Fourteen must-see exhibitions and installations at London Design Festival 2026
A takeover of Richmond's Ham House and Garden, a sound installation at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station and a group show of 102 emerging designers are among the highlights at this year's London Design Festival.
The programme for this year's festival, running from 12 to 20 September, is one of the strongest we've seen since the pandemic, bringing together stalwarts like SCP and Gallery Fumi with a slew of self-organised shows from young and up-and-coming talent.
Read on for Dezeen's pick of the 14 events not to miss.
Awakenings at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Artificial intelligence takes centre stage at the V&A. As part of this year's Emerging Design Commission, Playfool presents a game reflecting on human labour in the age of AI, while an installation from Nina Davies examines how human bodies are starting to mimic AI-generated movement.
Taking a more positive view is Aziza Kaydri's Sender Unknown, which combines Uzbek embroidery techniques with a bespoke Al model.
Similar themes are explored at Craft x Tech, which pairs Japanese craftspeople with international designers to reinterpret traditional techniques through contemporary design, with this year's cohort including Philippe Malouin and Bethan Laura Wood (above).
12 September to 18 October. Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL.
Design Everything at Aram
Non-profit collective Design Everything hopes to visualise the many barriers faced by independent creatives in London with its show at Aram. The shop's downstairs gallery has been transformed into the typical flat of a young designer, populated exclusively with objects made by 102 emerging practitioners.
Selected via an open call that received more than 500 responses, each piece was created in response to a limitation – space, time, budget, access. Design Everything hopes that the free-to-exhibit show will serve as an "important point of reflection on the current state of the industry" while also celebrating designers' indelible ability to turn restrictions into a source of inspiration.
Upstairs, Aram is also hosting a free-to-use coworking space, offering a place to work, meet and recharge during the week, as well as a pop-up from historic Italian design brand Arflex, bringing together seminal products and new releases making their UK debut.
11 September to 10 October. 110 DruryLane, WC2B 5SG.
SCP showroom opening
Furniture brand SCP celebrates its move from Shoreditch to Clerkenwell with a programme of launches and events across its new five-storey townhouse, with interiors by Nice Projects.
On show is a collection of ceramic vases by Martino Gamper and Italian manufacturer Bitossi Ceramiche, a new lighting collection by Manhattan studio Blue Green Works and the UK launch of Italian brand Very Simple: Kitchen (above).
12 to 19 September. SCP, 16 Clerkenwell Green, ECIR OQT.
The Lavery at Cromwell Place
The Lavery is once again hosting a packed programme, in which Brompton Design District curator Alex Tieghi-Walker introduces Londoners to international names to know alongside homegrown talent.
Fresh from its debut exhibition at Saatchi Yates, makeup artist and creative director Isamaya Ffrench's design gallery Studio Iron (above) presents a new group exhibition from a melting pot of independent makers, including Dutch designer Paul Coenen, Iranian-American furnituremaker Kouros Maghsoud and interior designer Kelly Wearstler.
Elsewhere at The Lavery, creative director Beverly Nguyen shares an exhibition of Vietnamese domestic objects, while Nigerian-American designer Zoë Ene has reimagined one of the rooms as a parlour for playing the strategy game Nchọ. Mexican designer Rafael Prieto takes over the dining room with a series of sculptural chairs inspired by positions of the sun.
And in nearby Cromwell Mews, furnituremaker Byron Pritchard showcases furniture informed by research into medieval woodworking at the V&A.
12 to 20 September. The Lavery, 4 Cromwell Place, SW7 2JE.
The Art of Sound at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station
The historic Wapping Hydraulic Power Station is opening its doors to the public for the first time in 13 years to host an immersive sound experience.
French manufacturer L-Acoustics has created a system of 12 speakers especially for the venue, filling the halls of the 1890 industrial icon with a sound installation from computational biologist Max Cooper, as well as an auditory journey down the Humber estuary courtesy of award-winning sound recordist Chris Watson.
11 to 15 September. 25 Wapping Wall, EIW 3SF.
Past Made Present exhibition at Ham House
Richmond's 17th-century Ham House provides a dramatic backdrop for this exhibition from graduates of Kingston University's MA Product and Furniture Design programme. The show offers visitors new ways of engaging with the history, interiors and gardens of the property.
Highlights include a contemporary throne exploring colonial histories through reinterpreted Dutch marquetry (top image by Luke Alexander), Coade stone objects that act as viewfinders for forgotten architectural details and a speaker cabinet inspired by the house's Japanese lacquer cabinets and modern listening bar culture.
