Multi-award-winning design studio Grid Thirteen hosted an exclusive evening on Thursday 2nd July, bringing together the vibrant and creative Northern design community to celebrate their 13th anniversary and unveil three new displays at its Street Lane showroom in Roundhay, Leeds.
Hosted by Founder and Creative Director of Grid Thirteen, Natalie Fry and her team, the event welcomed designers, architects, makers, clients and industry partners from across the North of England for an evening of panel discussions, industry insight and collaboration, reinforcing Grid Thirteen’s commitment to design excellence and partnership across the region.
The event’s panel talks were led by Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, President of the Society of British & International Interior Design (SBID). Speakers included a line-up of respected industry voices from both the national and Northern design community, including Kamil Wangin, founder of Leeds-based Nordic-inspired interiors store North Home, Commercial & Marketing specialist Layla Twizell of Mylands Paints, Business Development Manager Megan Barr of Hendle & Hendle, leading Yorkshire-based architect Richard Blenkharn, and Holly Stott, Co-Founder & Creative Director of luxury bathroom design studio, Holt Living. The panel discussed emerging trends, innovation, and technological advances that are shaping the future of luxury residential interiors.
The panel opened with an introduction from Dr Vanessa Brady, who spoke about SBID’s role in championing design excellence and collaboration across the industry. The panel speakers discussed international trends and launches showcased at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, and the influences they are integrating into their future design projects and innovations.
A key theme discussed by the panel was the rise of homeowners in the UK seeking ‘sanctuary spaces’, which reflects an increasing trend towards interiors that enable slower living and escapism. Each speaker highlighted a growing shift towards designing spaces that are more intentional, defined by lighting, contrasting and layered paint colours, textures and materials, and personalised detailing.
One of the most engaging themes discussed by the panel was ‘Designing Beyond the Algorithm’. Each speaker acknowledged the rapid impact of AI on the design industry, while emphasising the enduring value of human-centred design in an increasingly automated world. They explored how designers can create more meaningful, memorable experiences by engaging the senses, emotion, intuition, and human connection - qualities that remain difficult for technology to replicate. The panel also reflected on the importance of embracing advancing technologies as a powerful tool, while preserving originality and creativity, with personalisation and craftsmanship continuing to play an irreplaceable role in luxury design.
Natalie Fry, Founder and Creative Director of Grid Thirteen commented during the discussion “We are passionate about creating spaces that engage the senses and support wellbeing, drawing on the principles of neuro-aesthetic design to better understand how our environments can influence emotion, behaviour and human experience. More than ever, we believe great design should not only be seen but felt. Technology may continue to change how we design, but the human expert touch that gives design meaning remains irreplaceable. It's this balance between innovation and intuition, that sits at the heart of tonight's discussion.”
Between each panel discussion and showcase of the new studio displays, guests enjoyed a Yorkshire-inspired culinary experience prepared by Yorkshire-based private chef Eric Paxman. His delicious three-course meal was cooked live on one of the studio’s new contemporary kitchen displays, using locally sourced ingredients including North Sea King Scallops to start, Bolster Moor Farm fillet steaks served with Yorkshire blue cheese as part of the main course and a Yorkshire rhubarb trifle accompanied by locally made ice cream as a mouth-watering dessert.
Renowned for their innovative approach to kitchen design, Grid Thirteen Design Studio creates beautifully crafted spaces in homes tailored to each client’s personality, preferences, and lifestyle. Their designers work with high-quality cabinetry from contemporary German partner SieMatic, alongside their handcrafted ‘Darling Maeve’ bespoke furniture range, often blending the two to create timeless spaces that balance traditional elegance with modern functionality.
Grid Thirteen’s reputation is based on their expert design team listening carefully to each client’s individual needs, approaching each project as an opportunity to push the boundaries of luxury home design to surpass client expectations, so each detail of the design and finish is luxurious, inviting and individual.
Natalie Fry, Founder and Creative Director of Grid Thirteen, said: “As we celebrate 13 years of Grid Thirteen we're reminded that while our industry continues to evolve, great design has always been rooted in people - in creativity, craftsmanship, and the belief that the spaces we create have the power to shape how we live, influence how we feel, and strengthen the way we connect. The panel discussions this evening offered valuable insight into the future of our industry, while our new studio displays reflect our continued commitment to creating beautiful, highly personalised spaces for our clients using the most superior products, finishes and materials. We’re excited to build on this momentum and continue collaborating with our Northern design network in the future.”
Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, President of the Society of British & International Interior Design (SBID) said: “As President of the Society of British & International Interior Design, I’m delighted to host this panel discussion here in the heart of Leeds as part of such a significant evening for the Northern design community. These important conversations across the UK are essential in shaping and defining the future of our industry — bringing together diverse perspectives, celebrating excellence, encouraging meaningful collaboration, and supporting continued innovation. It’s a privilege to help facilitate dialogue between the leading voices in design here in the studio this evening and support the special anniversary of Grid Thirteen.”
About Grid Thirteen
Grid Thirteen is a multi-award-winning luxury interior design studio based in North Leeds, which was founded in 2013 by Creative Director Natalie Fry. Renowned for pushing the boundaries of design by designing kitchen spaces for clients who desire a space that reflect their individuality, free from compromise or restrictions. With over 25 years of experience working alongside some of the UK’s leading architects and interior innovators, Natalie leads her design team - each formally trained in Architecture, Design, and Spatial Planning - to create exceptional kitchen, bedroom, and living spaces for clients across the Northeast and beyond.
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KI Europe has collaborated with specifiers to deliver its new product, Arkus Workwall, a versatile, modular wall framework system designed to transform any space. Arkus Workwall is designed to cause minimal disruption to existing spaces, with easy-to-add or remove panels that attach to a subframe. From executive suites to hubs for creativity and collaboration, it provides a straightforward, adaptable foundation that enables specifiers and designers to shape environments with ease.
Simple to install, Arkus Workwall provides users with flexibility for fixing point positions, allowing easy alignment when levelling and positioning units together. The subframe is built with the ability to add cable management, ideal for modern workplaces and educational spaces that increasingly rely on technology. Economical without compromise, Arkus Workwall provides a 5-year warranty and is developed with client feedback to include only essential features that specifiers value most, providing users with exactly what they need by removing all unnecessary complexity.
Manufactured in the UK and designed to adapt to changing workplace needs, Arkus Workwall can be reconfigured through an integrated selection of panels, shelving, storage and accessories. The highly customisable system offers a range of panel finishes, including MFC, back-painted glass, whiteboard and fabric, enabling a variety of aesthetic and functional applications. An optional clad leg design, available with Work2.1 sit-stand integration, creates visual continuity across configurations. With the inclusion of a void behind its panels that can be filled, Arkus Workwall can provide acoustic benefits for its users, increasing focus and preventing overstimulation.
Arkus Workwall integrates with established products from KI's portfolio, including the Arkus MFC storage collection and Work2.1 desking system, extending compatibility across workplace environments. Its modular construction supports a wide range of run lengths and configurations, allowing it to be used as a foundation for larger schemes, as well as for storage walls or display applications.
An Arkus Workwall executive suite configuration, with Arkus Storage and Work2.1, is available to view at KI’s London showroom: KI Europe, 91 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7EX.
About KI
KI’s furniture helps the world’s leading organisations create happy, healthy, high performing working and learning environments for their people. Bringing together good design, advanced engineering and sustainable resources, KI’s products are durable, flexible and offer excellent value. Founded in 1941, KI has grown to become one of the world's largest, most respected furniture manufacturing groups. KI’s EMEA headquarters in London is supported by an established network of manufacturing facilities and distribution partners across the region.
When John Boyd Textiles approached Kate Aslangul of Oakley Moore to collaborate on their first new horsehair fabric in over twenty years, the brief was deceptively simple: to create a striped horsehair collection with a crisp, contemporary sensibility.
Stripes are something Kate returns to again and again in her interiors. They are endlessly adaptable, capable of feeling coastal, classical, Scandinavian or contemporary depending on their scale and context. In almost every room she designs, there is a stripe somewhere. Sometimes they take centre stage; sometimes they sit quietly within the layering of a room, providing rhythm and cohesion.
The designing of the collection coincided with the renovation of Kate's house on the Île de Ré, a place where she has spent many happy summers bicycling to the market or to the beach across the salt marshes. The island's chalky light, muted timber tones and weathered shutters subtly informed the palette. Horsehair as a material carries inherent structure and formality, so the challenge was to introduce freshness and lively movement through colour without losing its integrity.
One palette in particular grew from a series of visual references that had been quietly sitting in her archive for years; a Biba dress, a fragment of antique silk and the paintings of Van Gogh, where colour is never static but seems to vibrate with life. Translating that feeling into woven stripes became an exercise in balance. Numerous colour combinations were explored, refining stripe widths by millimetres, and what appears effortless on the surface is the result of meticulous adjustments to scale, proportion and tone.
