The Winter Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair – the glamorous and eagerly awaited edition to enthrall dealers, designers and members of the public with an exciting gathering of elite members of the antiques trade from across the UK and Europe.

Around 130 dealers are confirmed to attend providing a deliciouos mixture of reliable returnees and some new exhibitors being welcomed include Jacksons Antique (decorative, Asian art and objects from around the world), and the Fair is delighted to welcome back Anthony Fell, William Cook Antiques and Hansord (all specialists in fine antique furniture), and also Westland London (antique fireplaces, fine furniture and objects), Peter Last Ltd (antique frames) and Vistavka Fine Art who were new at the Autumn event. Upstairs on the Mezzanine will be LARTA, the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair with 15 specialist textile and carpet dealers.

The Decorative Fair has been running since 1985, and three times a year it continues to inspire and delight visitors with the variety of stock for sale, whether design buyers, collectors or customers simply looking for an unusual furnishing piece for their home or garden.

The Foyer exhibition always draws a crowd and exhibits are drawn from the dealers at the fair so all is available for sale.  The exhibition for the Winter Edition will be Retail Design.

Many dealers at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair enjoy searching out antique and vintage examples of retail designs, as they are often colourful, creative and historic objects that can cheerfully decorate a home. Ironically, whilst it was Napoleon who described the English as “a nation of shopkeepers”, there is often a strong supply of French retail signs and fittings at the Fair.

Among retail related stock one might to find for sale at The Decorative Fair are:

Trade and shop signs – crafted in metal or carved and painted on board
Shop front signage – shop names, notice boards, decorated exterior lanterns and interior lamps
Window dressing accessories – from hat stands and glove holders to dairy bowls and other product props
Product display units – counter top holders for haberdashers silks, confit pots and biscuit barrels; patisserie tables; grocery counters (great today for free-standing kitchens); glass-fronted drawers for scarves or ties
Storage for display – cabinets for paint samples or glass jars for pigments, snuff and tobacco containers and labelled apothecary jars for drugs and potions
Product packaging – hat boxes, toys in original boxes, jars for potted meats and cheeses, pickle jars
Branding & advertising – objects decorated with retail names and specialisations

Exhibitors at the Winter Fair who regularly stock such items include Dee Zammit (furniture and lighting), David Levi (folk art), D J Green Antiques (furniture), The Home Bothy (folk art), Hatchwell Antiques (weights and measures, furniture), Christopher-Hall Antiques (furniture), and Interior Boutiques.

Trade signs and related ephemera are historic devices of identification and persuasion. Even in classical times there is evidence that the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all used forms of signage. Emblems, symbols and pictorial designs were practical when the majority of the population was illiterate. “At the sign of the…” was the easiest way for people who couldn’t read to locate a business, inn or buildings close by. Read more....

Admission: Opening day (Tues 24 Jan) is £20 p/p, and from Weds-Sun (25-29 Jan) it is £10 p/p. Entry is free from 4pm daily

For tickets and more information about the fair visit the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair