Mainly doing this post so I can remember everything I need to see… Only half joking, but there’s lots going on in the capital for London Design Festival 2024 this year. Here’s my pick of the best exhibitions and events, from new product launches from my favourite brands to design studio open-houses and the best design hubs. See you there?
Material Matters – 18-21 September, Bargehouse, Oxo Wharf Tower, SE1 9PH
Material Matters is a design fair that celebrates material possibilities, with over 50 brands, designers and makers addressing issues around the circular economy. Explore the five floors of the Oxo Tower Wharf and discover pendants made of orange peel, lamps crafted from old industrial duct pipes, ropes spun with human hair, and an installation of colourful cork columns, alongside innovations in everything from seaweed to agricultural waste. There’s also a talks programme, marketplace and learning area to encourage engagement, collaboration and debate. materialmatters.design
Image: Material Matters
Vitra and Artek present new launches – 17-21 September, Tramshed Showroom, 32 Rivington Street, EC2A 3LX
For LDF this year, Vitra and Artek will be opening up their joint showroom in the Tramshed to show their new product launches. Artek has partnered up with British designer Paul Smith to reimagine three iconic Alvar Aalto products, while Vitra is introducing Anagram, a new sofa system designed by Swiss studio Panter&Tourron. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Artek
Pierre Guariche Re-Edition by Ligne Roset – 14-22 September, 23-25 Mortimer Street, W1T 3JE
French furniture manufacturer Ligne Roset has re-launched a collection of designs by Pierre Guariche, which were first created in the 1960s. I saw the prototypes being made in the Ligne Roset factory outside Lyon so I’m excited to see the finished result. My favourite pieces are the G10 armchair and sofa with bent plywood arms, updated for today in a soft, textured boucle. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Ligne Roset
Oku by Kathleen Reilly – 14-22 September, Galleria Objets, 92 Brick Lane, E1 6RL
The Japan-based Scottish artist and metalworker Kathleen Reilly presents her first solo exhibition in Brick Lane. On show is her award-winning design Oku, a folded knife crafted in collaboration with artisans of the Tsubame-Sanjo region in Japan, alongside a collection of objects from the UK and Japan that inspired the design. There’s also a pop-up shop and cafe at the front of the gallery with a selection of items from Tsubame-Sanjo, where you can stop for a drink and a snack if you’re getting festival fatigue. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Kathleen Reilly
Shaping the Future by Carl Hansen & Son – 16-20 September, 16A Bowling Green Lane, EC1R 0BD
See an edition of this exhibition, which was first shown at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen earlier this year. Danish furniture brand Carl Hansen & Son honours over 100 years of craftsmanship and considered design with new launches by Børge Mogensen and Rikke Frost, as well as a celebration of the 110th anniversary of Hans J. Wegner. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Carl Hansen & Son
Toogood Openhouse by Faye Toogood – 17-20 September, 150 Royal College Street, NW1 0TA
One not to be missed – get a peek inside the working studio of Faye Toogood and her creative, avant-garde team. For LDF, Toogood will be showing new furniture designs, including their first upholstered furniture collection titled GUMMY, entirely made in Britain using natural and sustainable materials. You can also catch Toogood at Poltona Frau in Brompton Design District with an immersive, tactile installation called ‘A Squashed Space’. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Toogood
Light in Motion – 13-22 September, The Art House, E2 9AP
Part of Shoreditch Design Triangle, Light in Motion brings together a group of innovative artists, designers and engineers, all creating work concerned with the interplay between light, space, movement and time. The pieces are connected by a fascination with the power of nature, from river bio-matter captured in metal frames, to an installation inspired by light filtering through trees, and a circular wall light that subtly changes with the moon’s cycles. lightinmotion.show
Image: Relative Distance
The Wax Building – 14-22 September, 4 Garden Walk, EC2A 3EQ
A new design hub for independent British design brands, housed in an old Victorian factory that was once used for waxing and shellacking furniture. Here you’ll find modular sofas by Raw Edges Studio for Cozmo, reimagined mid-century furniture by Tamart and new lighting from Minimalux. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Cozmo
Proof of Concept – 20-22 September, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3EY
Shoreditch Design Triangle seems to be where it’s at this year! This exhibition showcases the work of ten multi-disciplinary designers and studios, including Jan Hendzel, Emma Louise Payne and David Irwin, alongside UK furniture brands Origin and Deadgood. The focus is on the design process, with prototypes, concept sketches and models showing products that didn’t make it into production or designs that are yet to see the light of day. Don’t miss the pop-up restaurant by Newcastle-based Cook House and Long Friday. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Proof of Concept
Somer – 20-21 September, 4B Orsman Road, N1 5QJ
Meet Somer, a new UK furniture brand founded by William Floyd Maclean and based in Frome, Somerset. With a focus on circular design and a hope for a low carbon future, they’ve created a timber modular furniture system that can be easily de-mounted, moved and used again. The green freestanding kitchen instantly caught my eye! londondesignfestival.com
Image: Elliot Sheppard Photography, Somer
The Art of Seating: Miyazaki Chair, Aram – 14-22 September, 110 Drury Lane, WC2B 5SG
Design destination Aram is celebrating the craftsmanship of Japanese design with a showcase of furniture brand Miyazaki. Founded in 1969 in Tokushima, the Miyazaki Chair workshop creates mid-century style designs that fuse a Danish aesthetic with skilled Japanese manufacturing. On show will be two new launches – the DC11 dining chair and the Tsumuji side chair – as well as 12 other pieces, all available exclusively in the UK from Aram. aram.co.uk
Image: Stephanie Mathias Photography, courtesy of Aram
Celebrating Colour by Rose Uniacke – 14-21 September, 103 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8LP
Every interior designer’s favourite designer, Rose Uniacke has unveiled 20 new paint colours with Graphenstone, adding to her already 40-strong paint palette. There’s Seaweed, a deep and earthy green; Blueberry, a moody and dramatic military blue; and Flower Pot, a warm brown with rich caramel undertones. The collection is 100% natural and chemical free, and can be seen at the Rose Uniacke showroom during LDF. londondesignfestival.com
Image: Rose Uniacke
Are you planning on going to London Design Festival 2024?