John Boyd Textiles has been weaving horsehair in Castle Cary since 1837, using original looms and traditional techniques dating back to 1870. Each fabric is crafted from the finest horse tail hair combined with cotton or silk warps, delivering exceptional durability, natural fire resistance and acoustic properties. With its deep heritage, it feels surprisingly fresh for today.
The collaboration has since inspired two new signature Oakley Moore pieces. The Flynn Drum Stool, with its clean cylindrical form, provides a perfect canvas for the movement of the stripe, whilst the Burton Lampshade introduces structure and character to a room without overwhelming it. Both are handmade in the UK. Kate's intention with both pieces was to create designs that sit effortlessly within all styles of interior, from coastal to contemporary and traditional to Scandinavian. The result is a versatile collection that feels both timeless and confidently modern.
The Flynn Drum Stool and Burton Lampshade are available to purchase online via Oakley Moore’s shop. Please note there is limited availability.
About Oakley Moore
Oakley Moore is an award-winning interior design studio that creates interiors with presence, homes that feel naturally rooted in their setting and deeply attuned to the people who live in them. Based in London, the studio works projects across the UK and internationally. Known for its confident use of colour, texture and pattern, and for the nuanced layering of contemporary pieces, antiques and bespoke design, Oakley Moore focuses on longevity and cohesion rather than trend. The result is interiors with depth and quiet authority; balanced, characterful and built to endure. The studio offers a full design service from initial briefing through to installation, alongside 1:1 design consultations for smaller projects and design dilemmas.
This April, KI has launched Trim, the newest addition to its all-inclusive sit-stand collection. Trim is an innovatively designed, value-driven desk that supports wellbeing by making movement at work accessible to everyone, all without compromising the trusted quality and service which KI is known for. Its straightforward height-adjustable design focuses on the essential attributes of sit-stand working, while its simple and standardised statement of line provides a clear, reliable solution for value-led environments. Trim delivers wellbeing benefits while complementing the more flexible, design-led sit-stand systems already in the KI portfolio.
Trim has a height range of 624 to 1274mm (including 25mm worksurface), comes in a wide range of widths and depths, and is available as a single desk or back-to-back option. Built-in collision detection, an integrated USB-A charging port in the controller and an open top lower cable tray with a cable chain all come as standard with the desk. Two tone understructure finishes are available on the leg cross beam and lower cable tray on back-to-back workstations. Optional extras include screens, grommets, scalloped edges and an additional drop-down cable tray offering a choice of both practicality and visual appearance.
KI’s wider Work2.1 sit-stand collection has been developed through extensive client collaboration to support healthier, more adaptable workplaces, combining ergonomic performance with user-driven design and robust engineering. Designed to accommodate a wide spectrum of environments, from individual workstations to highly specialised technical settings, Work2.1 delivers consistent quality across the collection through shared core attributes including certified safety standards, extensive height adjustability, UK manufacturing and long-term durability. The collection enables organisations to embed movement into everyday working while selecting solutions that align with their operational, aesthetic and technological needs.
The Work2.1 collection consists of three workstations, each providing tailored solutions for different workplace demands. Work2.1 Core forms the versatile foundation of the collection, offering broad adaptability, comprehensive cable management and scalability for a wide variety of layouts. Work2.1 Contour introduces a lighter, more design-led aesthetic with a round leg and enhanced mobility options, making it particularly suited to agile and collaborative environments. Work2.1 High Capacity is engineered for performance in high-demand settings such as control rooms and data-intensive workplaces, with a reinforced structure and advanced cable infrastructure to support complex technology. Together, the three desks provide a spectrum of solutions unified by performance but differentiated by flexibility, mobility and technical capability.
By encouraging regular changes in posture throughout the day, sit-stand desks help reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting and support healthier, more ergonomic work habits. Encouraging frequent movement with intermittent periods of sitting and standing has been proven to benefit worker wellbeing and productivity, leading many organisations to redesign their workplace strategies. Sit-stand desks are a vital feature of truly agile workspaces.
As the understanding of neurodiversity continues to grow across education and workplace sectors, KI is furthering its longstanding commitment to creating environments that support different ways of thinking, learning and engaging. Through research-led design and close collaboration with architects and specifiers, KI is helping organisations translate inclusive principles into practical, everyday solutions.
