London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25
London, a city of creation; a place where ideas, concepts and original ideas run wild. A location on many bucket lists, the galleries, the palaces, and the parks; world-famous destinations. As much as it is known for its history, its beauty, and its architecture, beneath the surface, its lively interior finds deep roots: a story told through design. London has always been known for its rich visual nature, but is it just a land of exteriors, or does its infrastructure say so much more? Whether it is the awe of the beauty of London Bridge, an ideal bucket list for tourists, its true sentiment was a means to facilitate troop movement and trade. Or whether it is a double-decker bus, an iconic British vehicle. London has so much more to give than what meets the eye. The London Design Festival lives to tell just that tale of how a city and design intertwine. Exploring even the cities we call our faves.
World famous, this is a city of lesser-known tourist spots, but sometimes only for a small part of the year. During the London Design Festival, parts of the city come alive with new design experiences for all to see something new, forward-thinking, and engaging
Explore London Design Locations
Shoreditch
When we think about Shoreditch, we think about the roaring nightlife, Brick Lane Curry festival, the markets or even the infamous Beigel shop. Visitors may well ponder its street art as a walk-through gallery to gaze upon, holding art from the likes of Banksy. But could there be some hidden treasures? Well, for a period of a week, it’s home to Shoreditch Design Triangle for the London Design Festival 2025. What was on show?
Ben Cullen Williams’ AI-driven Self Portrait
Ben Cullen Williams’ AI-driven Self Portrait in Shoreditch encapsulated modernity and our tech-driven new world. In collaboration with Google DeepMind and Google Arts and Culture Lab, Ben showcased how combining art installations and AI to form an AI-generated self-portrait, all influenced by Williams’ archive of personal photographs.
It enabled viewers to see their past life, through flickering images that look just like them. However, not based on their actual physical appearance but in an emotional and environmental form evoked from the pictures. Williams’ thought-provoking installation, allowing AI to create self-portraits, challenges the boundaries of self-perception,
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Ben Cullen Williams’ AI- Driven Self Portrait, 2025
2LG Studio’s You Can Sit With Us by Jordan Cluroe and Russel Whitehead
On the other side of Shoreditch, digging deeper into self, Shoreditch’s 2LG Studio’s You Can Sit With Us, curated by Jordan Cluroe and Russel Whitehead, was an installation, achieved in an underground salon setting.
A celebration of self and finding an inner voice, with its title being a deliberate message of inclusion, standing to recognise not only queerness in design, but also recognising emerging artist despite their race, gender and nationality. Taking on the shape of a dining room with a long line table, Cluroes and Whitehead’s presentation had the addition of uniquely designed chairs, crafted by each designer. Some chairs were draped in strings, and some chairs were draped in colour. However, each chair told a story of experience and the struggle to break into the design scene.
From the internal personal experience to the external projection of the personal lives of others, projected through design. Amos Goldreich is the child of two extraordinary creators whose legacy he has revisited and brought back to life long after their passing. A love story, if you like, of his family. The modernist architects and polymaths, Tamar de Shalit and Arthur Goldreich.
Arther, South African, and Tamar Israeli, Born, both had incredible solo careers, but also met together as creators. Both powerful people, as well as innovators, Arthur was also a vocal anti-apartheid activist, and was later arrested in 1963 with Nelson Mandela, and he also knew amazing characters like Che Guevara. Tamar was no shy retiring flower, working at IPDO, she designed the interior architecture for the court of the high-profile trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961 and other ministerial and civic design projects. From interiors to jewellery, there was little she could not accomplish.
Amos Goldreich graduated from the Architectural Association in London in 1999 and subsequently worked for renowned practices. In 2010, he founded Amos Goldreich Architecture, which focused on residential, commercial, and social projects, including a purpose-built shelter for victims of domestic violence.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Tamart furniture, 2025
In 2024, he launched Tamart, where, as Creative Director, he continues the legacy of his late parents, Arthur Goldreich and Tamar de Shalit. With a magnificent plethora of archived materials, Amos has revisited ten key pieces of mid-century wooden furniture, as well as adding the new Highgate Collection
Starting with pieces that include the three-legged Central Stool, which was originally designed by de Shalit during the 1950s as a student at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts.
