Tuesday
22nd September 2026
10.30am - 11.15am
Opening Keynote | Colour, Creativity & Community
Join Ryan Wenham, Marc Prats and Cath McCubbin as they officially open Talk Space and introduce this year's theme and vision.
This opening keynote marks the beginning of two inspiring days of conversations, practical insight and industry connection.Ryan and Marc from Larsen Architecture, alongside Design Central founder Cath McCubbin, will set the scene for Design Central's 10th anniversary, introduce this year's themes and explain how the enhanced Talk Space programme has been designed to help interior professionals learn, connect and grow.
Whether you're joining us for one session or spending both days in Talk Space, this opening keynote is the perfect place to begin.
11.15am - 11.45am
A Conversation with Little Greene
What makes colour memorable, timeless and so influential? Join one of Britain's most respected names for the conversation.
Colour sits at the heart of Day 1, making Little Greene an essential part of the conversation. Following some of the most popular sessions at previous editions of Design Central, architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham will be joined by David Mottershead to explore the thinking behind one of the industry’s most respected paint and wallpaper brands.
Expect a considered discussion about colour, heritage, creativity and the influence Little Greene continues to have on interiors across the UK and beyond.
1.15pm - 2.15pm
So, you think you're an interior designer?
The Interior Design Business Podcast records live at Design Central with one of the industry's most thought-provoking debates.
Hosts Susie Rumbold and Jeff Hayward are joined by Courteney Kiely and Helen Knox to explore one of the industry's most talked-about questions...
Influencers are allegedly reshaping interior design – turning their own home renovation journeys into aspirational, shoppable content that bridges the gap between professional design and DIY styling. Positioning themselves as authentic, honest and accessible, they provide trend-led home design solutions primarily aimed at Generation Rent.
But are these people fit to be let loose on an unsuspecting and sometimes gullible public? Can they cope with the tough realities of life on a building site? And, critically, do they have the in-depth knowledge needed to navigate the stringent rules and regulations that govern the building industry?
Meet the panel:
Courteney Kiely
Founder & Creative Director, Scene Interiors
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/scenestudiosuk/
Interior design shapes lives.
I’m building a studio, projects and pathways that prove it.
Interior design isn’t neutral. It affects how people feel, behave, cope, connect and recover. Whether we acknowledge it or not, spaces shape daily life and interior design deserves to be taken seriously.
I care less about how a space looks in photos and more about how it works for the people living, working, learning, healing or surviving inside it.
I’m Chair of the Trailblazer Group developing the UK’s first Interior Designer Apprenticeship, with a focus on making the profession more accessible and better understood.
www.sceneinteriors.com
Helen Knox
Founder and Interior Designer, Lewis Knox
Insta https://www.instagram.com/lewisknox_/
It's simple, but our focus is to create the ideal design to suit any space by working with our clients and really listening to them. Only then can we achieve a solution that our clients are guaranteed to love.
Our 'signature style' is to bring out your signature style, even if you've not discovered it yet.
With a small, dedicated team and plenty of experience, Lewis Knox was born.
Our aim is to do things differently.
2.30pm - 3.00pm
Karen Haller: Better Design Through Human Behaviour
How can a better understanding of human behaviour help designers make better design decisions?
Every design decision shapes human experience. Looking at design through the lens of human behaviour offers another perspective on how people experience and respond to the spaces we create.
Join organisational psychologist and TEDx Speaker Marc Prats and Karen Haller for a relaxed but focused conversation exploring what influences human behaviour, how this understanding can inform design decisions, and the role colour plays in shaping the way people experience a space.
Guests will leave with a fresh perspective on the relationship between colour, design and human behaviour, and new questions to take into their future projects.
3.00pm - 3.45pm
Design Your Ideal Design Business by Larsen Architecture
Every designer's definition of success is different. Discover how to build a business that's uniquely yours.
There is no single model for a successful design practice, particularly when the person behind the business is also its greatest point of difference.
Architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham and organisational psychologist and TEDx Speaker Marc Prats will explore personality, value, working style and the choices that shape a business over time.
This inward-looking session is designed to help designers recognise what makes their approach distinctive, attract clients who value it and build a practice that supports the life and work they actually want.
