The London Design Festival is a celebration of all things design. One of the most important events in the designing world, the festival brings to the fore talented designers from all walks of design besides acting as a platform for designers, clients, students of art and design and conglomerates to showcase new, innovative designs, connect, interact and explore new business opportunities.

Over 160 organizations and several designers contribute to the over 200 events and exhibitions held during this 9-day festival. The events are spread across London, though the major hub is the Victoria & Albert Museum on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, London. Most of the events and activities are free to enter, though some require an advance registration or booking.



Victoria & Albert Museum:
The London Design Festival will, for the second year running, work in partnership with Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). For the festival, V&A, a leading museum of art and design in the world, will feature a collection of specially commissioned design installations, displays and events. Renowned designers such as Stuart Haygarth, Max Lamb, Onkar, Kular and Noam Toran have been commissioned to display their artistic designs as part of the festival.

Some of the must visits include the grand marble staircase leading to the Architectural Galleries that has been framed with a series of discarded frames by Stuart Haygarth; Max Lamb’s one-off design for the HSBC St. James office; and The Silver Trust, a contemporary silversmith exhibition displaying the work of talented British silversmiths.

Several other events including seminars, talks and special events will be held at the Sackler Centre.

The Futurespace Gallery:

The Futurespace Gallery in Grosvenor Waterside, a residential development in Westminster, is one such partner, which hosts an exhibition, ‘exploring art in the public realm…’, that explores the increasing sophistication of public art and the impact that commissioning of permanent public projects has on artists.

The exhibition focuses on the effects of a commissioned project that provides an artist access to the latest technologies and materials, but moves him away from his studio and comfort zone into a public area, where the progress of his work is always under the purview of the public and where the scale of the project is much larger.

Dates: 28 July 2010 – 26 September 2010
Venue: Chelsea Futurespace, Hepworth Court, Grosvenor Waterside, Gatliff Road (off Ebury Bridge Road), London
Timing: 1100hrs-1800hrs
Open: All days
Entry Charges: None

Contemporary Applied Arts:

The Contemporary Applied Arts (CAA) gallery at 2, Percy Street hosts the exhibition ‘A Living Space – Curated by Kit Kemp’ that exhibits one-off art and craft work for home from dozens of British crafts persons. One major feature of the exhibition is slated to be the bespoke plate wall installation, wherein 100 different makers will create one plate each in a material of their own choice.

CAA has come up with a unique service idea, ‘Commissioning Craft’, for the exhibition in an attempt to demystify the process of commissioning an art piece for an interior. The gallery will be providing a dedicated staff member and a special designed guide to all customers who sign up for Commissioning Craft.

Dates: 27 August 2010 – 2 October 2010
Venue: CAA, 2, Percy Street, London
Timing: 1000hrs – 1800hrs
Open: Monday – Saturday
Entry Charges: None

Kate Maestri

Kate Maestri, a renowned architect of glass installations, will be hosting an exhibition, ‘Glass inspired by architecture’, of new glass sculptures directly or indirectly influenced by landmark modernist architecture from across London. Her Perspex and stained glass structures aim at reinterpreting the geometric and monolithic shapes and patterns of architectural landmarks by effectively employing colour, light and form.

Dates: 2 September 2010 – 15 October 2010
Venue: 58 Marylebone High Street, London (please ring doorbell to gain entry)
Timing: 1000hrs – 1700hrs
Entry Charges: None

Bernhardt Design

In partnership with Brands Limited, Bernhardt Design, a magnate in furniture design and production, is all set to unveil the latest works of Monica Förster, Jaime Hayon and other leading international designers such as Claudia Washington, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Fredrikson Stallard, Suzanne Trocmé, Brad Ascalon, Jephson Robb and Harry.

Dates: 18 September 2010 – 26 September 2010
Venue: 99 St John Street, London
Timing: 1000hrs – 1800hrs (Monday to Friday); 1000hrs – 1600hrs (Saturday to Sunday)
Entry Charges: None

The complete list of events and their locations can be viewed at http://www.londondesignfestival.com

Accommodations for the duration of the event can be booked with RatedApartments.com