The Red Rock Club Chair, Red Rock Club Stool and Red Rock Club Lounge Table originated from a series of custom designs created for the famous 1960s Red Rock Hotel and Club in Eilat during its jet-set heyday. The chair sits low to the ground, which establishes the feeling of being inside the action of the nightclub, not high up and removed, but as if the chair is part of a dancefloor, and the seated is included within the dance.
The Clore Lounge Chair, Clore Ottoman, Clore Coffee Tables and the new addition, Clore Floor Lamp, reference the private penthouse of the late philanthropist and arts patron Sir Charles Clore, whose home de Shalit designed during the 1960s.
Interestingly, there is a soft curve that runs through the collection, not obviously, but it is as if the Bauhaus buildings of Tel Aviv are ingrained within the brand DNA. Interestingly, de Shalit did live in one of these growing up.
Not far from Tamart, the exhibition, Forty, focused on distinctive design, with collections from SCP’s 2025 Collection, The Imperfect Archive, Bocci, WoodMetalPlastic and How To Live.
SCP’s multifaceted show celebrated its 40 years of commitment to quality, creativity, and sustainability. The collection spotlighted the Marcel armchair by Lucy Kurrein, the Puffer bed by Philippe Malouin, and a new compact version of the Puffer sofa. Moreover, it featured handcrafted objects with poetic storylines, material-merging projects, and much more that unveil the possibilities of design.
Brompton
You may have jumped on the tube and headed down to Brompton to get your hands on its famous, quick and easy compact bicycle, a moment of high-octane glamour of Harrods or fancied an evening in its high-end interior.
Dolce and Gabbana Casa Flagship Shop
Brompton, an area known for its high-end craftsmanship, hosted the Dolce and Gabbana Casa (home) flagship shop. Its pieces, inspired by Verde Maiolica patterns (tin-glazed pottery decorated in colours on a white background), its choice of emerald green and pure white are the perfect match to portray an elegant style with a unique Italian edge. Dolce and Gabbana adorned its pieces with this pattern on dining items and homeware.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Dolce and Gabbana Casa flagship shop, 2025
Or you may have headed down to Mirroring Dialogue, an exhibition curated by Tione Trice and Ronan McKenzie. Similar to how multicultural London is, the show was a blend of artists working from diverse worlds. Showcased at 36 Thurloe Place, Trice collaborated with Ronan McKenzie, fusing afrocentric art pieces by Myles Igwebuike and Darren Appiagyei.
This show unveiled the thoughts and feelings of creators that can only be explained from an artistic perspective. Mirroring Dialogue was welcomed as a safe space where artist voices could be heard. Mirroring Dialogue enticed its audience with its unique take on vases and pottery, each being carved with care, creating pieces that were authentic with a touch of Africa.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Mirroring Dialogue Exhibition, 2025
Soft Worlds, Sharp Edges by Studio Charlotte Taylor
Soft Worlds, Sharp Edges by Studio Charlotte Taylor debuted her first Solo exhibition at Brompton Design District. Standing for all women, Taylor invited 30 female designers for an iconic display of stripped-down installations of a bedroom, tearing it of its flawless aesthetic, symbolising the harsh realities of female design and authorship.
The exhibition balanced soft, gentle elements like textiles, intimate spaces, vulnerability, with harder, sharper ones like steel furniture, strong geometric shapes, and contrasts.
The set-up of the interior was treated as a stage. It was not just a set-up; every position of each object was intentional, from the materials used down to the lighting. It was a ground that revealed something about identity and power. Taylor used the voices of these 30 women designers to fight against the stereotypes, creating delicate designs by displaying something sharper and politically focused.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25,Soft Worlds, Sharp Edges by Studio Charlotte Taylor, 2025
Heal, Home, Hmmm by Roo Kaur Dhissou
The deeper you could have gone into Brompton, you would have found Roo Kaur Dhissou’s Heal, Home, Hmmm event, where comfy clay furniture integrated with a sound system, built to soothe the soul, whilst absorbing the sound around it.
