who do you think you are? rebecca battman

CONTENTS

• Programme

• Who Do You Think You Are? – Rebecca Battman, Brand and Marketing Consultant

• Employment Law for Small Businesses – Ray Wann, Partner in the Employment Group of Sheridans

• Who Will Win in May and What Will it Mean for Business? – Peter Kellner, President of YouGov

• Trends in Interior Design & Decoration – Suzanne Trocmé, Nina Campbell, Gabby Deeming, Ros Byam Shaw

• The Day in Pictures

2015 Conference Programme

Who Do You Think You Are? Rebecca Battman

Who Do You Think You Are?

The respected Brand and Marketing Consultant Rebecca Battman explained the importance of branding and gave tips for ensuring a strong identity across all media.

Rebecca made a convincing argument that the importance of branding could not be under-estimated, having a subconscious effect on buyers and helping dealers sell more product more often to more people, potentially at a higher margin.

• Apple is a prime example of how good branding promotes both short-term profit and long-term value, having expanded past its niche market of designers to become one of the world’s most valuable companies.


Buyers’ decisions are made through a combination of personal and practical considerations. The former group includes their opinion of the seller’s business ethic, as well as whether they feel the product says something about themselves, and the latter their level of need for the product, its affordability and how quickly they can get it, good recommendations and also being incentivised by a limited-time promotion.


Art and antiques dealers can learn from any successful business by looking critically at their branding approach. Good branding will:

• Bring customers to your door: even if a customer doesn’t purchase at the first visit, they or a friend may buy in the future • Establish you as an expert: professional branding should convey your deep understanding of your area. Remember customers use LinkedIn as a tool to verify your credibility • Predispose customers to purchase from you • Help you make the right connections: advertising valuations or logistics services as part of your business may lead customers to your stock


Consistent branding will:


Rebecca emphasised that branding is much more than just a logo, and that dealers should consider the balance between the individual and the business. • Her own company was used as an example: it had been rebranded from Rebecca Battman, too inextricably tied to herself, to rbl, which embraced the wider team and services.

Remember that • an individual’s deep interest in a specific area is often where the business started, providing the story to wrap the business around • an individual’s personality may engage some clients and not others • the wider team should include those expert in areas the founding individual is not


How to Build A Brand


A brand can be built around a story, culture and values, identity and the offer: Rebecca’s above diagram shows how to manifest these foundation blocks. For example:

• the main offer should have other products and services wrapped around it to make things easier for the customer: delivery might not be free, but it should be seamless, and events and experiences such as private views should be undertaken

• Culture and values need to come through in the customer’s experience, not in a list on the wall

• The story could be elaborated through social media: Rebecca advocated employing someone for this purpose - or asking a young relative to help

• Identity must pervade every communication with a client, even an invoice

Finally, campaigns should use themes to unite disparate areas to add up to an impact that is more than the sum of its parts, as witnessed by Nike’s cross-disciplinary approach.

Rebecca then explored case studies of LAPADA Members:


Rebecca Hossack took her real interest in Aboriginal art to a new, European market. Her personal story is wrapped up in the brand, which has nevertheless become more than Rebecca herself.

The website is clear and consistent, with regularly updated blogs, which all add up to the impression that the gallery is expert in its field

www.rebeccahossack.com

http://www.rebeccahossack.com/


Drew Pritchard was cited as an example of a good PR presence, having developed an aesthetic that led to a dedicated store in Liberty that put its offering in direct competition with contemporary furniture.

The website at times uses more abstract or cropped images to pique interest and suggest quality.

www.drewpritchard.com

http://www.drewpritchard.com/


Doe & Hope’s website is an example of a character-filled site that includes biographies of the three personalities behind the business and an up-to-date blog: it exemplifies how such a site can largely bypass the need for a physical presence, keeping customers updated.

www.doeandhope.com

http://www.doeandhope.com/






Catherine McKenna commented that

the staff of Rebecca Hossack were very well-trained and captured the spirit of the gallery: it was important that others represented your brand equally well as yourself.

