QEST Alumni Bring Craft to Decorex 2026

Decorex – Europe’s leading interior design event – returns to Olympia, London this October, bringing together leading names in luxury interiors and design. QEST is delighted to once again be a partner of the show, celebrating the talent and expertise of our Alumni and highlighting the important role of craft within contemporary design.

From featuring in Making Spaces, to hosting mosaic workshops and joining a panel to discuss what it takes to build a career in craft, read on to discover all the ways QEST and our Alumni are featuring in this year’s show.

Making Spaces: Featuring Six QEST Alumni

Following the success of previous years, Making Spaces returns for 2026, providing an extraordinary platform for selected makers to demonstrate the intricate processes behind their creations while offering hands-on experiences to the interior design community.

Six QEST Alumni have been selected to take part in this year’s feature:

Cara Campbell – 2024 QEST D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Scholar
Cara is a mural artist specialising in fresco and stucco. Her QEST Scholarship supported training with master craftspeople in gilding, wood carving, plasterwork and historic painting, alongside an MA in Contemporary Crafts.

Gary Drostle – 2006 QEST Scholar
Gary is an internationally recognised mosaic artist. His QEST Scholarship supported an intensive period of study at the Orsoni Mosaic Works in Venice, helping him develop his technical skills and knowledge of mosaic art.

Zoë Wilson – 2014 QEST Arts Society Scholar
Zoë is a stone carver working in British stone. Her QEST Scholarship supported her studies in Historic Stone Carving at the City & Guilds of London Art School, building on her training in traditional stone masonry and letter carving.

Verity Pulford – 2023 QEST Britford Bridge Trust Scholar
Verity is a glass artist whose work is inspired by plants and other organisms. Her QEST Scholarship supported specialist training in casting and pâte de verre techniques, helping her develop larger-scale glass works and expand her technical practice.

Michèle Oberdieck – 2023 QEST Howdens Scholar
Michèle is a glass artist whose sculptural work draws inspiration from the natural world. Her QEST Scholarship supported further training in blown glass across the UK, Germany and USA, with a focus on colour, cane making and developing her Fantasy Plants series.

Louisa Boyd – 2023 QEST Bendicks Scholar
Louisa is a printmaker whose practice combines traditional techniques such as hand marbling and etching with contemporary paper sculpture. Her QEST Scholarship supported specialist etching training with master craftsperson Alistair Tucker, helping her develop larger and more ambitious prints.

QEST IN THE DESIGN WORKSHOPS & TALKS

Decorative borders in Mosaic with Gary Drostle

Monday 12 October, 3.30pm and Tuesday 13 October, 11.00am

QEST Scholar Gary Drostle will be leading two hands-on mosaic workshops within Making Spaces, inviting visitors to create their own mosaic border pattern while discovering the wealth of colour, pattern and style found in traditional and contemporary handmade mosaic art. Read more

Crafting the Journey: Pathways, Practice & the Business of Making

Monday 12 October, 1.00pm

QEST CEO Deborah Pocock will join a panel with Louisa Pacifico, Founder of Future Icons and Jonathan Burton, CEO of Cockpit to discuss what it takes to build a career in craft. The conversation will cover different routes into the sector, the challenges and rewards of creative practice, finding funding, building a sustainable business, connecting with the wider craft community and setting up a working studio. Deborah’s participation reflects QEST’s wider role in supporting makers and championing the importance of craft within the creative industries. Read more

Decorex 2026 takes place from 11–14 October at Olympia London, Find out more here.