What to do and see at London Design Festival 2024
The London Design Festival 2024 kicks off this week, running from 14 to 22 September across 11 design districts throughout the capital, from William Morris Design Line to Greenwich Peninsula. In its 22nd edition, the festival presents a dynamic programme of installations, exhibitions, workshops, talks, and product launches. Celebrating a spirit of collaboration and innovation, it caters to both industry professionals and the general public. Here are 20 must-see highlights to make the most of this year's London Design Festival.
Nina Tolstrup: Pavilions of Wonder
Pavilions of Wonder created by Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama.
#FLODown: The Pavilions of Wonder, created by Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama and presented by Mattel’s Barbie® and Visit Greater Palm Springs, is a striking installation that will be located on the Strand Aldwych throughout the London Design Festival. It blends the iconic Barbie DreamHouse with Greater Palm Springs' midcentury modernism through three interactive pavilions. Celebrating Barbie's 65th anniversary, the installation highlights the evolution of DreamHouse architecture and Palm Springs' design legacy. Visitors can explore gardens, historical vignettes, and vibrant effects, with the pavilions offering unique daytime experiences and enchanting illuminated displays at night.
Date: 14 - 22 September 2024. Location: Strand Aldwych, London WC2R 1ES. londondesignfestival.com.
Melek Zeynep Bulut: Duo
Rendering of Melek Zeynep Bulut’s Duo installation at Old Royal Naval College, London Design Festival 2024.
#FLODown: Melek Zeynep Bulut’s installation, Duo, at The Old Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall, is a rectangular prism that explores duality and interaction. Its minimalist design suggests ancient forms and creates a sense of psychological closeness. An intricate system of magnets and sensors achieves a delicate balance and rhythmic harmony, allowing the viewer’s presence to influence the installation's spatial motion and rhythm. Duo embodies the concept of 'two' through the dynamic interplay between centre and periphery, offering a multi-sensory experience that evolves with viewer interaction.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: Painted Hall, The Old Royal Naval College, London, SE10 9NN. ornc.org.
Future Observatory: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe
Tomorrow’s Wardrobe is a free display at the Design Museum, exploring sustainable and stylish futures for fashion. Ahluwalia SS24. Ahluwalia.
#FLODown: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe is a free display at the Design Museum, exploring sustainable and stylish futures for fashion. This is the second exhibit in the museum’s new space dedicated to environmental design research, curated by Future Observatory, the museum’s national research programme for the green transition. The display features a diverse range of designers, including Ahluwalia, Stella McCartney and Phoebe English, who are transforming how clothes are created and worn. It addresses the significant environmental impact of the fashion industry and highlights innovative solutions such as upcycling, recycling, and advanced technology. Tomorrow’s Wardrobe showcases urgent research and innovation aimed at rethinking the fashion industry's practices.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: The Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG. designmuseum.org.
Marina Willer: Overlooked 2.0
Image credit: Marina Willer.
#FLODown: Marina Willer's acclaimed drain cover prints, now in the V&A permanent collection, return with a new series titled Overlooked 2.0. This collection features vibrant patterns and fluorescent colours, screen printed by Dan Mather on coloured paper. Celebrating London's street covers, the series highlights their intricate designs despite their industrial purpose. Inspired by 19th-century rubbing techniques, Mather’s hand-printed works showcase the decorative and functional aspects of these objects. The new series is more diverse and colourful than the original, with 20 limited edition B1 silkscreen prints available for purchase at the exhibition.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: Unit 210, Borough Yards, London, SE1 9AD. londondesignfestival.com.
Protest by Design
Protest by Design explores contemporary design's role in freedom of speech, public space, and social change.
#FLODown: Praxis N16 Studios presents Protest by Design, an exhibition exploring contemporary design’s role in freedom of speech, public spaces, and social change. Alongside the exhibition, their 16 studios will be open to the public, showcasing a diverse range of work from artists, musicians, designers, and more. Founded 23 years ago in a converted Victorian warehouse, Praxis has become a hub for community engagement, hosting exhibitions, performances, and workshops.
Date: 14 — 20 September 2024. Location: Praxis N16 Studios, First Floor, 3-9 Belfast Road, London, N16 6UN. londondesignfestival.com.
Pauline Loctin: Flying in Nuanced Colours
Pauline Loctin, in collaboration with G.F Smith, unveils Flying in Nuanced Colours at Uncommon Holborn.
#FLODown: As part of London Design Week 2024, artist Pauline Loctin, in collaboration with G.F Smith, unveils Flying in Nuanced Colours at Uncommon Holborn. The large-scale paper sculpture installation merges traditional origami with contemporary art, showcasing the popular shades of Chartreuse and Hot Pink, surrounded by 6ft trees and greenery. Loctin and G.F Smith will also host paper-folding masterclasses in September 2024. A workshop on 14 September will introduce children to origami, while a session on 17 September will explore paper folding with breathwork, music, and modern techniques.
Click here to discover more about Flying in Nuanced Colours.
