CHELSEA BARRACKS
What got people talking at the House & Garden Spring Fair
A few of the pieces that drew the biggest reactions, sparked the most conversations and had people lingering on the stand at Chelsea Barracks.
THE PIECES THAT GOT PEOPLE TALKING_
CHELSEA BARRACKS SPRING FAIR
For four days at Chelsea Barracks, we brought together antiques, art, furniture and objects from makers and studios across the Notswolds. We spent the week chatting to people about the pieces they were drawn to, the homes they imagined them in and the details they kept coming back to. Here are a few of the pieces that got people talking most.
The antique campaign bed from Claire Langley Antiques, and the mini plant pot by Jess Ellis Ceramics.
The Claire Langley antique campaign bed
One of the most admired pieces on the stand. Traditionally designed to be dismantled and transported for travel, campaign beds have a wonderful practicality to them, but this one also has an elegance that stopped people in their tracks. The rich patina and refined frame so characteristic of pieces chosen by Claire Langley’s discerning eye, prompted enquiries from visitors imagining it as guest sleeping arrangements in apartments, lounge furniture in a garden orangery or seating for a smart apartment balcony. For now, it’s still available…
clairelangley.co.uk | @clairelangley_ | info@clairelangley.co.uk
The Mini Plant Pots by Jess Ellis Ceramics
These sold almost as quickly as we could put them out. People loved the playful ruffled edges, shell-like details and slightly whimsical feel of them. The sort of piece that instantly brings character to a windowsill, greenhouse shelf or kitchen table. You can make your own with Jess at The Notswolds Summer Makers Market this June in Stamford.
jessellisceramics.com | @jessellisceramics | jessellisceramics@gmail.com
Artichokes - Composition VI by Le Blanc Fine Art, part of the Le Manoir Collection. Dramatic boards in Blackened Oak and Walnut from Flavell Trading.
The Le Blanc Fine Art artichokes
Working out how to bring these to Chelsea was probably the moment we first got really excited about the stand. They became complete showstoppers across the week. Nobody walked past them without reaching out to touch them and it almost became a little ritual to stroke them for luck on the way through the market. Sculptural, playful and surprisingly glamorous, they drew people in all week long.
leblancfineart.com | @leblancfineart | sculptures@leblancfineart.com
The Flavell Trading wooden boards
We loved watching couples affectionately argue how many chopping boards is too many chopping boards. Some argued for restraint, others clearly understood that you can never have too many good boards. Kate Hudson knows there is no limit (IYKYK).
flavelltrading.com | @flavell.trading | info@flavelltrading.com
Bespoke handpainted dolls houses by Laura E Jekyll and the faux bamboo fender from Sedere & Co.
The dolls house by Laura E Jekyll
People would spot it from across the market, then come closer with genuine delight as they opened the doors to reveal the hand painted interiors inside. Every detail invited a closer look and the reactions all week were a mix of nostalgia, curiosity and complete enchantment. This original is now sold, and we took two further commissions for bespoke dolls house projects during the fair.
laurajekyll.com | @laura.jekyll | laura.jekyll@gmail.com
The faux bamboo fender from Sedere & Co
A new design from the genius behind Sedere & Co’s made to measure club fenders, created with bedrooms and bathrooms in mind. People who weren’t even shopping would suddenly dash onto the stand asking for details after spotting it from the street. We lost count of how many cards we wrote out across the week with Sedere & Co’s details on them. Elegant, unusual and brilliantly made, it became one of the standout pieces of the fair.
Malton Leaf from the Bruce Fine Papers x Notswolds collection. Antique egg prints in Art
Designs from the Notswolds x Bruce Fine Papers collab
Seeing the entire shed wrapped in the wallpapers was one of the moments the stand really came together. The collaboration between Bruce Fine Papers and Notswolds brought together traditional hand block printing with a palette inspired by the colours and landscape of the region, and people spent all week running their hands across the papers and asking for samples. By the end of the fair, samples were travelling as far afield as Australia.
The Bruce Fine Papers x Notswolds collection
The antique egg prints in art paper frames from Hall & Wall
These delightful antique prints from the 1890s were given a fresh new life in brightly coloured art paper frames drew people in all week. Lots of conversations about colour palettes, gallery walls and whether the frames could be matched to sitting rooms, kitchens and fabric schemes. For those asking about bespoke colours, watch this space.
Discover Chelsea’s favourites in Stamford this June
You’ll find these pieces, along with many more from makers, artists and craftspeople across the region, at the Notswolds Summer Makers Market this June at Claire Langley Antiques in Stamford.
The Notswolds Summer Makers Market
19-28 June 2026
Claire Langley Antiques, Hallidays Yard, Radcliffe Road, Stamford PE9 1ED
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