London Design Festival Review
darc’s Junior Journalist, Ellie Walton, reviews her week of exploring what the light industry had to offer at London Design Festival (LDF).
LDF returned for another September to celebrate the UK’s capital as well as the city’s central design hub. Sadly, the event’s exhibition London Design Fair didn’t make a comeback for the 2024 edition. Nevertheless, the event wasn’t short of things to see and once again drew in some of the country’s greatest designers, retailers and artists for a celebration of design. The lighting community came to the forefront with showroom openings, exhibitions and the latest products that are making waves in the market.
Starting our week off with an evening party, our first showroom drop off was at Lee Broom in Shoreditch. On arrival, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and a glorious cheese board, – I had learned the hard way from last year to not get to the party late or else the cheese will be gone! This party was dedicated to Broom’s London launch of the award-winning collection, Alchemist. The King Chandelier hung in all its glory displaying tapered multiple tiered rings, while illuminated the light envelopes the golden spikes, casting shadows and light. In addition, the Mythos collection was also on display with its wall sconce taking a proud position next the Broom’s iconic swing chair.
The following day took us to Westminster for the Ligne Roset showroom party, where an evening of cocktails accompanied the debut of its revised collection from Pierre Guariche, an iconic figure in French design. Guariche’s collection seamlessly coexists with Ligne Roset’s models, with the standout piece being the G30 floor lamp. Known as the “kite lamp”, Guariche named it for its sail-like shade made of white perforated metal, held by two brass wires, evoking the image of a boat’s sail caught in the wind. True to Guariche’s minimalist style, the lamp is as much a striking ornament as it is a functional piece of lighting.
Speaking of nostalgic pieces, we visited Joe Armitage, a London-based product designer known for his contemporary designs and creations for brands such as Tala, released his own revised lighting collection of his grandfather’s floor lamp. Showcasing at the SCP in Shoreditch, the Armitage lamp collection, completed in 2021, is Armitage’s contemporary twist on his grandfather’s elegant concept, showcasing an iconic conical shade and consists of a floor lamp, desk lamp, wall lamp, accent lamp and two suspension lamps. Armitage also debuted new additions to his Modernist collection, which first made waves with his Modernist desk lamp, taking design inspirations from contemporary jazz, dance music and modernist architecture. The design of the shade emerged from a form-finding process that explores the unique properties of recycled PET parchment. The flexible material arches between two straight supports, securing its position – this method results in a distinctive U-shaped shade that features throughout the collection. The latest editions showcased at LDF included a linear pendant lamp and wall lamp.
darc couldn’t make a visit to London without seeing Occhio, a brand known for its decadent showroom parties as well as lighting known for its minimalist elegance and technology. The South Kensington showroom had a recent refurbishment, adopting its ethos of “Culture of Light”, the idea of allowing people to design their own light in their living spaces. The lower level of the building has been transformed into an apartment style showroom, with a kitchen, dining and living space where clients can experience how Occhio lighting can transform their homes. Customers can try products such as the Luna and discover its Fireball light technology and how it’s atmospheric settings can conduct a space.
LDF wasn’t just for big brands; it showcased a vibrant mix of creatives and artists. Sustainability was at the heart of the event, with the Material Matters exhibition spotlighting innovative materials like seaweed, grass root, and contact lens cases. Returning to the Bargehouse at OXO Tower Wharf, it explored how these materials shape our world. A highlight was seeing the return of Mushlume, a New York-based lighting brand that grows lampshades from mycelium. This year, the brand unveiled two new wall sconces: the Outward Journey and Inward Journey. Elsewhere in the exhibition, Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium company, also collaborated with designers like Max Lamb to create the first industrial-scale aluminium lamps from post-consumer scrap.
As well as products, London Design Festival offers a whole host of design inspiration from installations and art exhibitions. The “Light in Motion” exhibition, presented by Acrylicize, explores light’s transformative power, celebrating its fluid relationship with space, movement, and time. Showcasing in Bethnal Green’s The Art House, it features works from 12 artists and engineers. Curated by Sean Malikides and Jessie Temple, the exhibition showcases light as a sculptural form, evolving over time to reshape environments and challenge viewers to engage with light spatiality. Exhibits like Duncan Carter’s “10,000 Tiny Suns”, Sophie Mei Birkin’s “Biomatter Submersion”, and Will Laslett’s “Falling Light” used light in innovative ways to evoke natural phenomena like time or material transformation. The work of light artist James Turrell was heavily mirrored throughout the exhibition, aiming to project his idea that light is not just a tool of revelation but a revelation itself.
Overall, the 2024 London Design Festival successfully showcased the diverse and innovative spirit of the UK’s design community, despite the absence of its traditional fair. From showroom events to thought-provoking exhibitions, the week-long celebration drew attention to cutting-edge designs and emerging trends. As always, darc remains eager to see what new advancements the lighting industry will bring to the next edition in 2025.
