London Design Festival 2015: Best Exhibitions & Installations

Smug lifestyle store, Lenneke Wispelwey ceramicist

North

The Millinery Works

Rising stars in furniture design get a showcase at this special selling exhibition in London filled with amazing 21st century pieces that reveal the legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement. There are two private views on 13th and 15th September of The Arts & Crafts Legacy display you might be lucky enough to get a ticket for, but otherwise the public can visit throughout the festival.

Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Free event

SMUG

Over in Islington, famous Dutch ceramist Lenneke Wispelwey puts on a stunning display of tactile porcelain tableware in soft shades of sherbet that you can't help but snap up. Inspired by the geometric patterns in nature, we are eyeing up the selection of pastel vases. Downstairs you'll find the PLANTPOT exhibition of cool edge British design specially suited to your favourite house plants. 12 one-offs have been made by friends of SMUG out of all sorts of materials and filed with delightful blooms or cacti.

The design store SMUG is itself worth a visit, with its distinctive rusty manhole covers and old floorboards, and exciting product launches.

13 Camden Passage, Islington, N1 8EA
Tue 12pm-9pm, Wed, Fri 11am-6pm, Thu 12pm-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

Rouge

Sumptuous Chinese craftsmanship gets the spotlight at north London's delightful tucked-away gem Rouge, where all the joyful traditions and innovations of Mongolian and Chinese design are out in full force. Fashion designer and the shopkeeper Lei Yang joins Kaja Kippenberg to talk about the restoration of rustic vintage furniture and contemporary ceramics for LDF. A perfect way to get to grips with Asian design!

Rouge, 158 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7JL
Mon-Sat 11am-6.30pm, Sun 12am-5pm, 5pm-7pm (talk and drinks)

Kvadrat

If the busy V&A is too much to handle during LDF15, head to the gorgeous Danish textile company Kvadrat's alternative display at their showroom in north London, where five new designs have made an elaborate new installation. New ranges like Pro and Star by Finn Sködt and Ginger by Anne F. Møller stand out, but you'll also want to see the new textile Twilight by Patricia Urquiola.

Kvadrat Showroom, 10 Shepherdess Walk, N1 7LB
Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm

---

East

DesignedlCrafted 2015

This quirky show from the Society of Designer Craftsmen near Old Street has everything, from delicate textiles and porcelain
to bird skulls and preserved fish skins. The big draw this year is the unusual techniques and materials used to navigate the fine line between craft and design. This is innovation at its best, and a wonderful place to start your journey at LDF 2015.

Society of Designer Craftsmen Gallery, 24 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DU
Mon-Sat 11am-7pm

Viaduct

Trailblazing furniture store Viaduct was the first to open its Clerkenwell showroom doors in 1994 and has always led from the front of the pack. For LDF, head to Clerkenwell where the exhibition White on White celebrates new Scandinavian design stars Studio Vit and MA/U Studio. We love them for their striking style and prowess with materials. Don't miss the geometric forms of Studio Vit's Cone Lights filled with serene matt white and polished metal. You'll also love the organisation of home and office spaces by MA/U Studio with shelving, boxed storage, wardrobes and workstations to admire.

1-10 Summers Street, EC1R 5BD
Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat 10.30am-4pm

Lee Broom at Electra House

Lee Broom follows up his success at Milan's Salone del Mobile 2015 with a display of The Department Store 25 piece collection at Shoreditch's newly vamped Electra House. Marked by Broom's signature grey, look out for the whimsical Hoop Chair and Crescent Light which have got CW talking. So if you missed them at Milan, don't worry there's still time!

95 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY
Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm

India Design Platform, Studio Egret West

A small piece of incredible Indian design is making its way to east London over LDF as six spectacular Indian design studios have set up shop at the Studio Egret West showroom in Clerkenwell. Four London based architectural practices interpret Indian crafts with a contemporary twist to create an pioneering series of displays. A fantastic source of inspiration for any budding designer, this exhibition pulsates with the vibrancy of Indian culture.

3 Brewhouse Yard
, EC1V 4JQ
Mon 6pm-8pm (preview, by invitation only), Tue 10am-10pm, Wed-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

Alma

Sinfully luxurious leather specialist Alma has joined forces with Central St Martins graduates to create a pop up exhibition in Whitechapel. Using Alma leather off-cuts, these fresh-faced designers have made some striking unique pieces which will be on display throughout the festival. Then of course you can head to the Alma Mayfair showroom to pick up some splendid originals.