• Rebecca concurred, suggesting dealers discuss with their staff the preferred form of greeting customers, offering them a drink, and considering things such as typed address labels if one’s handwriting is not stylish.


Rebecca encouraged delegates to consider the physical presence of their business: is it an austere environment focussing on the art, and appealing to say an investment banker, or more of a treasure trove? Either approach requires consistent branding.

She challenged dealers, when next walking through the front door, to examine the lighting and wall colour, and to take notice of the smell and sound of the space: does it all support what the brand was about?


Rebecca reiterated the need to keep

people interested, and the power of social media.

An experience of her own proved that if your message is strong and out there on forums such as LinkedIn, people will come to you.

She referred delegates to the Build a Brand pamphlet as a “health-check” on their businesses’ branding.

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8398681702ee3cf4480dedfc6/files/A5_Brand_booklet_AW.pdf








Rebecca took questions from the floor. Citing the rise of art fairs, with dealers closing premises to do the circuit, Rebecca Hossack asked how one might overcome the branding of each fair to preserve one’s individuality. Rebecca responded that

• one had to use one’s creativity to ensure that one stood out: if this was near-impossible within the stand, one might put on a separate dinner.

• PR could even be had around choosing not to do a fair one year, highlighting the fact to customers and doing something different.

• Mieka Sywak, LAPADA Fair Director, reassured delegates from her experience that fair visitors remember style, whether manifested in the choice of wall colour or stock labels.

• LAPADA CEO Rebecca Davies advised stepping back from one’s stand and asking “where is my branding?”.

• Rebecca Battmann suggested getting visitors to leave their cards by giving something in exchange in order to widen your community.


Nynke van der Ven-van Wijngaarden had found it difficult to keep online stock updated, and now had just a few representative pieces shown to draw people to the store. Rebecca recognised this as a support mechanism, but suggested that the online offering might be taken to the next level if online stock listings were not additional but how the stock was managed, widening the chance to interest buyers.

In addressing the rise in competition from the internet, Rebecca advocated developing online business alongside the physical gallery: emphasising the added value of personal expertise, but allowing customers to use the two approaches.

Contact:

Rebecca Battman

[email protected]

Read Ivan Macquisten’s review in the Antiques Trade Gazette here.

mailto:[email protected]

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8398681702ee3cf4480dedfc6/files/LPDA_150314_Antiques_Trade_Gazette_HR_compressed.pdf




Ten Things You Need to Know About Employment Law – Ray Wann

Ten Things You Need to Know About Employment Law

Ray Wann, Partner in the Employment Group of Sheridans, gave relevant tips for small business employers, integrating the delegates’ concerns à la “Whose Line Is It Anyway”.

Questions raised by the audience included: • How do you really know when someone is

self-employed or employed? • What will the new pension regulations

mean for employers? • Are unpaid internships legal? • Use of NDAs and other confidentiality

clauses


Recruitment

Employment contract

Employment commences

Sickness

Promotion

Flexible working

Performance

Termination of employment

Timeline of an Employment Relationship

Referring to his Timeline of an Employment Relationship, Ray emphasised that it began with recruitment, and employers must have a suitable procedure in place to guard against the possibility of later discrimination claims.

Of the elements of the cycle, dealing with poor employee performance is still the most difficult problem employers face.


1. Employment Law - why does it matter?

• Ray noted that it protects the interests of companies as much as those of employees, and that on the spectrum UK law was less protectionist of the employee than that of Italy or France, and more so than that of the US.

• Abiding by the law was important to avoid financial and bad PR implications.

2. Do we need a written contract for there to be an employment relationship ?

• No. But given the relationship would exist in any case, it is sensible to properly set out the intention of the parties in a written contract within 2 months, with a Statement of Terms section for clarity.

• Express terms might include dress and behaviour codes, whilst implied terms include most significantly Trust and Confidence: this duty of good faith was on both employer and employee, and if breached by the former can even lead to a case of constructive dismissal.


