#LDF16

The London Design Festival is about to start with hundreds of events, exhibitions, installations, talks, five main venues, seven design districts and a special collaboration with the V&A.

The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects, London Design Festival, 2016

After the opening of the first London Design Biennale, it’s time for the broader London Design Festival that will host hundreds of events, exhibitions, talks and installations through the main design districts of the city.

**Top:** The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects, London Design Festival, 2016. **Above:** The Green Room, studio Glithero at the V&A, 2016

Main partner of the event is the Victoria & Albert Museum that will celebrate the opening of the Festival with site specific installations and design-related exhibitions. London based studio Glithero will present The Green Room, a large scale interactive clock in one of the main staircases, while Bejamin Hubert installed 50,000 mirror-finish stainless steel panels in his Foil immersive experience. Not to miss Liquid Marble, the 3D software installation by Mathieu Lehanneur and the museum’s Engineering Season. A full program of workshops and talks will be on show for nine days with guests such as Nipa Doshi, Jonathan Levien and Patricia Urquiola. The last two days will focus on the Digital Design Weekends.

Mathieu Lehanneur, Liquid Marble at the V&A, London Design Festival, 2016

There will be five core design destinations that will keep the lead with exhibitors from around the world, established brands, independent designers, students’ work, retail experiences, sales, themed exhibitions and shows. Starting East, the Old Truman Brewery hosts the London Design Fair, with the British Craft pavilion, This is India, 100% Norway and Japanese studio Takram.

Benjamin Hubert, Foil at the V&A, London Design Festival, 2016

Moving North, we find Designjunction in its new King’s Cross headquarters with outdoor design pavilions at Granary Square, the Dyslexic Design exhibition and the partnership with local businesses to turn on a new “King’s Cross Creative Quarter”. 100% Design is England’s largest trade with interiors-themed exhibitions at the Olympia London. Going South, a full range of workshops and international talks will take place at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour at Focus/16. For decor lovers, four days of Decorex Interational will take place at the historic Syon Park.

Designjunction, Dyslexic Design, King's Cross, 2016 — Jim Rokos, Dyslexic Design, Designjunction, King's Cross, 2016

While touring around from one venue to the other, don’t miss the Landmark Projects with The Smile cantilevered wooden pavilion by Alison Brooks Architects at the Chelsea College of Arts, the three Mini Living ‘forest’ installations by Asif Khan, exploring new forms of collaborative living in the urban environment at Vince Court and Charles Square, and L’Eden, an interactive installation by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance for Perrier-Jouët champagne brand at 147 Wardour Street.

Asif Kahn, Mini Living, London Design Festival, 2016

In the end, you can enjoy the fun part of cocktails, late nights, parties and events with London’s seven Design Districts starting from Brompton Design District – don’t miss Arabeschi di Latte’s The Brompton Cocktail installation during the late night on the 22nd of September – moving to the Clerkenwell Design Quarter with a light installation at the Barbican by Omer Arbel for Bocci. On Monday 19th the Chelsea Design Quarter celebrates its late nights with pop-up exhibitions and food, while names like Piet Hein Eek and Jasper Morrison will be shown at the Shoreditch Design Triangle with a late night on Tuesday, 20th. For pioneering design and creative hubs you can explore the Bankside Design District – late night on Wednesday 21st – and the Brixton Design Trail – late night Friday 23 September.