What to see and do at London Design Festival 2024 - the expanded edit

With so much set to take place across the capital between 14 and 22 September, it can be difficult to decide where to go and what to see. Thankfully, we’re here to point you in the right direction. These are are our expanded highlights, but for more detail on this year’s biggest installations, be sure to pick up the latest issue of ELLE Decoration.

‘Making Room’, Brompton Road

Andu Masebo and Mikey Krzyzanowski’s project is a gathering space, events venue, reading room, and packed programme of free daily workshops. ‘Knowing how to make things connects us with the world in a different way. The cars on the street, the objects in our homes, all of the ‘things’ around us have a story, one that is often hidden. Design is a language we can learn,’ says Masebo (pictured right), whose new furniture collection will serve as a functional backdrop to the eight days of events (turn up on 14 September and you can help him make some of the benches). andumasebo.com

Material Matters, Oxo Tower Wharf

Now in its third year, this show that runs from 18-21 September will once again bring together brands, designers, makers and innovators who investigate materials and their ability to shape our lives. Among them is Studio Sanne Visser, whose work explores the possibilities of human hair, and Finnish designer Mari Koppanen, whose spongy ‘Trapetsi’ lamps are made from amadou, a form of fungi (pictured) – a reminder that applications for mushrooms are continuously evolving. materialmatters.design

‘Artek Reimagined’, the Tramshed

Finnish company Artek is showcasing three iconic pieces reimagined by revered fashion designer Paul Smith. Originally conceived by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, the ‘Stool 60’, ‘Screen 100’ and ‘Coat Rack 109’ have been given a makeover by the quintessentially British creative genius, with each piece infused with his distinctive visual style. If you’re expecting the same bright, punchy colours that appear across Smith’s clothing lines however, you’ll be surprised; this range features a limited palette of subtly different wood stains. artek.fi

‘New Perspective’, The Conran Shop

Curator Stella Smith has sought out some of the most exciting new design talents across textiles, woodwork, sculpture and photography for a new exhibition at The Conran Shop’s Sloane Square flagship store. The focus is the overlapping worlds of art and design, but as Mark Upstone, the brand’s head of creative adds, ‘Sir Terence Conran was always passionate about supporting young creatives,’ and this show continues that legacy. theconranshop.com

Somer, Tuscany Wharf

Catch the launch of hip new modular-cabinet company Somer, which is open ing near Haggerston. Created by Frome-based carpentry and architectural joinery specialist William Floyd Maclean (whom you might recognise from his work with architecture studio EBBA), Somer promises to be ‘a new furniture brand built for the circular economy and a low-carbon future’. At its three-day showcase (19-21 September), you’ll have the opportunity to uncover its 100 per cent solid-timber freestanding kitchen systems. somerfurniture.com

‘A Squashed Space’, Poltrona Frau

Walk past Italian design maestro Poltrona Frau’s Chelsea flagship during LDF and you might not recognise the usually serene showroom, as British designer Faye Toogood has transformed it with this new installation. The theatrical display frames the new ‘Squash’ collection of furniture and features irregularly shaped cuts of quilted leather (made from surplus offcuts) draped from wooden totems to form hanging partitions in place of walls or doors. Toogood says that the space ‘embraces you, with the glee of a child’s blanket fort’. poltronafrau.com

‘Pavilions of Wonder’, The Strand

Barbie turns 65 this year, and the fuchsia-hued fantasy continues this September at London Design Festival. Nina Tolstrup – one half of interior-design agency Studiomama – has created a landmark installation that will turn the Strand into a surreal playground: a trio of plywood dreamhouses. ‘Modernist architecture from Palm Springs was the driving force behind this creation, but all the pavilions have elements of play, imagination or surprise,’ says Tolstrup. studiomama.com

‘Origata’ collection, Porro

At its Coal Drops Yard store (part of the King’s Cross design district) heritage Italian furniture maker Porro will present this new collection by Japanese designer Nao Tamura. In the mix will be the ‘Origata’ console (pictured), the production of which is inspired by the manufacturing process used to make kimonos. porro.com

‘40 years of Bill Amberg Studio’, White Collar Factory

This retrospective of the master of leather’s work includes the ‘Rocket Bag’, which holds a place in the permanent collections of both London’s V&A and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as early collaborations with leading British designers such as Tom Dixon and Paul Smith. Visitors will also be able to delve into Amberg’s cabinet of curiosities, discover never-before-seen prototypes and experiments, and preview a new chair designed in collaboration with New York-based Elizabeth Roberts Architects. billamberg.com

‘The Art of Seating: Miyazaki Chair’, Aram

12 of Japanese brand Miyazaki Chair Factory’s most iconic fine oak and walnut designs, all of which are available exclusively at the retailer, will be on display for LDF. Two new pieces will also make their debut: the three-legged ‘Tsumuji’ chair and the ‘DC11’ dining chair (pictured) with its sloping arms. aram.co.uk