12 to 20 September. Ham House and Garden, Ham Street, TW1O 7RS.
London's materials fair has found a new home in Shoreditch for its fifth edition, bringing together more than 50 exhibitors showcasing natural, reclaimed and newly developed materials.
Among the highlights: furniture crafted using salvaged oak from a brutalist building in Holborn courtesy of design studio Prima Materia (above), bacteria-grown tiles inspired by coral from biotech company Biomason and a 3D-printed ceramic facade system designed to integrate wildlife habitats into buildings by design studio Phyta Biodesign.
15 to 17 September. Unlocked Shoreditch, 118 Curtain Road, EC2A 3PJ.
Max Radford Gallery at Christopher Farr
London's buzziest collectible design gallery is taking over Christopher Farr's Shoreditch showroom, with an exhibition pairing contemporary furniture and archival rugs.
It features works by London designers LS Goma (above) and Tessa Silva that have never actually been shown in their home town before, alongside pieces from rising German star Carsten in der Elst.
15 to 20 September. Christopher Farr Shoreditch, 18 Calvin Street, E1 6HF.
Made x Barbican launch
One of London's most recognisable architectural icons has received its own furniture collection courtesy of furniture brand Made. Drawing on the Barbican's original interiors and architectural details, the 23-piece collection also includes lighting, textiles and accessories.
On the ground floor of the Barbican Centre, an installation delves into the design process, exploring how the estate's original layouts and show home interiors by architect Miriam Howitt informed the collection.
12 to 20 September. Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS.
Village Meeting group show by All Ears
A number of practices are opening up their workshops in Hackney Downs Studios as part of LDF. Rather than just spotlighting its own work, East London duo All Ears is hosting Village Meeting – a group show of more than 30 makers from London's emerging collectible design scene.
Look out for works from Milan design week standouts Jane Wright and Jesse Butterfield, ashtray connoisseur Amelia Stevens and Andu Masebo (fresh off the heels of his IKEA collaboration), as well as the show's curator Demi Oyeyinka.
16 to 20 September. All Ears, Hackney Downs Studios, 17 Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT.
The Pangolin Shield installation by Studio Saar and Atelier One
Architecture practice Studio Saar and engineering firm Atelier One have collaborated on this year's Landmark Project – a bamboo pavilion inspired by the world's most trafficked mammal, the pangolin.
Clad in traditional Indian bamboo police shields and palm-leaf rain covers known as knups (above), the installation transforms symbols of authority into a communal space for reflection while examining colonial legacies and ecological exploitation.
12 to 20 September. Strand Aldwych, WC2R 1ES.
After School show by Gallery Fumi X RCA
Gallery Fumi partners with the Royal College of Art to present After School, a selection of outstanding work by recent alumni, spanning textiles, ceramics and design.
Outside of the Mayfair gallery, graduates of the MA Design Products degree are presenting their final year projects at RCA's Kensington campus, while just down the road at Thurloe Place, the One Tool, One Stool exhibition shares outcomes from the first exercise they undertook as fledgling design students: creating a stool using only a single tool.
12 to 26 September. Gallery Fumi, 2-3 Hay Hill, WIJ 6AS.
Hanging Baskets and Travel Light shows by Slancha
The humble hanging basket has been reimagined by 10 designers as part of an exhibition at Awaykin from emerging design gallery Slancha. The show's UK-heavy roster includes metalwork studio Six Dots Design, Scottish designer Marc Sweeney and This IsByron (above).
Slancha is also taking over the gift shop at The Hoxton with pieces submitted by newer talents from more than 20 countries. Drawing on references from Welsh love spoons to Ugandan barkcloth, all the pieces are available to buy at accessible price points.
14 to 20 September at Awaykin, Unit 5, 39 Gransden Avenue, E8 3QA.
12 to 20 September at The Hoxton, 81 Great Eastern St, EC2A 3HU.
You Can Sit With Us exhibition by 2LG Studio
Interiors firm 2LG Studio's always excellent showcase of emerging design talent has returned to Shoreditch Town Hall for its fourth edition.
This year's lineup includes one of Milan design week's breakout stars, reformed production designer Jabez Bartlett, alongside Hanna Fastrich, Mara Bragagnolo (above), JoshJen and more, while 2LG Studio will also debut a new lighting collection with Indian studio North South AD.
While you're at Shoreditch Town Hall, check out the wider House of Icon exhibition, which also includes a show from Italian design platform Isola.
15 to 17 September. Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, ECIV 9LT.
London Design Festival takes place from 12 to 20 September 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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