3. If there is no written or oral contract in place, does the employee still have any rights?

• Yes: minimum rights apply from day one, with more accrued over time

• Minimum wage is £6.50

• Pensions will soon be a requirement for all employees

• Holiday is now a statutory 28 days: 4 weeks’ paid leave plus statutory holidays, whereas the right to holiday used to be accrued in relation to length of service

• Sick pay is at the discretion of the employer, but should be regulated and consistent

• Notice periods: at statutory minimum of 1 week, when an employee has between 4 weeks and 2 years of service. The coalition government had rescinded the right of an employee not to be unfairly dismissed after this period, helping small businesses to “recruit without fear” - Ray felt this has made a difference. Many businesses choose to enhance the notice period after a probationary period


4. Does employment law apply to consultants and those who are genuinely self-employed? • Does not apply to genuinely self-employed • Consultants have been the single biggest issue for businesses over the last decade, and the position is

often down to exact labels • A Contractor, providing services for one business amongst others, is not covered by employment law • A Worker is somewhere between an employee and being self-employed. Freelancers, consultants and paid

interns come under this category. • Ray advised careful consideration of the type of individual required, and the terms upon which they are

engaged. They might be genuinely self-employed, or dealers might embrace the “worker” label, which would entail some entitlements as shown by the table, but avoid the full rights and risks of a full employee. This category lent itself to seasonal staff.

• Patrick Macintosh asked where the line between a self-employed person and a worker was crossed: if working solely for you, they are a worker; if working for others, and they can reject work you offer, they are not a worker. However Ray recognised that there was some grey area, especially as the HMRC definitions did not sit perfectly with legal ones.


5. How can I protect my business once I have employees? • Confidentiality: the threshold of what constitutes a “trade secret” is high, so it is best

to have a clear confidentiality provision tailored to your business in the contract, covering, for example, the business database. Conversely, one cannot expect the employee to protect information available in the public realm

• Restrictive covenants: these cover the employee’s obligations after leaving your business. The non-compete clause is the best-known but it can be difficult to uphold; the two others, more often upheld by the Courts, restrict a leaving staff member from poaching other staff, and the non-solicitation of customers: this should be included in the contract

• Probationary periods: these are not required by law, but Ray encouraged its inclusion in a contract. For example, should you wish to dismiss someone in the months following their arrival, a discrimination case might be brought on the grounds of one of the protected characteristics of Discrimination Law (including gender, age, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion): this would be avoided by a contractual probationary period, which is linked to performance. Ray suggested a 6 month period to allow time to form a true opinion of a candidate; or a 3 month period with the possibility of an extension, included in the contract

• Handbooks and procedures: though not generally contractually binding, a 10-20 page handbook could be genuinely supportive to the employee: it helps consistency and to manage employees’ expectations. Ray advises against a very long handbook which no one would be likely to read and understand.


6. Do employees with children have the right to work part-time or on a flexible basis?

• No, although eligible employees do have the right to make a request

• The employee must have 26 weeks’ continuous service to make a request

• Refusal is possible on one of eight grounds, and it is easier now to reject post-maternity leave requests for a reduction in working hours

• Reasonableness is key

7. How do I ensure a dismissal is fair?

• The onus is on the employee to prove unfair dismissal

• There are five potentially fair reasons for dismissal, the last being “some other substantial reason”

• It is important to follow a fair procedure, of which the tribunals in particular will take note – keeping a careful documentation of all incidents, conversations, and meetings is very important


8. What are the other usual claims an employee might bring against me and/or my business in the event of a dispute?

• Wrongful dismissal, which includes contractual and statutory considerations

• Discrimination: it is imperative to write contemporaneous notes of exchanges with the employee to protect oneself

• Whistleblowing: was often used as a claim by employees who had not reached the 2 year continuous employment mark. An employee might claim that they had complained against some employer breach of the contract, and were subsequently dismissed

It would need to be a matter of public interest, illegal activity or company behaviour for the employee to “whistleblow” in the sense we perhaps think of first