Ethical Colour
Ethical Colour, an interactive display and ongoing research project that promotes climate-positive and regenerative colour sources.
#FLODown: Ethical Colour by Colour of Saying is an interactive display and ongoing research project that promotes climate-positive and regenerative colour sources. As part of the London Design Festival, it showcases progressive colour-makers working across design disciplines, with a focus on circular systems and innovative practices. Featured artists and studios include Jesse Adler, Colorifix, and Slow Painting Studio, exploring themes such as waste reincorporation, pollution, and biotech solutions. Hosted at Switchboard Studios, the event also includes hands-on workshops on natural colour-making techniques using PH colour change and plant-based dyes.
Date: 19 - 22 September 2024. Location: Switchboard Studios, Unit 50, Uplands Business Park, Uplands Entrance B, Blackhorse Lane, London, E17 5QJ. londondesignfestival.com.
The Objects Pantry: Stoke Newington
The Objects Pantry by Flawk is a collaborative exhibition showcasing refined home objects crafted by emerging local designers.
#FLODown: Flawk's The Objects Pantry is a collaborative exhibition showcasing refined home objects crafted by emerging local designers, including Alexandra Arias, Josh Page, and others. This exhibition is part of an ongoing series aimed at fostering local creativity and community connections. Alongside the exhibit, Flawk will host two experiential supper clubs: FOODClub for dinner on 14 September and Mm Rasa for a 'Sunday Roast' lunch on 15 September, blending art, food, and design to enhance social interaction.
Date: 19 — 22 September 2024. Location: Flawk, The Objects Pantry: Stoke Newington, Rear of 188 Stoke Newington High Street, Lawrence Buildings Road, London, N16 7JD. londondesignfestival.com.
Vert by Diez Office in partnership with OMC°C
Vert Rendering. Photo: Diez Office.
#FLODown: Vert is a sustainable installation located at Chelsea College of Arts' Parade Ground, constructed from eco-friendly red-oak glulam. Created in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council and designed by Diez Office, the structure incorporates a biodegradable net supporting around 20 plant species. This living ecosystem promotes biodiversity, enhances urban spaces, and offers a sheltered area for visitors. Vert also raises important questions about urban development, ecological resilience, and community engagement. The installation will remain for four weeks after the London Design Festival.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024 (4 weeks after London Design Festival). Location: Parade Ground, Chelsea College of Arts, 16 John Islip St, London, SW1P 4JU. londondesignfestival.com.
Tolerance
Mitre & Mondays explore the concept of tolerance, both socially and materially, through their 'Cafe Tolerance'.
#FLODown: Mitre & Mondays explore the concept of tolerance, both socially and materially, through their 'Cafe Tolerance' installation at the London Design Festival. Set up from the back of a Bedford Rascal van, they serve coffee at an elbow-height bar designed to spark conversation. Tolerance, in their view, is the space that allows different elements to work together, whether in design—like the fit between a cup and saucer—or in social interactions. The cafe invites visitors to reflect on what they can tolerate and what they cannot, while showcasing new designs from the studio.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: Popping up at Rivington Street, Coal Drops Yard, Brompton Design District.(Discover live location updates on @mitreandmondays. londondesignfestival.
London Design Festival at the V&A
Barricade and Beacon explores the intersection between architecture and activism.
#FLODown: The V&A’s contribution to this year’s London Design Festival includes several exciting events. Barricade and Beacon explores the intersection of architecture and activism, while the V&A Emerging Designer Commission showcases works by Arjun Singh Assa, Liang-Jung Chen, and Angela Ford. The Craft x Tech Tohoku Project merges Japanese craftsmanship with technology, and Un-hide: Reframing Luxury by Modular by Mensah presents an interactive seating series focusing on leather in contemporary design. Giles Tettey Nartey’s Communion pounding table reflects on Ghanaian domestic rituals. Additionally, a discussion on Tropical Modernism with Vikramaditya Prakash and Christopher Turner is scheduled. A preview of the programme will take place on 13 September.
Date: 14 September 2024 - 13 October 2024. Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7. vam.ac.uk.
The Juicy Booth
Juicy Booth. Photo by John Sturrock.
#FLODown: The Juicy Booth, an interactive installation by artist Annie Frost Nicholson, transforms Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross into a vibrant, multi-sensory sanctuary. Housed in the iconic K67 kiosk, the booth invites visitors to explore and release feelings of shame through a dynamic blend of colour, light, and sound. In collaboration with K67 Berlin and The Loss Project, it provides a safe space for emotional reflection, fostering openness and vulnerability.
Date: 3 September – 3 December 2024. Location: Coal Drops Yard Stable St, London N1C 4DQ. kingscross.co.uk.
POoR Collective: Powershift 2024
Together at Battersea by POor Collective at Battersea Power Station. Image by Charlie Round Turner.