In collaboration with sound artist Oliver Romoff, they aimed to embrace Punjabi mud building techniques. The item’s core purpose was to explore how care and environmental assets matter in the structures we build physically and socially. The interior drew the audience in with its attention to detail, transforming such an ancient method into something beautiful and modern.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Heal, Home, Hmmm by Roo Dhissou, 2025
The Objects We Live By Emma Louise Payne
Tucked just moments from the edges of Hyde Park, designer Emma Louise Payne opened the doors of her London atelier last week to unveil The Objects We Live By, a close Knit exhibition that blurred the line between art gallery and domestic space. Rather than presenting design as something to admire from a distance, Payne invited visitors into a setting where objects were lived with, not simply looked at.
Held in the lower ground floor of Seventy Six Payne’s working showroom and creative base, the exhibition brought together a carefully curated lineup of artists and designers, including Atelier Thirty Four, B.C. Joshua, Brogan Cox x Nat Maks, Daniel Mullin, David Irwin, Gather Glass, and Granite & Smoke. Each was given their own dedicated space within the venue.
At its core, the Objects We Live By made a quiet but radical proposition: design doesn’t have to demand attention to be transformative. Sometimes, its true power emerges not in grand gestures, but in how it coexists with us intimately and every day.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, The Objects We Live by Emma Louise Payne, 2025
Bankside
Spreading along the River Thames, Bankside is a London location to explore and adore. Refuge to known favourites, Shakespeare Globe and Borough Street market, alongside the world-famous Tate Modern Art Museum, give just a hint of the excitement on offer in this riverside destination.
Amongst its many treasures lay, for the London Design Festival, the Material Matters fair, which was heavily focused on talks about material innovation.
In collaborations with The Furniture Practice, the fair offered a space for its guests to reevaluate the impacts of design and the part materials played in shaping the ecosystem.
Material Matters didn’t just focus on how perfect enough the product looked as a new addition to your home, but also on how it was made, what its background was, how it behaves after years of use and especially what its environmental attributes are. Whilst exploring the cost, for how it’s sourced, is it really worth our money? Material Matters explored sustainability on a whole new level.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Material Matters Fair, 2025
Force of The invisible by Simone Camelo
If you were looking to be at one with nature, literally, The Force of the Invisible, by Simone Camelo, inspired by the silent power of nature, explored nature in a way unseen. Simone undertook an artistic and spiritual journey to muse on vibrancies which were only felt but never seen.
With dresses made from recycled materials such as dried leaves and natural wastes (don’t worry, the good kind), the Brazilian artist used these goods as symbols for the elements of life: water, fire, air and earth.
Uniting nature, art and fashion. Garments weren’t just beautiful dresses, but a homage to the invisible forces unseen to man. Forces that keep us, with the rustling of the leaves and the shine from the waste materials. Camelo got us to see the beauty in what is deemed as rejected in society.
Inspired by the Delftware Kilns streaming alongside the Thames. The Family Friendly Paint your own replica Delftware tile in Bankside made people feel like a part of history.
The event recreated the popular Delftware designs on glazed tiles, each bringing its own personal twist. Leaving viewers with sentimental pieces made to dress homes. Those involved were immersed in history.
Love Always London by Jessica Spowart
If you have ever wanted to leave your mark on London, whilst you were wondering about its landmarks, Love Always London by Jessica Spowart had you covered. A design project proposed to send love letters to London in hopes of someone receiving them on the other end.
Love Always London was an ode to all the London lovers. The festival invited its attendees to write meaningful love letters expressing their love for London. Which would’ve then been sculptured and embedded in the city parks, open spaces and design districts, throughout the week’s duration of the festival. Displayed for all to see and spread the love. This was more than just a love letter, but a permanent memory box of the love for London.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Love Always London by Jessica Spowart, 2025
MayFair
Mayfair is known for its high-end hotels like the Ritz and unique boutiques found on Bond Street, known for its exclusive clubs and luxurious lifestyle.
Sketch and Art Design Exhibition
All were welcomed for a glance at the Sketch and Art Design in Mayfair. As a part of the Ago project, Sketch came alive with a burst of colour, usually not seen in London’s gloomy skies.
Displaying various textures, playful scales and patterns that danced around the room, was created to emulate the scenery that surrounds designer Daniel Valero’s home in Mexico. .