12-14 Greatorex Street, E1 5NF
Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

Ceramics in the City, Geffrye Museum

A major feature on the Geffrye Museum calendar brings together 50 top ceramicists, both established and rising stars, working in the UK. Demonstrations, talks and a wonderful display of ceramics in all colours, styles, textures and techniques help bring the craft to life. Get your hands on delightful one-off white glazes and classic earthy stoneware before they disappear.

Thu 6pm-8.30pm (launch evening), Fri-Sun 10am-5pm
136 Kingsland Road, Hoxton, E2 8EA



Corinna Kenyon-Wade.Bottles in stoneware and porcelain, courtesy of Geffrye Museum London

---

Central & West

Stuart Carey at Roundhouse

British craftsman Stuart Carey brings his award-winning ceramics to Roundhouse Design where his beautifully delicate stoneware vessels find a home in the latest Roundhouse kitchens. You might know Roundhouse as a British bespoke furniture designer that specialises in particularly desirable kitchens and luxury products.

Roundhouse, 11 Wigmore Street, W1U 1PE
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm
Private View : Thursday 17th September, 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm


Fawn Bedroom, Heal's

Heal's

Design heavyweights Heal's launch LDF with their annual party on 23rd September, 6-9pm. With DJs, workshops and a plethora of hot talent to see, it's worth getting there early to catch Gareth Neal's leather and oak chair, and new collections from Dodie, Pinner and Fawn. After the fun's over, make use of the opening buzz to unearth the up and coming stars in the Heal's collection.

196 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7LQ
Monday: 10-7pm, Tuesday: 10-7pm, Wednesday: 10-9pm, Thursday: 10-8pm, Friday: 10-7pm, Saturday: 10-7pm, Sunday: 10-6pm

Fritz Hansen

Desirable Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen unveils the 7 Cool Architects exhibition at it's Fitzrovia showroom for LDF, stuffed with fantastic commissions from Zaha Hadid, Jean Novel and Snøhetta that reimagines Arne Jacobsen's classic 1955 Series 7 chair on it's 60th birthday. Look out for Hadid's gorgeous bright green design made of two sweeping continuous steel rods, while Oslo design practice Snøhetta gets rid of their chair's legs and places it on the soil among plants.

13-14 Margaret St, W1W 8RN
Mon - Wed 10am - 6:30pm, Thurs 10am - 7pm, Fri - Sat 10am - 6:30pm, Sun 10am - 5pm

United Nude

Superstar architect Zaha Hadid and powerful Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen have thrown their hats into the London Design Festival ring at Rem D Koolhaas' design company United Nude, where technologically advanced ladies footwear is the name of the game. Shoe-making will never be the same with 3D printing, sculptural freedom and radical materials like new soft rubber and hard nylon making a splash.

13 Floral Street , WC2E 9DH
Mon-Sat 12pm-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm

Molteni

Mouthwatering Italian furnishings company Molteni&C celebrates it's 80th birthday with a show of prototypes and icons that exude quality Italian craftsmanship. You'll find all the classics that we've come to love from Molteni&C on display, including carpets by Patricia Urquiola and the Chelsea collection by Rodolfo Dordoni.

Molteni&C Dada Flagship Store, 199 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2 8JR
on-Sat 10am-6pm

Fredrikson Stallard

Trailblazing designers Fredrikson Stallard lead the way at LDF 2015 with an experimental show at their Holborn Studio entitled 'Momentum'. Delving into the relationship between unique pieces and mass produced, Fredrikson Stallard show off their range with furniture, sculpture, prints and transitory works all on display. The duo have worked with some of the most famous galleries, designers and luxury brands around and this show marks ten years since the famous inaugural show Gloves for an Armless Venus in New York.

Fredrikson Stallard HQ, 10A Warner Street, EC1R 5HA
Wed-Sun 11am-6pm

Wrong for Hay

One of our favourite collaborations between Danish brand HAY and Sebastian Wrong, premieres their latest installation from WH lighting in the atrium of The College in Holborn. New designs from Bertjan Pot, Joel Hoff, Lars Beller Fjetland, SmithMatthias and Stefan Diez make this another smash for Wrong for Hay, who always boast a fantastic array of international creatives.

Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-4pm
lightjunction, The College, 12 Southampton Row, W1CB 4AE