4.00pm - 4.45pm
Colour Through the Designer’s Eye: Panel Discussion
What makes one designer embrace bold colour while another champions restraint? Hear the thinking behind both.
No two designers use colour in quite the same way. This panel brings together an exceptional group of interior designers whose work demonstrates distinctly different approaches to colour, from restraint and balance to confidence, contrast and atmosphere.
Hosted by architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham, the conversation will move beyond palettes and trends to explore the judgement, instinct and experience behind the finished space.
Meet the panel:
Simon Mayhew
Founder & Creative Director, TXTURED
Simon Mayhew is the Founder and Creative Director of TXTURED, an interior design studio based in Cheshire and London.
He leads the creative direction of the studio,
creating characterful interiors defined by materiality, texture and considered detail. His work spans residential and commercial projects across the UK, with a particular interest
in transitional design and the role scent plays in shaping the experience of a space.
Peter Grech
Founder and Principal Designer,
https://www.thespacemaker.net/
Peter Grech is the creative force behind The SpaceMaker Interiors Ltd, a Cheshire interior design studio known for creating deeply personal, beautifully layered homes.
For Peter, great interior design begins long before the choice of a fabric or paint colour. It starts with understanding a space — its architecture, proportions, light and possibilities — and then understanding the people who will inhabit it. From there, every element is considered: the flow of the rooms, the rhythm of joinery, the tactility of materials, the quality of craftsmanship and the quieter details that give a home its character.
Eunice Aubert
Creative Director, EA Design
https://www.euniceaubertdesign.com/
EA Design was founded by Creative Director Eunice Aubert, whose global experiences living in places like Hong Kong and Australia have shaped her deep appreciation for art, culture, and design. With a strong foundation in art and a passion for interiors that she has been pursuing since 2016, Eunice is dedicated to creating spaces that balance timeless elegance with personal stories.
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Lisa Barnes
Interior Design Director, Emmie B Interiors
https://www.emmiebinteriors.co.uk/
As Interior Design Director, I am passionate about creating spaces that are not only beautiful but also personal, practical and meaningful. I believe great design is about understanding how people live and creating interiors that reflect their personality, lifestyle and individual needs.
I enjoy working closely with clients and my design team, guiding each project from the initial ideas through to the finished space. With a keen eye for detail and passion for colour, texture and materials, my aim is to create thoughtful and inspiring interiors that clients can truly enjoy for years to come.
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10.30 - 11.00am
Opening Keynote:
Change, Confidence and What's Next
Join Marc Prats as he officially opens Day Two, exploring the ideas, opportunities and changes shaping the future of design.
This opening keynote marks the beginning of Day Two at Talk Space, bringing the focus to the future of design and the opportunities shaping the interiors industry.
Marc Prats will introduce the day's theme and set the scene for a programme of conversations exploring innovation, technology, business growth and the changing role of today's interior designer.
Whether you're joining us for a single session or spending the day in Talk Space, this opening keynote is the perfect way to start Day Two.
11.15am - 12.15pm
Problem-Solving Revolution How Smart Home Tech Can Optimise Interior Design
The Interior Design Business Podcast explores the opportunities smart home technology creates for today's designers.
In this talk, we’ll explore how smart home technology is transforming the world of interior design. By embracing innovative technology solutions, designed and installed by CEDIA home technology professionals, interior designers can overcome many of the aesthetic, space optimisation and lifestyle challenges they face. Find out how the latest lighting and shading, audio-visual, wi-fi and automation systems can be properly integrated to enhance contemporary and period design schemes, minimising clutter and optimising the living space, inside and outside the home.
Jeff Hayward, presenter of The Interior Design Business podcast, hosts a conversation to look at real-world projects where the collaboration between smart tech integrator and interior designer has created beautiful, elegant homes, loved by designers and their clients.
12.45pm - 1.15pm
The Industry in 2027: Exhibitor Panel Discussion
What will define the interiors industry in 2027?
Hear directly from the people helping shape it.
The strongest design relationships are built through a deeper understanding of the people, thinking and expertise behind the products being specified.
This conversation brings together Design Central exhibitors working across surfaces, flooring, fabrics, finishes and other specialist areas to discuss what they are seeing in the market, how designers’ priorities are changing and what may shape the industry in 2027.