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Sketch and Art Exhibition, 2025
Crockery by Max Lamb + 1882 ltd
Mayfair was also home to the Crockery by Max Lamb + 1882 ltd. Opened in Gallery Fumi, The Crockery showed the raw crafts of their furniture, including every texture, form and edge. In a time where we are so used to seeing the generic designs in our living rooms, Lamb offered unique furniture designs made from just ceramic mouldings. Challenging the perception of ceramics and their fragility, transforming them into furniture for everyday use.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Crockery by Max Lamb,2025
Fleet Street, the home of the newspaper industry, where the ‘old rags’ were first published, all the way to the home of the law, with its historic role as a centre for legal and judicial institutions, especially its proximity to the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court.
Sara Williams- Robbins walking tour Mrs Londoner uncovered the mysteries of Fleet Street, including its secret alleys, hidden churches and public art. Robbins got people to stop and admire each detail and architecture of the different areas of Fleet Street, usually missed on daily commutes around London.
Touring through backstreets associated with the history of figures like Dr Samuel Johnson, easily end up getting lost in the streets, maybe even ending up at Sir Christopher Wren’s church, a man whose architecture inspired a whole local culture.
Beyond the Tour on Ludgate Hill, Oskar Sieta used storytelling through print and craftsmanship to create Whispers. With a sculpture made to mirror its surroundings, it inflated and deformed in front of the public. Whispers, a fascinating experience, was purposely created to stop people in their tracks. Oskar’s intention was to help all stop and think in a city full of noise, to experience a calming silence or soft existence. It wasn’t just a sculpture but a sensory experiment.
The Dalston to Stokey Design
Dalston is the design centre for many of the London-based design companies that grew there, as the area became a hub for modern warehouse living in the 1990s. As central London rent prices began to rise, creatives found a base in old light industrial buildings, former factories, and old workshops. Now, that reality is hard to envision, as Dalston is one of the central hip areas of the city. It is no surprise that some of the most exciting events of London Design Week 2025 were taking place exactly there.
One of such exhibits was the Netil Open Studios, part of the Dalston to Stokey Design District programme. Netil House, which is a Hackney-based creative studio space bringing creatives all across fashion, music and design, opened its doors to showcase five designers.
Jason Bruges Studio, XK Studio, Totzke, Hito Estudio and A Running Commentary. This featured inter-disciplinary work across design, spanning large-scale installation, hyper-real motion, textile innovation, sensory spatial design, and cinematic storytelling. Usually exclusively open to clients, it opened up to the public to experience the exciting process behind the work of those designers.
This showcase was a brainchild of the collaboration between Barcelona-based artist Sabine Finkenauer and womenswear brand L.F. Markey, exploring geometric, contemplative work.
Finkenauer’s approach to abstraction is precise, using repetition and mirroring to create unique forms; rhythm, contrasted by subtle expression. They looked to everyday shapes, childhood memories and textiles for inspiration, creating something new with bold colours. The showcase took place in L.F. Markey’s East London store, inviting viewers into a dialogue between fashion and fine art as a way of seeing the world.
EC1
The EC1 district, largely centred around Clerkenwell, was once the ultimate hub for clock-making and watches. By the late 18th century, thousands of people in Clerkenwell worked in watch, clock, and jewellery trades, and the infrastructure that was developed during the Industrial Revolution made this all the more significant. From the 1980s, Clerkenwell gained a reputation for its high-class design and showrooms. Now, this trend has continued, as the district has several must-see events happening as part of London Design Week 2025.
Lingerings by Yu Mei Huang
Lingerings explored the beauty of the sensory landscape, considering how memory resonates through several practices engaging with various materials.
In this sense, the materials were not only a metaphor but a method to tap into the subconscious. Yu Mei Huang explored the psychoanalytic relationship between materials and the body.
Alexandra Yan Wong, formerly a linguist of German literature and philosophy, drew upon syntax to engage with stain, paper, textile, and wood; Tom Collison folded paper to frame space within each sheet; and Ayumi Kajiwara weaved discarded fragments into garments of collective memory.
Andreu World: 70 Years Shaping the Future
Andreu World’s showroom was a celebration of the company’s 70th anniversary, looking back at years of design, sustainability and craftsmanship. Founded in 1955, the brand had collaborated with design world giants over the years: Patricia Urquiola and Benjamin Hubert were just a few examples.