‘Craft x Tech Tohoku Project’, V&A Consort Gallery

Of the many V&A exhibitions for LDF, our pick is ‘Craft x Tech Tohoku Project’, an initiative that aims to bridge the gap between craft and technology. Six well-known international designers (including Sabine Marcelis and Ini Archibong) have collaborated with six brands based in Tohoku (a region of Japan’s Honshu Island) to create artworks that express both the history and future potential of woodwork, pottery, lacquerware, ironmongery and textiles. vam.ac.uk

‘Vert’ installation, Chelsea College of Arts

Created by industrial-design studio Diez Office in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and climate-farming specialists OMCºC and situated in the college’s Parade Ground, ‘Vert introduces a massive amount of plants into the city for a short period of time,’ says Diez Office’s founder Stefan Diez. During London Design Festival, visitors will be able to gather under the sheltered canopy and relax. For Diez, the plant-filled structure is a largely unexplored solution to help cool overheating cities, while simultaneously providing serene green spaces and enhancing urban biodiversity. diezoffice.com

‘Foraged’, SoShiro Gallery

Helis Heiter, the artist and co-founder of design agency Heiter X, is constructing an edible tablescape designed to encourage visitors to reassess their relationship with food. ‘By integrating elements such as foraged plants, natural materials and sacred spaces, “Foraged” aims to reconnect guests with the origins of their food and the environment, promoting sustainability and mindful consumption,’ Heiter explains. Meditative spaces, a zen soundscape and accompanying aromas will complete the sensory installation. soshiro.co

‘The Heart of the Matter’, SCP

SCP’s Curtain Road outpost is something of a hotbed over the design week. This year, the likes of Philippe Malouin and Matthew Hilton have created new pieces of sustainable upholstered furniture for the store, while Erwan Bouroullec will present the new ‘Arba’ chair for Raawii (pictured). Accompanying the exhibition are two in-house Design Residencies, by artist Daniel Eatock and design duo Sons of Beasley. Both have fully functioning workshops where they will develop, in front of visitors’ eyes. scp.co.uk

‘Proof of Concept’, 83 Rivington Street

If you’ve ever wondered how architects, designers and makers develop an idea from concept to realisation, this is for you. A glittering roster of multidisciplinary participants, from British designer Daniel Schofield (pictured) to architecture practice Studio Mutt and furniture designer and maker David Irwin, will display projects, revealing the production secrets that are often hidden behind closed doors. 83rivingtonstreet.com

‘Duo’ installation, Royal Naval College

Turkish artist and designer Melek Zeynep’s second in a trio of installations plays with our understanding of perception and space, and will occupy the Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall during London Design Festival. Comprised of an acrylic foundation, her installation features magnets and sensors that are strategically placed within the walls and actively repel each other. These interact with visitors, incorporating them into the structure. ‘Imagine it like a body: our bodies are fundamentally not a solid mass, but sensors that perceive and respond to stimuli. We have sensory receptors in our fingertips that allow us to feel textures, heat and cold,’ explains Zeynep. ‘Similarly, “Duo” conceptually treats space as a kind of mechanical body.’ melekzeynep.com

MillerKnoll opening, Clerkenwell

The first store to house super brands Knoll, Herman Miller and Maharam under one roof outside of the United States opens in St John’s Square just in time for London Design Festival. Stop by to see a combination of new and iconic products on show, including recently re-coloured Bauhaus-era classics. millerknoll.com

‘Chair and its Fragments’, Rialto

The newly launched Rialto design hub in Hackney Downs Studios is playing host to another newcomer, Objets Mito, the gallery founded in May of this year by sculptor, designer and scientist Abid Javed. The star of the show is this clay chair (pictured) whose surrealist form is inspired by the organic shapes of genetic elements inside the mitochondria. A thing of beauty and a lesson in biology, the piece will be displayed alongside complementary objects. objetsmito.com

‘Off the Shelf’, Olympia London

Ever since decorating exhibition Decorex moved its timings away from London Design Festival, there has been little reason to head for Olympia, but the once-rocking Kensington venue is currently undergoing a major transformation. It’s scheduled for completion in early 2025, but enjoy a taste of what’s to come as it hosts its first-ever LDF pavilion, designed by Rio Kobayashi (pictured second from right) and inspired by the site’s architecture and the traditional Japanese wooden homes of his childhood. olympia.co.uk

‘Biophilic’ collection, Tai Ping

Comprised of 16 rugs that draw on organic forms and landscapes, Tai Ping’s ‘Biophilic’ and ‘Biophilic Series for Studio’ ranges have natural colours, raw materials and soothing patterns. The organic fibres, backing and latex in these undyed rugs are chosen to minimise their impact on the environment. They will be on show inside the company’s Fulham Road showroom, where craftsman Sebastian Cox has added site-specific bespoke wooden installations. taipingcarpets.com

‘Spectrum’, Hart Shoreditch

Colour has been at the heart of London-based design studio 2LG since its inception in 2014, and it forms the core of the studio’s new exhibition, ‘Spectrum’, at local hotel Hart Shoreditch. Visitors will embark on an immersive journey through the hotel with a soundscape by composer Quentin Lachapèle, evocative scents, works by digital artist Lucy Hardcastle and objects by 3D-printing pioneer Sheyn that are upholstered in vibrant eco textiles and vegan leather. hartshoreditch.com