9. Can I dismiss an employee who:

• Is pregnant or on maternity leave? Yes, if the role has genuinely become redundant through a company reorganisation or similar change. Procedure, such as giving the employee suitable notification, needs to be followed. The employee is also entitled to preferential consideration if there is a new role that they could perform

• Is on long-term sick leave? Yes, although it is not easy. It is worth building this eventuality into the contract, and considering offering health insurance as an alternative

• Commits a single act of gross misconduct? Yes; however this is also worth including in the contract. Employers should be mindful that having not formally reprimanded similar misconduct in the past sets a bad precedent for eventual dismissal on this ground

10. How can I make a termination payment as tax efficient as possible?

• Up to £30,000 can be paid as a genuine compensation (ie a non-contractual payment)without incurring tax

• A pension allowance can be helpful for the employee and save the business money


• Questions from the floor included the use of unpaid internships. Ray clarified that such interns must be free to come and go as they please: if you need to rely on someone to work particular hours, employ them as a self-employed contractor or worker, or as a temporary employee.

• It was also asked whether employers could issue new contracts to long-serving staff. Ray affirmed, and the employer should mention to the employee that it was advantageous to them to have an up-to-date contract. Consultation with the employee would be required in setting varied terms of employment

• Davina Weir-Willats returned to the non-solicitation and non-dealing restrictive covenants. Ray clarified that a “non-dealing” clause effectively deals with the new loophole around the non-solicitation clause, whereby an ex-employee updating their LinkedIn profile, showing they have left, may result in them being “approached” and doing subsequent business with your clients. With a non-dealing clause in their contract they could be restricted from taking on the business.

Contact: Ray Wann

Sheridans [email protected]

www.sheridans.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.sheridans.co.uk/

http://www.google.co.uk/url?url=http://www.sheridans.co.uk/&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=twD3VLK7KerG7Ab0yoH4AQ&ved=0CBgQ9QEwAQ&usg=AFQjCNGKOtKsAbzjjOXuYPDvrnstaXF3Jg

Who Will Win In May and What Will It Mean For Business – Peter Kellner

Who Will Win In May and What Will It Mean For Business?

Peter Kellner, journalist, political commentator and President of YouGov, the opinion polling organisation, discussed what YouGov’s public opinion research is indicating for the

results of the upcoming election and what impact this may have on retail businesses.

Peter took the floor saying that perhaps the rest of us were somewhat more uncertain of the result than Lord Chadlington, who had uncharacteristically placed a bet for the Conservatives to win the upcoming by an overall majority, against odds of 5:1, and that by the end of his talk the uncertainty would remain, though at a higher level of sophistication.


• Current polls showed the parties so close that the four point lead of the Conservatives in one poll, and of Labour in the other, represented nothing more than the expected sampling fluctuation.

• UKIP and the Greens were up, as was the SNP, with Labour’s popularity having dropped in Scotland since the referendum.

• Peter noted that, in the past, Conservative governments had generally gained votes closer to the election. Despite many seeing the party as for the rich, it was suspected many who don’t follow politics closely and were currently undecided would vote Conservative on the day, and rather fewer Labour. The personalities of the party leaders would affect the decision of this group.


• Peter predicted the Conservatives would lose seats to Labour, whilst picking up others from the Liberal Democrats, and Labour would also gain some seats from the Liberal Democrats, whilst losing seats in Scotland: the Conservatives would end with 293-5 seats, and Labour with 270.

• 326 seats are needed for an overall majority. In reality, however, Sinn Féin’s 5 seats are never claimed, and the speaker counts as an MP. A party could probably govern with 315 MPs, as those occasions on which all the other parties agree to defeat them would be few. Furthermore, any party with a clear lead could count on the support of the Unionists in Northern Ireland.


• Peter said that, if he’d underestimated by 10 seats, with Unionist support the Conservatives would be secure, and could last in power for at least 5 years.

• If Labour were similarly ahead, he had no idea who would end up as PM: a weak Milliband leadership might not last.