It is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the businesses influencing the materials and products entering future projects.
Meet the panel:
Alex Bridgman
CEO, Bridgman
Since 1977, family-run Bridgman has crafted luxury indoor and outdoor furniture, from handmade-to-order sofa collections to the UK's original fully waterproof outdoor cushions. Now in its third generation, Bridgman supplies both discerning homeowners and trade clients — including hoteliers, spas, care operators and designers — through five UK showrooms and a dedicated commercial division
Rob Geddes
Founder, Geddes Hardwood
Geddes Hardwood is a specialist wood flooring company founded by Robert Geddes in 2016. Drawing on extensive hands-on experience in installation, restoration and finishing, we work closely with interior designers, architects and homeowners to create carefully considered, tailor-made wood flooring. We are also proud partners of Austrian manufacturer mafi, recognised globally for its exceptional natural and sustainable timber floors.
Steve Downend
Brand Ambassador, Warwick Fabrics
Supplying the trade for over 35 years, WarwickFabrics is a fabric house that is proudly South African owned and shaped by British design expertise. Led by a design team with genuine colourist backgrounds, the Warwick library is defined by quality, texture and individuality — sourced from trusted makers around the world. Home to core fabric families of linens and velvets, weaves and chenilles – all bolstered by Signature collections for that special touch of design.
1.30 - 2.00pm
Patrick Grant - Guest Speaker
The Future of Design
Patrick's career in fashion has spanned almost two decades. In that time he has rebuilt the Saville Row tailor Norton & Sons, relaunched E.Tautz, for which we won Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, and built the most successful designer collaboration in Debenham's history with Hammond & Co. He has worked with some of the world's best known brands including Cartier, Rolls Royce, Lotus, BMW, Mercedes, The Macallan, Chivas Regal, Barbour, Christian Louboutin, and Alexander McQueen.
His campaigning clothes brand Community Clothing supports local clothing and textile manufacturers across the UK and Patrick is an outspoken advocate for radical change in the fashion and clothing industry, for moving beyond sustainable to circular and regenerative.
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2.30 - 3.00pm
Natasha Marshall: Craft, Colour and the Future of Design
Join architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham in conversation with Natasha Marshall, textile and colour designer, artist and printmaker, for a thoughtful discussion on what the future of design could look like.
With over 25 years’ experience creating textiles for residential, hospitality and commercial interiors, Natasha brings a rich perspective on colour, pattern, craftsmanship and the creative process. Her work has included fabrics and wallcoverings for leading designers, architects and brands including Liberty, John Lewis, Conran and Hilton, alongside her own collections designed and manufactured in the UK.
This conversation will explore the value of curiosity, observation and human creativity in a rapidly changing industry, from the emotional power of colour and pattern to the importance of making, manufacturing and choosing the right craft partners for a project.
Rather than looking at the future of design purely through technology or trends, Ryan and Natasha will consider what design must continue to protect: individuality, craftsmanship, human connection and the stories that make spaces feel meaningful.
3.00 - 3.45pm
Marketing and Personal Brands for Designers by Larsen Architecture
The right clients choose designers they trust. Discover how to build a brand that attracts them.
This is not generic marketing advice adapted for the design industry. It is a session for designers, led by people who run a design practice and understand the reality of building visibility around highly personal, creative work.
Architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham and organisational psychologist and TEDx Speaker Marc Prats will examine how clients assess designers, what builds trust before the first conversation and how a clear personal brand can attract people who understand the value of the work, respect the process and are prepared to invest in it.
4.00pm - 4.30pm
The Future of Design: Open Conversation and Q&A
Bring your questions, share your perspective and shape the conversation as Talk Space comes to a close.
Design Central founder Cath McCubbin, architect & interior designer Ryan Wenham and organisational psychologist and TEDx Speaker Marc Prats will close the event with an open conversation shaped by the ideas, questions and challenges raised across both days.
Guests will have the opportunity to ask direct questions about their businesses, careers and the wider industry, drawing on the experience in the room and exploring what the future of Design Central and the design profession could look like.
Ryan Wenham, Architect and Marc Prats
Organisational Psychologist & TEDx Speaker
