Two Olympia shows, Soho's verdict and a dining table recall (3 October 2026)
October is Olympia's month for interiors: the Independent Hotel Show on Monday and Tuesday, then Decorex a week later. Elsewhere, Soho has reported back on its first year as a London Design Festival district, an architecture practice has set up a separate interiors studio, and Trading Standards has two furniture safety notices worth knowing about.
Independent Hotel Show: 5 and 6 October at Olympia
The Independent Hotel Show runs on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October at Olympia, with free trade tickets, under the theme "Shaping Tomorrow". The programme is spread over three spaces: the Hotel Business Stage, the Innovation Stage and the Social Business Space, each designed by a different studio (Merav Bustan Design, Obradov Studio and Design Command respectively).
For designers, the Innovation Stage is the one to watch. A panel moderated by Vicky Doe of Hospitality Interiors covers flexible hotel spaces, with Ben Harper of Watergate Bay Hotel, Another Place and SeaSpace, Francesca Toman of Ches & Co, Jordan Parke of Wayfair Professional and Matt Hulme of Dynargh Design. Further sessions cover interiors for wellbeing and accessible hospitality design. On the business side, UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson discusses tourist taxes, and there is a session on how refurbishment affects asset value, which is the argument any hotel fit out has to win. The Independent Hotel Show Awards are presented at the end of the first day.
Source: Interior Designer, 28 September 2026.
Decorex returns to Olympia from 11 to 14 October
Decorex follows at Olympia from Sunday 11 to Wednesday 14 October. The organisers list more than 280 suppliers and expect over 12,500 design professionals. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Tuesday and 10am to 5pm on the Wednesday, so the last day is a short one.
That puts two Olympia shows a week apart: the hotel show for hospitality specification, then Decorex for luxury interiors brands. Tickets are booked through the Decorex site.
Source: Decorex.
Soho reports back on its first year as a design district
We previewed the Soho Design District before London Design Festival opened. It has now closed, and the organisers have published their account of the week. The opening panel, The Future of Soho, chaired by Peter Murray at The Soho Hotel, brought together Minnie Kemp of Kit Kemp Design and Firmdale Hotels, Barbara Brownlee of Soho Housing Association and Russell Potter of SODA Studio, among others, to talk about public realm, affordability and development in the area.
Two programme items stand out for interiors readers. The Surface Design Show and Green Grads ran a weaving workshop using textile offcuts and recycled yarns. And Future Designs explained the lighting at the Elizabeth line's Tottenham Court Road station, including more than 350 hours of thermal testing. Anna King, founder and chief executive of Informare, said: "Together we have firmly established Soho as an LDF District, reasserting its position as the epicentre of creativity in London and we cannot wait for 2027." So expect it back next September.
Source: Interior Designer, 1 October 2026.
Bond Bryan launches a separate interiors studio
Architecture practice Bond Bryan has launched Bond Bryan Interiors, a dedicated studio led by Head of Interiors Michael Simon. It will work across workplace, education, residential, science and technology, and advanced manufacturing, and it formalises interiors work the practice was already doing. The studio says its focus is productivity and collaboration, wellbeing and neurodiversity, and retrofit and adaptive reuse.
"For many organisations, the workplace doesn't stop at the office door," Simon said, pointing to laboratories, testing facilities and production areas as spaces that are often designed separately from the offices beside them. It follows Scott Brownrigg's interiors appointment last month: architecture firms are building interiors teams of their own rather than handing that work out.
Source: Interior Designer, 30 September 2026.
Furniture safety: a JD Williams dining set recall and a mattress topper stopped at the border
JD Williams has recalled its Antonia Space Saving Dining Set (model UK326), a glass topped table with metal legs and four upholstered chairs. The Office for Product Safety and Standards says the table legs may detach from the tabletop because of a loose bracket, which could make the table collapse and shatter the glass. Owners who have not been contacted should stop using it and contact the supplier for a refund, repair or replacement.
Separately, a Loomerig Luxury Double Mattress Topper (art no MT41D 10) was rejected at the border and destroyed after failing flammability performance requirements under the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The fire regulations apply to filled furnishings sold in the UK, so it is a reminder to check fire labels on anything soft you specify, particularly from online marketplaces.
Sources: GOV.UK, 30 September 2026; GOV.UK, 1 October 2026.
Previous roundup: Focus/26 at Chelsea Harbour, and Soho's first year as a district.