• 2014’s negotiations were finalised in 5 days due to pressure to have a working government to address the Eurozone crisis. This year, there was a substantial chance that any government would struggle to maintain command, and there was a real likelihood of a second election later this year, or in 2016.

• If it were Milliband in the precarious leadership, he would seek a second election as soon as possible, as simply being in power would increase his popularity. Were the Conservatives in the same position, Cameron may or may not stay as leader, and the EU referendum would be brought forward to the Spring, with a second election closely following after this successful result for Cameron, clawing back votes lost by UKIP. The law of five years’ standing that sought to avoid re-elections could be got around.


With such uncertainty, the medium-term future looked unlikely to affect businesses in the next five years.

• There would not be substantial changes to immigration rules, although cosmetic changes, seemingly greater than they would be in reality, may occur.

• More expensive properties would be taxed more.

• Osborne's deficit-reduction targets would be missed, with borrowing for infrastructure spending instead.

• There would be some levels to pensions.

• There would be progression towards co-funding for public services: the principle that the individual and the society which benefit from a university education, for example, should share the costs would be more universally upheld, with the debate centring on the "how".


Therefore the environment in which we operate would not be drastically changed. • The Conservatives would not destroy the economy to meet deficit reduction targets

were they in power, whilst, if in the same position, Labour would not over-regulate: Peter felt there were practical people in both parties to ensure common sense would prevail.

• Therefore, although this uncertain situation provided opportunities for huge loss or gains in groups such as hedge-funders, it entailed little change for those in the room; however although no "lunatic laws" could be passed, conversely it would also be difficult to make radical but necessary change.

Looking to the long-term future, Peter foresaw the decline of the big Centre Right and

Centre Left parties that had defined the 20th century, with the rise of separatist movements such as nationalists and Greens.

• These big parties, born of the 20th century struggle between Capitalism and Socialism, with a self-contained middle-class, were no longer supported by the old institutions and tribal loyalties.

• However this fundamental upheaval might take time to play out: Peter compared the lag in political party structure keeping up with the times to Road Runner's Wiley Coyote running off the cliff, continuing horizontally for several metres before gravity hits and he plummets.

• Either the big parties would reinvent themselves, as John Lewis had so successfully done in the face of online retail, or decline.

• Peter hazarded that in twenty years we would be back to a two-party system, although what these parties would be he had no idea.


Peter took questions from the floor, led off by Lord Chadlington asking exactly how the five-year restriction on re-elections could be overcome. Peter explained that the legislation could be repealed by a parliamentary majority, or there could be a vote upon calling an election. The third option would be the government losing a vote of confidence, with no new vote of confidence being passed within 14 days. The issue could be forced by the party in power proposing policies that the opposition was compelled to put down. It was not the case that if a party lost a vote of confidence the Prime Minister would have to resign.


• Costas Kleanthous asked that Peter extrapolate on the Scottish situation. Peter predicted Labour easily winning 7 seats from the Liberal Democrats, but a lot of its seats in Scotland were of a medium-sized majority, and it was difficult to guess SNP gains. There would be a sea change, with SNP having 30 seats and Labour 41 to low 20s. A deal between the two parties was not obvious; it would not be a coalition. If Labour were to be propped up by Scottish nationalists, it would risk losing a lot of support in England. It would have to have an arrangement on the informal end of staying in government.

• It was questioned why a Conservative-led coalition seemed ruled out. Peter responded that the Liberal Democrats would have lost half their seats: this negotiating balance would not be conducive to a formal arrangement. Cameron disliked the coalition, and if he felt he could continue governing with just Conservative Ministers and Ulster Unionists he would. Lord Chadlington offered that Nick Clegg may not continue as party leader.


• It was asked why Peter predicted that two main parties would dominate in 20 years' time rather than coalitions. Peter clarified that he foresaw two parties mainly being in power, although there still may be coalitions. The current First Past the Post voting system was designed for big parties: if support for any party fell below 24% the FPP system which had previously saved such parties might destroy them: the voting system would need to be re-evaluated. Indeed this might even be the case were we to have a second messy election.

