For many, January suggests a slow return to routine and light drudgery; for collectors, it heralds a feast of arts and antiques fairs. Ceramics & Glass Specialist James Quarterman shares his impressions from the Winter Decorative Fair at Battersea Park, London, noting how its focus on decorative arts, lived-in interiors and exhibitor-led storytelling sets it apart in the UK antiques calendar.

Specialist James Quarterman

The other day I spent a couple of hours wandering the Winter Decorative Fair at Battersea Park, which runs from Tuesday 20th to Sunday 25th January. Unhurried (a post-work visit on a weekday was neither empty nor crowded), visually rich, and human in scale, the fair reminded me why such visits are so appealing.

True to its name, the fair had an emphasis on decoration and lived experience over spectacle and isolated, museum-style masterpieces. Beautiful, functional antiques and artworks were arranged to suggest real spaces and real lives, inviting visitors to how objects might actually live in a home.

The balance between quality and accessibility was well measured, with many stands leaning towards attractive, well-made antiques and furnishings that could serve as collectors’ pieces as easily as slot into an interior designer’s scheme. Prices felt comparatively attainable in contrast with the ‘wow-factor’ of works encountered at Treasure House or Frieze Masters, showing how thoughtful collecting does not have to be prohibitively expensive.

One of the most reassuring aspects of the fair was the sheer diversity of stand displays. As one exhibitor remarked to me, while you could spot shared ideas and recurring influences, no two stands felt the same. Some exhibitors opted for immersive, room-like settings, bringing together disparate styles to create inviting domestic scenes where designer pieces rubbed shoulders with curiosities. Others stayed loyal to a particular genre but showcased great variety within it. Those who committed to a cohesive colour palette or surface finish demonstrated how visual consistency can calm even the busiest of displays.

A few stands pushed conventions – Nikki Page’s playful chairs-on-chairs arrangement and Tom Rooth’s surreal, starry-night walls were memorable examples of exhibitors rethinking how objects relate to the space and to one another in service of storytelling.

Lifestyle-led stands were far more common than specialist ones. Of the hundred-plus exhibitors, a relatively small number focused exclusively on a genre or style. Furnishings were either the comfortable familiarity of Georgian to Victorian (and earlier), or the unapologetically bold statements of mid-century design. Art was largely modern and contemporary, though there were some historic works dating back as far as the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Interestingly, framing was mostly minimal, with very few ornate giltwood or gesso frames—perhaps as much a practical decision as an aesthetic one. I noticed plenty of charming animal subjects (Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is, after all, just around the corner), along with still lifes, specimen studies, and landscapes. Religious, historical and portrait works were noticeably rarer.

 

Altogether, the fair felt driven by narrative as much as by individual objects. Market demand inevitably plays a role - one exhibitor spoke candidly about deciding whether to “lamp” or “de-lamp” a vase depending on client preferences -but there was also a refreshing confidence on display. I was particularly charmed by one exhibitor’s delighted response to a visitor describing their stand as “a load of old junk,” taking it as proof they’d successfully carved out a distinct identity.

With new faces appearing alongside familiar ones, and exhibitors speaking warmly of the welcome they’d received, the fair felt lively and optimistic. Above all, the Winter Decorative Fair succeeds by prioritising engagement and curiosity over rarity, making collecting feel accessible, personal and enjoyable.