#FLODown: POoR (Power Out of Restriction), who currently have an installation, Together in Battersea on display at Battersea Power Station, will showcase POWERSHIIFT as part of the London Design Festival in Brompton. This second iteration of their group exhibition will feature a diverse mix of furniture, paintings, and sculptures, celebrating the work of emerging artists, architects, and designers. Exhibitors will include Andu Masebo, Akmaral Khassen, Bisila Noha, Darren Appiagyei, Mitre & Mondays, and others.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: 33 Thurloe Place,SW7 2HQ. bromptondesigndistrict.com.
Proof of Concept
#FLODown: Proof of Concept at 83 Rivington Street showcases the work of 10 emerging multidisciplinary designers, presenting final designs alongside prototypes, sketches, and models to reveal the design process from concept to realisation. Participating designers include David Irwin, SmithMatthias, and Atelier Thirty Four. Additionally, the event features a pop-up restaurant by Cook House and Long Friday, and UK furniture brands Origin and Deadgood will display their products, blending design with functionality.
Date: 20-22 September 2024. Location: 83 Rivington Street,London EC2A 3AY. shoreditchdesigntriangle.com.
Chair of Virtue
#FLODown: Chair of Virtue, in collaboration with One Hundred Shoreditch, will showcase five sculptural chair designs by UK-based makers, featuring works by Max Lamb, Jan Hendzel Studio, Verner Panton, and Warren Platner. The exhibition will emphasise the form and design of each chair, complemented by text descriptions of the pieces and their creators.
Date: 16 — 22 September 2024. Location: One Hundred Shoreditch, 100 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JQ. onehundredshoreditch.com.
Design Everything x Kindred
#FLODown: Nineteen London-based designers are collaborating on an exhibition at Kindred, a cultural hub and record shop. Each designer has re-imagined a functional object to enhance Kindred's multifunctional space. These redesigned objects will become permanent fixtures in the shop and will be available for purchase. The exhibition, running for seven days, features a diverse range of materials and designs, including items like display tables, outdoor benches, and record dividers. This project offers insight into the designers' personal and creative practices, reflecting their engagement with Kindred's community ethos.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: Kindred, 15 Mount Pleasant, London, WC1X 0AR. designeverything.org.
Spectacle Makers
#FLODown: The exhibition showcases nine unique spectacle frames, designed by renowned creative figures including Yinka Ilori and David Shrigley, and handcrafted by Cubitts. The frames, which explore various themes such as secondary uses, anthropomorphic forms, and experimental techniques, will be on display at Cubitts Islington during the London Design Festival. The designs come from a range of disciplines including industrial design, fashion, and fine art, with contributions from creatives like Shona Heath, Faye Toogood, and Daniel Weil. These bespoke frames will be auctioned online to support the creative arts charity, Create.
Date: 14 — 22 September 2024. Location: Cubitts Islington, 56 Cross Street, Islington, London, N1 2BA. londondesignfestival.com.
William Morris Design Line Open Weekend
Blackhorse Lane Ateliers.
#FLODown: The William Morris Design Line Open Weekend will showcase design, craft, and manufacturing across Blackhorse Lane and the Argall Industrial Area in London. Visitors can explore open studios, workshops, and factories, meet local makers, and learn about their processes. Highlights include tours of Armstrong Audio, Bamboo Bicycle Club, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, and Burnt Faith Brandy House, among others. The event offers a unique chance to engage with hidden creatives, see behind-the-scenes operations, and participate in interactive workshops.
Date: 20 — 22 September 2024. Location: various locations across Blackhorse Lane and Argall Industrial Area, Blackhorse Lane and Argall Industrial Area, London, E17 and E10.
Bvlgari Hotel London x Hannah Lim
Hannah Lim x Bvlgari Hotel London Afternoon Tea.
#FLODown: Bvlgari Hotel London has partnered with sculptural artist Hannah Lim to unveil an innovative afternoon tea experience and a striking redesign of the hotel's façade. In celebration of the London Design Festival, Lim, known for blending modern and traditional elements, has crafted whimsical afternoon tea stands and matching linens inspired by Asian mythology and created a bold geometric pattern for the hotel's exterior. The afternoon tea menu, developed with Executive Pastry Chef Salvatore Mungiovino, features a fusion of Asian and European flavours, including pastries like La Fiamma and Il Pavone, reflecting Lim’s artistic vision.
The Hannah Lim x Bvlgari Hotel London Afternoon Tea will be available from 14 September in The Bvlgari Lounge, with prices starting at £90 per person. Click here for more.
Location: Bvlgari Hotel London, 171 Knightsbridge, SW7 1DW.
Tote Bag Workshop
#FLODown: At this year's London Design Festival (LDF), you can print your own tote bag for free with Samantha Foley of Scene in London. Join the fun, hands-on workshop at the R.O.S.E Community Clubroom in Wandsworth, where you can experiment with paints, rollers, and stamps. Everyone is welcome to create and take home a unique tote bag designed by you.
Date: 18 September 2024. Location: R.O.S.E Community Clubroom, 22 Ascalon St, Nine Elms, London, SW8 4AN. londondesignfestival.com.