Neurodiversity recognises the natural variation in how people process information and experience their surroundings. With more than one in seven people estimated to be neurodivergent, classrooms, universities and offices are increasingly seeking ways to ensure spaces work with individuals rather than expecting individuals to adapt to the space. Designers and clients are asking how interiors can better support sensory regulation, movement, focus, and wellbeing. KI believes furniture plays a pivotal role.
KI’s dedicated seating portfolio reflects its commitment to neurodiversity. The Cogni seating collection incorporates sensory surfaces, a heel wheel, flexing back and comfort ledge to enable subtle movement. The Ruckus Chair supports multiple postures with five seating positions, 360-degree use and multifunctional armrests, while the Postura + One Piece Stool offers both low and high-back options for comfortable and adaptable learning settings.
Products such as KI’s Ricochet Wobble Stool are increasingly specified in both specialist and mainstream settings, for all ages. The stool offers 12 degrees of stable rocking motion and has been designed to help children and adults maintain engagement and concentration, with the freedom to move.
KI’s wider product range offers an array of solutions suitable to environments from education to higher education and into the workplace. Including acoustic solutions from Bejot, lounge furniture like Take5 which allows a ‘sit as you like’ approach and multiple table and workstation solutions which allow for movement, adaptivity and flexibility including Scrum Flip Top Tables and the full Sit-stand collection.
Materiality and colour are equally important. KI works with design experts, teachers and students to develop calmer palettes, muted tones, and softer contrasts that reduce visual overstimulation while maintaining warmth and identity within spaces. Designing for neurodiversity is often framed as a social responsibility, but it also brings measurable performance gains. Spaces that reduce sensory overload and support autonomy tend to be calmer, healthier, and more productive for everyone.
“Neuroinclusive design isn’t about a single specialist product,” says Alison Mallett, Director of Education Furniture, KI Europe “It’s about providing options that allow people to find what helps them feel comfortable, calm and able to concentrate. When choice is built into the environment, inclusion happens naturally and discreetly.”
By embedding flexibility, dignity and user choice into its products, KI aims to help clients create environments that are both inclusive and productive.
This year, Sofa.com celebrates two decades of British design heritage, marking 20 years of crafting meticulously made, design-led upholstered furniture in the UK. Rooted in craftsmanship, material integrity and timeless style, the brand enters its anniversary year with a renewed design direction; being marked by bold creativity, thoughtfully engineered fabrics and innovative silhouettes that respond directly to the evolving demands of interior design today.
Throughout the year, Sofa.com will reinterpret its heritage through a contemporary lens, refining its iconic forms while evolving its fabric capabilities to support both aesthetic direction and performance-driven environments. A focal point of the anniversary programme is a curated spotlight on 12 of its most recognisable designs, each reimagined in 12 new fabrics that explore colour, tactility and material expression in modern ways.
The year launched with a different take on Isla, Sofa.com’s refined drawing-room classic, introduced in the new fabric Caper Smart Velvet. Pairing luxury with resilience, Smart Velvet features a protective coating that helps prevent spills and stains from penetrating the material, allowing designers to specify fabrics with confidence in high-use settings.
Following this, Sofa.com will debut the Marco Slim, streamlined yet generous, finished in a linen-look Aquaclean Chenille designed to balance elegance and long-term practicality. Alongside these key pieces, 2026 will see a continued expansion of the brand’s accessory portfolio, including a versatile footstool in May and a Ciel desk in October.
Beyond refreshed icons, Sofa.com will further expand its fabric library and introduce recently developed designs, reinforcing its commitment to flexibility, personalisation and performance; qualities increasingly essential for designers specifying for commercial and hospitality projects, where durability, comfort and cultivated aesthetics must coexist.
Since opening its doors in 2006, Sofa.com has become a trusted partner for designers seeking craftsmanship and creative possibility. With an extensive fabric offering and a breadth of adaptable styles, the brand continues to provide design professionals with the tools to create meaningful, emotionally resonant spaces with longevity at their core.
About Sofa.com
Passionate about outstanding interiors, sofa.com offers a diverse and design led collection of made-to-order sofas, armchairs, beds, footstools and home accessories. With an extensive range of styles and over 100 fabrics to choose from, as well as the option to upholster in your own fabric, the customisable nature of sofa.com’s products make each piece easily adaptable to any interior style – perfect for interior designers and specifiers looking for stand-out pieces for upcoming projects.
For over 85 years, Duresta has stood as a symbol of British craftsmanship, timeless design, and refined comfort. Born in 1938 and still handmade in the heart of England, Duresta furniture continues to reflect a proud tradition of artisanal excellence—where every stitch, every frame, and every fabric selection is a celebration of personal style and enduring quality.