• Alan Hatchwell asked whether Peter was ruling out UKIP as a consideration, to which Peter responded that there may be a small consideration seat-wise. Broadcasting having registered UKIP as a major party would help it, despite the drift away of votes in recent weeks, but this would be balanced against the Conservatives' squeeze "Vote Farage, Get Milliband" campaign. He remarked it was fairly likely that the latter would result in UKIP supporters voting for nobody!

Trends in Interior Design & Decoration – Panel Discussion

Design Panel Discussion

Suzanne Trocmé (Designer, Curator and Author), Nina Campbell (Interior Designer), Gabby Deeming (Acting Editor of House & Garden)and Ros Byam Shaw (Author and former Features Editor of World of Interiors) explored the current trends in interior design and decoration and how art and antiques of

different eras can be blended into modern schemes, as well as tips for effective presentation in a retail or fair environment.


She referred to Rebecca Battman’s talk to emphasise that visual branding is a strength of antiques dealers, whose profession is based around their “eye”, and that fairs are an opportunity to showcase this branding: in response to Suzanne’s suggestion that Ros might be brought in as a curator for fair stands, she replied she would love to be, but that everyone present had their own sense of style!

Ros Byam Shaw described her work as writing about interiors and how people express themselves through them.


Gabby Deeming compared her role as Decoration Editor to that of a fashion editor, describing her compilations for House & Garden as analogous to stage sets or stands at a fair, full of ideas rather than snapshots of a room to live in, and thought “curating” a good description.

She agreed with Suzanne that she talked about the space between objects: the composition had to be sympathetic on the eye, which sometimes meant editing out items. She felt that this held true for fair stands, and suggested another person’s opinion would be useful in separating the exhibitor from their intimacy with their pieces.

Image from Farrow & Ball Decorating with Colour by Ros Byam Shaw. Photography by Jan Baldwin Copyright © Ryland Peters & Small Ltd. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.


Introduced as “always on trend”, Nina Campbell mused that, although resisting the idea of trends, colour trends seemed sometimes to be in the ether - a colour that appealed to her to use would appear everywhere. The current move was towards brighter, cleaner colour.

• She stressed people mustn’t give up on beautifully-made furniture that anchors a room: even Le Corbusier’s houses included antique furniture that his clients had inherited, and brown furniture is not out!

Image courtesy of Nina Campbell. Photography by Simon Brown.


• From her own anecdotes of shopping with clients and buying something other than what they were searching for, Nina seconded that exhibitors at fairs should not be afraid to edit out pieces to bring back onto the stand later, as many people visited more than once, and the changing stands were the ones that grabbed the attention.

• Another tip was to use fresher and brighter upholstery - Suzanne agreed that this was an approach Elsie Woolf, often called the first interior designer, would take.


• Gabby offered that she too disliked the disposable overtones of “trends”, saying that the art and antiques trade was important in providing pieces which gave true character to a room, rather than buying a trendy piece to become “future landfill”. Working under Wendy Herrick, she had been taught to always offset her room sets with something old to give depth and texture.

• Although antiques should be, and were, taken seriously, presenting them lightly, with charm, would make them more accessible to the buyer, avoiding, too, the museum-like feel if everything were from the same period.

• Ros agreed that this “clash” would really work on a stand, and pointed to Butchoff’s collaboration with Dedar, where use of a bold, unexpected fabric to upholster a gilded chair made one look at both fabric and chair with fresh eyes.


• Nina agreed, advising dealers avoid the perceived “safe option” of upholstering in white linen: buyers were rather looking to be inspired. Gabby elaborated that many people look to the dealers for help and to gain confidence - they want to be persuaded! Nina suggested, when presenting stands at fairs such as LAPADA’s, which could be seen as less affordable than the Battersea Decorative Fair, which the panel had been referring to, or on a sparser stand which could be intimidating, to place something more attainable alongside an expensive piece - and being precise about the price.

• Asked about her signature, Nina said it was understanding what her clients wanted, switching between cultures and tastes: she needed to be a psychiatrist and a diplomat. Seeing herself as an editor within her clients’ likes, she is currently working on a Maine house, with lobsters becoming a theme, as well as one in Kuwait.


