LIFE, DESIGN AND EXPLOSIVE COFFEE

"We're on our way to FoodMarketo's "everyday life market". It is five 'o clock, perfect coffee time, when we turn into Egerton Garden Mews, a little side street just off Brompton Road. FoodMarketo is a collaboration between the Barcelona and Milan-based "everyday life interior magazine" Apartamento and DesignMarketo, an online shop for design products, operating from East London.

Ellen nudges me. "Look, there was a coffee fortuneteller yesterday! A pity we missed that." We open the door and walk down the steep stairs. "It's the last sunny afternoon this year, and we are having coffee in a basement?!?" "Mind your head," Ellen replies.

Downstairs, we find ourselves in a fully equipped kitchen. It smells sweet, homey. "Hey, hi! How would you two like your coffee? We have pressed and espresso." I go for pressed, Ellen wants espresso. "Milk and sugar's on the table. Make yourself at home." I feel totally at home already. So does Ellen. She puts her bag down and starts up her computer. "What's the password?" I point to a little note on the table: "COFFEEANDFRIENDS."

The friendly guy who brings the coffee to our table is Jérôme Rigaud. He founded DesignMarketo with Alex Bettler a year and a half ago. The idea is that of a platform: DesignMarketo sidesteps complicated selling processes by connecting creative makers directly to their potential clients. Instead of waiting for a big buyer or producer, designers can put their designs out on the market immediately.

So, it's a lot about networking. And about friends. "COFFEE AND FRIENDS" is not only the Wifi password. It's also the theme of the exhibition set up at FoodMarketo for the London Design Festival. Jerome explains: "We sent out the brief to our friends and designers, this is what we got back from them." Two walls are covered with sundry products from various design disciplines. (...)"