At the heart of Duresta is a devoted team of designers and upholsterers whose knowledge and skill are unmatched. “Only when you produce quality do you understand quality,” says Dale Corner, a master upholsterer who began his journey at Duresta in 1979. Now with 45 years of experience, Dale remains driven by the same passion he had as a young apprentice. “My aim is to produce the very best furniture possible—and to leave a legacy of quality and design for future upholsterers.”
Duresta’s ethos is built around one central promise: comfort. Whether through plush cushions, perfect proportions, or indulgent fabric choices, each piece of Duresta furniture is designed to offer the ultimate in luxury seating. With roots in traditional English upholstery techniques, Duresta’s handcrafted sofas and chairs carry subtle yet defining characteristics: deep seats, generous padding, and supportive structure—all brought to life with a meticulous eye for detail.
While comfort may be at the core, Duresta is equally defined by its unwavering devotion to self-expression. With an expansive catalogue of designs—ranging from classically elegant to clean-lined contemporary—customers are empowered to express their individual tastes and personalities through their furniture.
The brand’s bespoke approach ensures every Duresta piece is uniquely tailored. From choosing from an impressive palette of luxurious fabrics—featuring bold colours, intricate textures, and artistic prints—to selecting from refined wood finishes and interior trims, Duresta furniture becomes a true reflection of the homeowner’s vision.
“We don't just build furniture,” explains a Duresta design lead. “We help people tell stories about who they are and how they want their home to feel.”
Duresta’s legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of Long Eaton, a historic centre of upholstery craftsmanship. The company remains one of the last standing British manufacturers committed to producing luxury furniture entirely by hand—right here in the UK.
Each frame is made from solid hardwood and assembled using traditional joinery methods. Every detail—from pattern cutting and sewing to the final upholstery—is overseen by artisans who bring decades of experience to their work.
“Our people are our pride,” says the Duresta leadership team. “Behind every beautifully made sofa or armchair is a person whose hands and heart shaped it.”
In an age of disposable design and mass production, Duresta stands out for its dedication to sustainability and longevity. Pieces are not only built to look stunning, but also to stand the test of time—both structurally and stylistically. This commitment to quality means that a Duresta piece is an investment, not just in aesthetics, but in durability and responsible production.
By continuing to manufacture in the UK, Duresta also reduces its carbon footprint, supports local employment, and maintains tighter quality control—all of which contribute to a more sustainable furniture industry.
As Duresta looks ahead, the brand remains grounded in the traditions that built it—yet inspired by the possibilities of modern design and materials. Innovation meets heritage in every new range, as Duresta seeks to balance timeless appeal with contemporary living.
“Whether you’re furnishing a Georgian townhouse or a modern apartment,” says a spokesperson, “Duresta offers you the opportunity to create a living space that is both beautifully personal and incredibly comfortable.”
About Duresta
Luxury sofa and chair company that is handcrafted in England using the finest materials and traditional methods, using a wide range of beautiful fabrics to suit your requirements. See our website to view the full selection of both English luxury designed models and International luxury products.
Set up in 1961, the trade fair boasts a wide range of furnishing products, distinguished by their expressive power and their functional, technological and material innovation, devised to enhance the domestic scene. Ingenuity, vision, innovation, sustainable excellence and emotion make up the familiar lexicon of the companies and brands that exhibit at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, which has now been proved to be increasingly more global, inclusive and in dialogue with the entire creative and productive furnishing system.
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The focus is on strongly-in-demand interiors solutions that are market-ready for the international furniture trade – from furniture trade chains through purchasing associations to the online mail order trade. As a modern business platform, imm cologne efficiently brings together the consumer-oriented interiors industry and decision makers of the international furniture industry on four days – compact, cost-efficient and focused on the essential. The annual date in January remains: perfect for a successful start to the interiors year. Be part of it from 20 to 23 January 2026 in Cologne!
As the premier destination for premium furniture and innovative design, JFS is perfectly placed in the retail calendar, giving visitors the opportunity to be the very first to see the launch of new-season styles and trends.
Crafted with visitors needs in mind JFS welcomes the highest calibre of brands and buyers to NEC Birmingham, where more than 50,000 products are showcased across the event’s 4 curated sectors. Alongside sourcing, JFS is the meeting place for the industry with trade buyers and brands flocking from across the UK and beyond to connect, buy, sell, learn, and network.
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