A Seat at the Table, Decorex 2026, 11 to 14 October.
An industry brought together at Decorex 2026
For four days in October, AEVEN Collective took over the central bar at Decorex 2026 with A Seat at the Table: one long communal table, around 70 completely different chairs, and more than 90 pieces of furniture, art, sculpture and craft from makers across the UK.
Designed by AEVEN co-founders Alexandria Dauley and Grant Pierrus, it gave the whole industry one shared space. Designers, architects, makers, artists, suppliers and everyone working behind the scenes were all represented, and all equally welcome.
What followed was four days of conversations, introductions and new collaborations, and a wonderful reminder of what happens when you bring the right people together.
The idea: one industry, one shared table
The concept started with a simple observation. We all work in the same industry, yet so many of us work within our own circles. We wanted to create somewhere that would bring those different worlds together. At the centre of the installation sat one enormous communal table. Around it, chairs contributed by individual makers, established furniture houses, independent studios and emerging designers. Every chair was different, reflecting the people and practices that make up our industry. And importantly, these weren't pieces to admire from behind a rope. They were there to be sat on, touched, talked about and enjoyed. Someone could discover a furniture maker they had never come across before, find themselves sitting beside a future collaborator, or begin a conversation with someone working in an entirely different discipline.
This was AEVEN's philosophy made physical. One industry, many perspectives, one shared table.
Built by UK makers, for the whole industry
No single studio or brand could have created A Seat at the Table alone. Our open call invited designers, craftspeople, artists and furniture makers to contribute: established names, but also independent workshops, emerging talent and makers whose work deserves a much wider audience.
With support from London Craft Week and the Crafts Council, the invitation reached creative practices from Cornwall to Scotland. The response was extraordinary: hand-carved timber chairs, upholstered and sculptural furniture, experimental materials, original artworks and textiles, with traditional techniques sitting alongside contemporary processes.
Tom Faulkner x Freya Rose
A few of the pieces at the table
Each piece had its own story. Together, they became a collection of individual acts of making, generosity and contribution.
Collected from across the UK by Williams & Yates
Getting more than 90 pieces into one room took an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. Our logistics partner, Williams & Yates, travelled around 1,800 miles collecting contributions from makers across the country, then carefully handled and stored every piece before bringing it all together at Olympia.
For many independent makers, that support meant they could take part without the cost and practicalities of transporting their work to London.
The space itself was a collaboration too, shaped by the materials, finishes, furniture, artwork and technical expertise that many contributors brought to the bar. A fitting way to build an installation about collaboration.
Four days around the table at Olympia London
The opening evening filled the bar with designers, architects, makers, brands and press from across the industry: familiar faces, long-time collaborators and plenty of people we were meeting for the first time. The next morning, we brought the contributing makers, artists and collaborators together for breakfast. After months of planning, conversations and collections, having so many of the people behind the work in one place was a particularly lovely moment. Then the installation did exactly what we’d hoped. Visitors tried the chairs, explored the artwork, asked about the makers and talked to whoever was sitting beside them. Some came to see a particular piece; others found it on their way through Decorex and stayed. Some of the most exciting connections had started before the show even opened, with contributors already shaping new collaborations.
What makers and visitors said
One of the greatest pleasures has been seeing the response from the people who contributed to and experienced the installation.
Charlotte Fitzpatrick, who worked on eight walnut Flow barstools for Dovetailors, shared how rewarding it was to see the finished pieces being enjoyed:
"It was so good to see them today, looking their best, being sat on and enjoyed in AEVEN’s fabulous setting."
The team at Wildwood+ also included A Seat at the Table among their highlights from Decorex, describing it as "AEVEN’s fabulous Decorex Bar."
And Decorex's Sam Fisher publicly thanked AEVEN, Alex and Grant for their contribution to the event, recognising the creative work that went into the show's feature spaces.
For us, some of the most meaningful feedback was in the way people used the room. The conversations that continued long after an introduction, the interest shown in unfamiliar makers, and the willingness to sit down and get to know someone new.
It confirmed something we have believed since starting AEVEN: there is a real appetite for opportunities that bring the different parts of our industry together.
With thanks to everyone who made it possible
An installation built around a community deserves to recognise the community that created it.
Our thanks go first to Decorex for inviting us to reimagine the central bar and supporting the vision from the very beginning.
To Williams & Yates, our official logistics partner, thank you for travelling far and wide, carefully looking after every contribution and helping us bring the collection together.
To London Craft Week and the Crafts Council, thank you for helping us extend the invitation to makers across the country.
And to every creative partner, supplier, collaborator and individual who gave their time, materials, expertise and energy to the installation, we are enormously grateful.
Most importantly, to the designers, makers, artists and craftspeople who answered our open call and trusted us with their work: thank you.
You made this installation what it was.
The conversation continues
When we started AEVEN, our ambition was to create a community where people working across the design industry could meet, share ideas, discover opportunities and support one another. A Seat at the Table showed what that could look like on a much larger scale. For four days, the installation brought together people who might otherwise never have met. We saw new work being discovered, relationships developing and conversations beginning that we hope will continue well beyond Decorex. The chairs have now left Olympia, but the connections made around that table are only just getting started. And judging by the response, we might need a bigger table next time.
Thank you to everyone who took a seat.
Alex, Grant and the AEVEN Collective team
There's still a place for you.
AEVEN brings together designers, architects, makers, brands and creative professionals through events, conversations and new opportunities to collaborate.
If you enjoyed A Seat at the Table, we would love you to be part of what comes next.