Our third foray into the London Design Festival saw us take in the main two umbrella events, 100% Design at Earls Court and Tent London on the other side of town in the Truman Brewery. Both were significantly smaller this year (100% took up just one of the two halls it usually occupies). Tent felt a bit thin on the ground, but 100% benefitted from being smaller - the edit seemed more considered and the layout made more sense.
The same could be said for the festival as a whole. Things either felt a little disparate and thrown together or carefully curated to make sense of what's happening in design at the moment on a wider scale. Strict organisation around just two 'hubs', one in the east and one in the west, would be our advice to improve the coordination next year.
These are the things that caught our eye
Part Two
Halfway through the London Design Festival and, blessed with good weather, spirits are high. The second instalment saw us take in Tom Dixon's 'The Dock' and much of the Brompton Design district in the west of the city. Dixon created another 'hub' around his new premises at Portobello Dock and, though there were one or two notable highlights, we came away feeling it could have been a fifth of the size. Around the V&A things are curated a little better - Libby Sellers' showing of Dick Van Hoff's work in an old car park is exceptional and Nina Tolstrup's Pallet invasion of Jacqueline Rabun's showroom is ethereal, imaginative and well worth the wander to Hyde Park Corner...
The Pallet Project at Jacqueline Rabun
Elements by Dick Van Hoff at Libby Sellers
Part One
Much as we love design and London, the London Design Festival has in the past left us a little cold. Not through lack of effort, more by dint of the city’s scale and lack of coordination between events.
This year promised much though, according to Ben Evans, festival director, who answered our quibbles back in May. And after a gentle amble around town on the opening weekend, it does seem like things might be different this year – more coherent as a citywide event, more things of more substance, and above all, more things open at the start of the week so more time to cover it. These are our highlights thus far….
Designers in Residence at the Design Museum
Max Lamb at Johnson Trading Gallery
Size + Matter installations by Shigeru Ban and Marc Newson
The Tournament by Jaime Hayon, Trafalgar Square
Sori Yanagi tableware at Labour & Wait
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This compact gym by Cassina and Technogym takes up less than one square metreGiulia Foscari's Ottagono becomes a compact gym created with Cassina and Technogym, which just made its debut at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc
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Dutch Design Awards 2025 honour a new generation of creativesRecognising the use of AI as a design tool, social commentary, and new materials, this year’s Dutch Design Awards go to Vera van der Burg; Willem de Haan; and Marten van Middelkoop and Joost Dingemans of Plasticiet
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The return of Genghis Cohen: LA’s cult Chinese diner lives onThe 1980s Chinese-American landmark returns with red booths, neon nostalgia, and a fresh dose of Hollywood eccentricity
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Aram Gallery spotlights a pioneering material that could be upholstered furniture’s less toxic futureAt Aram Gallery for London Design Festival 2025, eight designers experiment with EcoLattice’s 3D-printed foam to showcase the material’s comfort, creativity, and everyday use
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These benches are made from £2.5m worth of shredded banknotesYou could be sitting on a fortune this London Design Festival, as the Bank of England Museum explores the creative repurposing of waste with furniture made from decommissioned banknotes
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Material Matters: Grant Gibson reflects on his popular design fair, about to open at LDF 2025As Material Matters returns to London Design Festival from 17-21 September, we catch up with founder Grant Gibson to learn more about crucial material conversations in contemporary design
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London Design Festival 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* teamFrom 11-21 September, London is celebrating design in all its forms. Here's the latest news, launches and other goings-on from London Design Festival 2025, as seen by Wallpaper* editors
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A family home turns into an immersive exhibition space for London Design FestivalCeramicist Emma Louise Payne displays design in domestic surrounds for group show ‘The Objects We Live By’
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Ramzi Mallat’s London Design Festival installation is a bittersweet ode to BeirutCreated as a memorial to the 2020 Beirut Port Blast, Mallat's ‘Not Your Martyr’ installation at the V&A (until 19 October 2025) is made of 260 colourful glass ma’amouls
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A travelling exhibition of chairs hits the road for London Design Festival 2025Organised by Design Everything, ‘A Seat at the Table’ travels to different venues in the city, where the chairs support communal events
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The David Collins Foundation celebrates creativity in all its forms at London Design FestivalThe David Collins Foundation presents ‘Convergence’ at the Lavery during London Design Festival 2025 (on view until 19 September), featuring works from the Arts Foundation’s annual Futures Awards
