London Design Festival 2026

The leaves are turning golden, the trains are turning up late, and the London Design Festival is returning for its 24th edition. This year saw giant pangolins, light shows at St Paul's, new work from Tom Dixon, craft meeting tech at the V&A, and a new generation of designers making, experimenting and doing things their own way.

Soul by Mykola Kabluka at St. Paul's CatherdralThe participatory installation transformed the west façade of St Paul's Cathedral with colour generated by visitors' thoughts and reflections.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannSoul by Mykola Kabluka at St. Paul's CatherdralArchitectural details become part of the projection as shifting patterns of colour move across the cathedral façade.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannSoul by Mykola Kabluka at St. Paul's CatherdralThe projection wraps around St Paul's monumental architecture, bringing contemporary media art into dialogue with the historic building.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannThe Pangolin Shield by Studio SaarTraditional Indian police shields and woven rain shields form a protective skin inspired by the scales of the endangered pangolin.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannThe Pangolin Shield by Studio SaarInside, a lightweight bamboo gridshell reveals the structure supporting the overlapping protective skin.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannThe Pangolin Shield by Studio SaarThe pavilion uses bamboo sourced from across India to explore protection, migration and the movement of materials between India and Britain.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannCoal Drops Yard, King's Cross
The canalside steps at Granary Square, at the heart of the King's Cross design district.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannCAST Shoe at Have You Seen The Light? by Tom DixonA well-used cast-iron brogue holds the door to Dixon's Have You Seen The Light? exhibition at Coal Drops Yard.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannFLARE by Tom DixonBorosilicate glass takes on a new role in FLARE, reducing traditional chandelier forms to simple, highly reflective shapes.Photo credit: Anki DelfmannSMASH by Tom DixonMixed marble fragments are pieced together into one-off geometric mosaics, giving smaller pieces of natural stone a new life.Photo credit: Anki Delfmann