The showroom showcased Andreu World’s new designs, as well as legacy-making pieces that signpost the brand’s durability, elegance, and comfort. Visitors had the chance to watch closely at the company’s pioneering use of circular materials, immersing fully in Andreu World’s vision of a climate-conscious, yet aesthetic future.
Kings Cross
For many years, Kings Cross was a wasteland, but it was known for some for its rave years when empty warehouses became party venues. But the transformation into a shopping district, design hub and home to the world-renowned Central Saint Martins College has changed its face.
Tom Dixon’s Kings Cross Flagship
London Design Festival yet again transforms King’s Cross into a design phenomenon with Tom Dixon’s pop-up show, which has earned its badge for its exciting new Autumn/Winter collection. Displayed a plethora of unique furniture and homeware. The pop-up show functioned as more than a showroom; it was an immersive design environment.
The interplay of architecture, materials, light and sound was carefully curated to showcase how objects live, how they feel, and how they impacted the atmosphere. It’s about sensory experience as much as aesthetic form.
Engaging the guests with pieces contrasting with metal vs soft, opaque vs translucent and scale finishes. All whilst pushing traditional categories, not just furniture/lighting, but scent, textile and hardware, adding to the rich ambience of the collection.
The pieces featured beautiful sculptural centrepieces with evolving finishes, bold pendant lights/shades with dark exteriors and warm metallic interiors and dreamy furniture with silhouettes.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Tom Dixon’s Flagship, 2025
For a striking event, Porro Projects took to London King’s Cross, for its 100th anniversary, to display at the London Design Festival. Porro’s high-end architectural furniture wowed many, showcasing its grand sofa collection.
Known for its sleek, architectural furniture, Porro brought its signature blend of Italy and modern elegance along Regent’s Canal and transformed the spaces into showcases of Italian craftsmanship.
Think deep mahogany wooden furniture giving off a luxurious feel, beautiful glowing centre piece lights and custom polished finishes in demure neutral tones, and sculptural pieces that edge between minimalism and detail. More than just a reconstruction, this collaboration turned a diplomatic building into a living gallery, a perfect platform for Italy’s design heritage to showcase itself.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Porro Projects, 2025
LDF Projects
What Nelson Sees in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square in central London is to the British and to those travelling from abroad what the Eiffel Tower is to France: a beautiful monument. A monument is exactly what ‘What Nelson Sees’ in Trafalgar Square is. Created by Paul Cocksedge and also a collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, What Nelson Sees takes us on a visual journey, a perspective of London never seen before.
Curated from just mere curiosity, Cocksedge journeyed to answer the questions pondered by a lot of Londoners. What exactly did Admiral Nelson see from where he was situated?
Creating What Nelson Sees took us just on that trip to discover a viewpoint that only the eyes of Nelson have witnessed. A day trip to the peculiar monument made from a structure of four tubes, the sculptures’ telescopic range allowed audiences to rewind time and see exactly what Nelson saw, his perspective of a city that is much loved.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, What Nelson Sees in Trafalgar Square, 2025
Whether on a romantic stroll through Southbank, or dying to see beyond the depths of London on the London Eye. Beacon by Lee Broom illuminated the Southbank with its gleaming lights. Creating the most romantic ambience. Inspired by the legacy of the iconic festival ‘Beacon of Change’. Constructed by fragmented glass, the structure was made to resemble a sculptural chandelier. As the day drew to a close, Beacon lights up Southbank streets, started off with a slow tempo, the light took its time to come alive, creating a gradual burst of mystical scenery.
London Through The Beautiful Lens of Design LDF25, Beacon by Lee Broom, 2025
Amongst the London landscape, the London Design Festival carried three other iconic locations: Chelsea, where punks originated from and home to the Vivienne Westwood store, or Park Royal, known for its creative industries, and William Morris design line, known for its famous nature-inspired handcrafts.
For many living in London, don’t forget to notice its beauty, its history, and its refinement. For those that visit, it can be a place of the ‘usual suspects’, but maybe we all need to aim to see London through the lens of design for something more challenging, emotive and beautiful.
London Design Festival celebrates and promotes the city as the design capital of the world. Find more information at Londondesignfestival.com
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