoint! This annual event has earned its reputation for being the go-to destination for design aficionados and anyone who appreciates the art of design.
We arrived with a checklist of samples to pick out for our projects, so we headed straight to our regular spots. Starting with Porta Romana, one of TOI’s go-to brands for unique and eye-catching lighting products, we were wowed by their new circus inspired autumn collection. The oversized Maestro Lamp in a gold finish especially caught our attention – it’s scale yet simplicity has the potential to transform an entire room.
Our next stop was Sacco, where we were greeted with a delicious champagne breakfast. Sacco’s lovely suppliers assisted us in finding the perfect rug for a Balinese inspired bedroom that TOI are currently working on. Catching up with suppliers is one of our favourite things about Focus – it provides the ideal environment for meaningful interactions and opportunities to network with fellow design enthusiasts and professionals.
After working our way through our to-do list, collecting an array of new and exciting samples for upcoming projects, the TOI team headed to the design restaurant for a relaxed and stylish lunch – very well-deserved!
Having such a vast number of showrooms in one space means the inspiration is endless at Focus! Whilst the TOI team loved visiting our usual spots, having the opportunity to visit new showrooms was very exciting too! Siminetti, the experts of luxury mother of pearl surfaces, have recently opened a showroom at the Design Centre – their mother of pearl inlays can be found in TOI’s bathroom at our showroom, so of course we had to take a visit! Siminetti’s helpful representatives presented some of their case studies to us, some of which fuelled our vision for a dramatic bathroom with gold herringbone tiles and a Siminetti golden pearl drop panel in the shower enclosure.
Frato’s showroom at the Design Centre also came as a pleasant surprise to the TOI team. We have specified several of their products for future projects, so it was very exciting to see how Frato utilised each item in their luxury space – we really started to see our mood boards come to life.
Focus not only provided inspiration for various projects, but also for TOI’s own showroom. Our transitioning business model has meant that our showroom will undergo some upcoming change. The team had lots of fun looking at the various sizes and finishes of the TV mirrors in Simpsons to present future concepts to clients. Stay tuned to see what other changes will be going on at TOI’s showroom!
Whilst we didn’t quite manage to visit all 130 showrooms…we certainly had a successful and (most importantly) fun day out in Chelsea Harbour Design Centre at yet another unforgettable Focus event. The TOI team are already looking forward to Focus/24! Can you predict what trends we’ll see next year?
TOI x
19th July, 2025
14th March, 2025