Suzanne spoke of the emotive power of colour and pattern. Nina was relieved that the “terrible beige moment, which went on much too long” and had originated in America had passed, with tastes and magazine coverage now much more mixed: she herself had worked with aqua and purple, and now was using tomato red. Gabby concurred that people were now more confident with colour.


Ros clarified that although she didn’t like the idea of trends either, they did exist, although in interiors they moved more slowly than in fashion, and cited the examples of Venetian mirrors in the past, or Victorian glass display domes more recently. There is a current trend towards darker colours for walls, and brown furniture looks good against this.


Tips for making a fair stand with impact:

• All the panellists agreed dark walls were effective, and Gabby mentioned the product Bona Mega as a relatively easy way to achieve a glass-finish or lacquer effect on a wall.

• To encourage people onto the stand, Nina suggested putting “something stunning” at the back of the stand to draw people in, and bringing the lighting down lower, using lamps. Something touched often results in something bought!

• She also suggested serving coffee, and giving out branded water bottles - Suzanne suggested giving out tassels or something similarly appealing that would be kept and associated with the dealer.

• On a furniture stand, when something was sold, it should be immediately removed and replaced, as buyers would feel “cross” and switch off if they could not procure the initial piece they wanted, and not be psychologically prepared to look at other items on the stand. However, on a pictures stand, there is no harm in seeing some red dots, especially if there are other similar works on view still available.


Gabby spoke about being over-exposed to trends as a stylist, and apt to move on too quickly, but when mass-produced rip-offs and reproductions appeared it really was the death of a trend.

• Nynke van der Ven-van Wijngaarden raised the challenge faced by interior designers sometimes buying reproductions rather than the original to get “the look” without the cost of original pieces: Nina agreed it was difficult to educate with blue and white, with cheaper versions so widely available, but herself felt that if she couldn’t afford the real thing she would buy something entirely different rather than an inferior version.


James Sinai asked for tips on how to influence clients, and the role of magazines, or US taste. The panel returned to the idea of the zeitgeist, though resisted the US being too strong an influence.

• Gabby emphasised doing whatever colours you like, with confidence.

• Nina suggested lay-outs to mimic the home setting, where people would want to enter and feel part of - no ropes across chairs, please!

• Suzanne extrapolated that it was about building a narrative.

Image from Classic Chic by Suzanne Trocme ́. Copyright © Jacqui Small LLP / Ken Hayden. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.


• Rebecca Davies raised that many LAPADA dealers had a very specific specialisation, and asked for the panel’s opinion on mixing up the offering, so that, for example, a dealer’s antique furniture might be displayed with a contemporary painting from another dealer: the panel were enthusiastic.

• Davina Weir-Willats offered that trends arise from a number of avenues, for example the televisation of “Wolf Hall”, but encouragingly unique objects, with patina, were currently desirable.

• Ros agreed that even she was affected by the zeitgeist, currently being drawn to wunderkammer.

• Nina added that where price was a consideration, try putting a tray holding affordable objects on top of an expensive chest.

Image from Farrow & Ball Decorating with Colour by Ros Byam Shaw. Photography by Jan Baldwin Copyright © Ryland Peters & Small Ltd. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

English Eccentric by Ros Byam Shaw, published by Ryland Peters & Small Ltd, is available from all good bookshops or Amazon UK (rep £30.00, hardback).

Farrow & Ball Decorating with Colour by Ros Byam Shaw, published by Ryland Peters & Small Ltd, is available from all good bookshops or Amazon UK (rrp £35.00, hardback)


http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Eccentric-celebration-imaginative-intriguing/dp/1849755035/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425988508&sr=1-1&keywords=english+eccentric



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farrow-Ball-Decorating-creativity-decorators/dp/1849754233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426072104&sr=8-1&keywords=Farrow+&+Ball+Decorating+with+Colour




Lunch and Networking

who do you think you are? rebecca battman

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