Olympia London
11 to 14 October 2026.
AEVEN COLLECTIVE
A Seat at the Table
Open Call for Chairs and Artwork
In association with Decorex. Logistics sponsored by Williams and Yates.
THE OPEN CALL
We are building the central bar at Decorex 2026.
We want it built from the industry itself. One long communal table. Around it, a chair from every kind of maker in the industry. The table is one thing, shared. The chairs are all different. That is the point we are making: everyone has a seat.
On the perimeter walls, we are creating a gallery. We are inviting artists to place work there, responding to the same idea of community and craft. This open call is for two things: chairs and art.
Your Work. Their Room.
Decorex is one of the country's leading fairs for decorative arts and interiors. The people walking the show are interior designers and architects, and they are there to source. Special pieces for client projects, for showrooms, for their own studios.
The bar is the prime spot. It sits on the main aisle, in the busiest and most open part of the show. It is where designers stop, sit and talk. Your piece is not behind a rope. It is in use, in the middle of the conversation, in front of thousands of the people who specify and source.
A designer can discover your work here, sit in it or stand in front of it, and get to know the maker behind it. This is how a sourcing relationship begins. This is how a commission starts.
This Call Is Open to You
Makers, designers, brands, studios and craftspeople, whether or not you are exhibiting at Decorex. Submitting is an expression of interest, not a guarantee of selection. We are choosing for range across material, form and maker, so the table and the walls read as the whole industry, not one corner of it.
Chairs
Around seventy chairs, each from a different maker. One piece, loaned to us for the show, placed at the table and seen by thousands of design professionals across four days. We are choosing for range. What matters is that someone made it and stands behind it. This is working seating — please put forward a piece that can take everyday use.
Artwork
Works for the outward faces of the perimeter walls. Decorative pieces for an interiors audience, the kind of work a designer might place in a project. We are open to medium as long as it can be wall-mounted and responds to the theme of community and craft.
Every contributor is credited on-site and across the campaign.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Your name on the wall.
A credit on the board within the bar, naming you and your piece. Inclusion in the printed menu with a QR code linking to your site.
Photography and film.
Professional photography and film from the show, shared with you to use yourself.
Your story told.
Your bio, the story of the work, and any process film go into the campaign. People get to know the maker, not just the piece.
The AEVEN directory.
A listing in the AEVEN chair directory, sent to all AEVEN members to promote your involvement in the show.
In the campaign.
Inclusion in the Decorex PR and marketing campaign. Social media promotion across AEVEN and Decorex channels through the build-up and the show.
We bring it to the table.
Williams and Yates collect, store, deliver, place and return your piece. No transport cost. No handling burden on you.
If Your Piece Sells
There is no obligation to sell. But if you would like to, your piece is listed in the AEVEN online shop as well as being available to buyers at the show. Your audience reaches well beyond the four days at Olympia.
You set the price. AEVEN retains a commission of 35 per cent; you receive 65 per cent. If a piece sells, Williams and Yates deliver it to the buyer. Pieces not for sale are simply loaned and returned.
One Thing to Note
Decorex is a public space. Anything with fabric or upholstery must meet a British Standard fire requirement before it can come in. Solid timber and metal pieces have no specific requirement.
Not sure where you stand? Submit anyway and tell us. We can arrange treatment for pieces that are not already certified.
Key Dates
Now
Open call live. Submissions open.
Submissions close.
24 July 2026
Selections confirmed. Contributors notified.
By 31 July 2026
Williams and Yates collect pieces by arrangement.
Aug – Sep 2026
Decorex. Your piece on show at Olympia London.
11 – 14 Oct 2026
Your seat is waiting.
Applications are free and open to all. Every submission is personally reviewed by Grant and Alex.
Community Partner of A Seat At The Table
Every May, London Craft Week celebrates outstanding British and international creativity, bringing together established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries from around the world.