Interiors news: Mattressman recall, Part K stair research, cladding bill and Decorex rugs (17 October 2026)
Two product safety notices published on 13 October touch the bedroom and the living room: a Mattressman mattress recall and a floor lamp stopped at the border. The Building Safety Regulator published research on safer stairs and the government introduced its cladding bill on 14 October. On the design side, we look at the rug stands at Decorex and a new Covent Garden bistro by Gundry & Ducker.
Mattressman recalls Comforcel Elite and Supreme double mattresses over fire risk
Mattressman has recalled its Comforcel Elite (memory foam) and Supreme (gel foam) double mattresses from customers. The anti-slip layer on the underside failed flammability testing: if it meets an ignition source it can catch light and keep burning. The mattresses, made in Malaysia, do not meet the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The notice was published on 13 October 2026 (PSD notification 2609-0226) and was notified by local authority Trading Standards.
Mattressman says it has contacted affected buyers directly. If you own one and have not heard from the retailer, stop using it and contact Mattressman for a refund or replacement.
Frideko Home LED floor lamp sold on Amazon rejected at the UK border
A black Frideko Home LED floor lamp (model L05022) with a round base, remote and wall plug has been stopped at the border as a high-risk product. The plastic earth pin on its plug (model HS24J-240075-AB) is larger than BS 1363 allows, which can stop socket shutters working and leave live parts reachable under fault conditions. Some required documentation and markings were also missing. The report was published on 13 October 2026 (PSD notification 2610-0006).
If you bought a cheap floor lamp online, check the plug: the Amazon carton identifiers on the notice are FBA15M8FPZH0U000004 and X002GMH8ET.
Building Safety Regulator research backs a 300mm minimum going for general access stairs
On 14 October 2026 the Building Safety Regulator published a report by Rise and Going Consultancy on possible changes to Approved Document K for general access and utility stairs, the stairs in and around buildings other than dwellings. It tests aligning the guidance with BS 5395-1:2010: raising the minimum going to 300mm, widening the acceptable rise range to 130mm to 180mm (from 150mm to 170mm), and allowing more steps in a flight before a landing.
The report finds that raising the minimum going from 250mm to 300mm could cut the risk of all falls on these stairs by up to 80%, because a large overstep when coming down is a leading cause of falls. For utility stairs it suggests a 275mm minimum going with a 190mm maximum rise where use is low. It is evidence for a possible change, not new guidance yet; further research is needed on the effect on people with ambulant disabilities.
For anyone specifying stairs in shops, offices, hotels or the common parts of flats, it is a signal of where Part K may go.
Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill introduced, with fines of up to £500,000
The government introduced the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill to Parliament on 14 October 2026. It puts a legal duty on those responsible for a building, such as freeholders, to identify, assess and fix safety issues without delay. The First-tier Tribunal will be able to fine those who fail to comply with a Remediation Order up to £500,000, and a new register of all medium rise residential buildings in England comes with civil penalties of up to £7,000 for failing to register.
Fire risk appraisals of external walls (FRAEWs) must follow a consistent method, and where remedial work is recommended, residents must be given a plan with timescales. The target stays the same: by the end of 2029 every building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding should be fixed or have a clear completion date. The government says over 470 more buildings have completed cladding remediation since its Remediation Acceleration Plan.
For London flat buyers and leaseholders, the resident plan and the building register should make it easier to see where a block stands before committing to a purchase or a refit.
Source: GOV.UK, 14 October 2026.
Decorex 2026 rugs: Surya makes its UK debut, Northwest 35 shows an autumn colourway
COVER magazine's report from Decorex at Olympia London, published on 13 October 2026, picked out the rug stands. Surya made its debut in the UK market with hand-knotted, hand-tufted and hand-woven ranges and trade support. Northwest 35 showed Umbrae in Autumn Light, a colourway made for the show in burgundy, ochre and amber, and offered its Fluted Light design hand-tufted for the first time alongside the hand-knotted version.
Knots Rugs showed five designs based on paintings by artist Isabel Marina; Riviere Rugs launched five designs with studio Angel O'Donnell in Tibetan wool and botanical silk; Lilla Rugs drew on Persian rugs from Arak with its Sultanabad Heritage collection. The common thread was painterly, artwork-led pattern in warm, earthy colour.
Source: COVER magazine, 13 October 2026.
Gundry & Ducker hangs a theatre-style acoustic curtain in Covent Garden bistro Cassette
Dezeen published Gundry & Ducker's interior for Cassette, a Parisian-style bistro in a Grade II-listed nineteenth-century gothic building in Covent Garden, on 12 October 2026. The 107 square metre restaurant seats 52 across the ground floor and basement, with a terrace for 30 more. The palette is cream walls, deep aubergine (including on the exterior windows), sapele wood, exposed brick and stainless steel bar islands, with dark banquettes and bentwood bistro chairs.
The detail worth borrowing is the curtain that wraps the top of the double-height dining room: it reads as a theatre curtain and absorbs sound to control reverb, a fix that suits any hard-surfaced, high-ceilinged room.
Source: Dezeen, 12 October 2026.
What this means
Check any Mattressman Comforcel mattress or online-bought floor lamp in your home against the notices above. If you are buying a London flat in a block over 11 metres, ask for the cladding position in writing. And if you are designing commercial stairs now, a 300mm going already meets the dimension the regulator's research favours.