Style prophets

As design’s profile has risen, a new generation of entrepreneur has come of age. These individuals refuse to compromise, and as Nick Smurthwaite discovers, they’re reaping the rewards.

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Is it an architect? Is it a designer? No, it’s SuperNige, aka Nigel Coates, risk-taker, body-builder, hedonist, scourge of the architectural establishment and doyen of the multidisciplinary approach to design.

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You’d think there was nowhere else to go in restaurant concepts. Surely the 1990s boom exhausted every permutation known to man, beast or crustacean. But that would be to underestimate the drive and determination of Alan Yau, co-founder of the innovative Wagamama chain of restaurants, whose new venture, Busaba Eathai in Wardour Street managed to squeeze through yet another tiny gap in the market.

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“Who wants to go to a party thrown by the Government?” wonders Andrew Morris when I ask him what lessons are to be learnt from the Dome experience. “The Government should have quietly helped fund it, then stepped aside and let private enterprise take it forward.”

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Ian Rudge – In five short years, 100% Design has become a world leader in contemporary interior design fairs. Its dynamic mix of small, independent designer-makers as well as the bigger players, not to mention the Mezzo catering, makes it a must-see in every design groupie’s calender.