Trends to Take from the London Design Festival 2021
It was all about the feel-good factor at this year’s event, with creations that nurture us and the planet
Amanda Pollard
28 September 2021
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors and architecture.
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors... More
After a reduced show last year, it was great to welcome back a lively London Design Festival on 18 to 26 September. We went along to discover what themes have been preoccupying designers over the past year and the products, colours and textures those themes have inspired. Take a look to see if you’ll be incorporating any of these trends into your interiors.
Nurturing spaces
Comfort was key for many of the designers exhibiting at this year’s festival. Seating, for example, was heavily focused on providing as much relaxation as possible to the user.
The Lugano collection (pictured), designed by Rock Galpin for Morgan, was inspired by the idea of nurture. The aim? “To be embraced, warmed, focused, empowered and ultimately set free to express,” he says.
Comfort was key for many of the designers exhibiting at this year’s festival. Seating, for example, was heavily focused on providing as much relaxation as possible to the user.
The Lugano collection (pictured), designed by Rock Galpin for Morgan, was inspired by the idea of nurture. The aim? “To be embraced, warmed, focused, empowered and ultimately set free to express,” he says.
Sofas, too, were soft, curved and comfortable. The Slow sofa by Aaron Probyn for Another Country (pictured) was designed to provide a squishy place to unwind in a small space. “The seat section neatly fixes into place, allowing a larger deep sofa, so you don’t have to compromise on comfort or generosity,” he says.
Human-centric design
An awareness of how humans interact with design was apparent at the festival, with furniture that takes into account the more casual way we use our homes nowadays.
The dining area was given the informal treatment as part of Renata Aminian’s Canopy Collection. Her six-seater dining table (pictured) is one of the designs in her range that aim to welcome children to the social areas of the home. The table top is a functional surface, while underneath is a play area for kids.
An awareness of how humans interact with design was apparent at the festival, with furniture that takes into account the more casual way we use our homes nowadays.
The dining area was given the informal treatment as part of Renata Aminian’s Canopy Collection. Her six-seater dining table (pictured) is one of the designs in her range that aim to welcome children to the social areas of the home. The table top is a functional surface, while underneath is a play area for kids.
Formal upright sitting positions seem far away when you see items such as the Bruno armchair (pictured), designed by Ilse Crawford and Oscar Peña for SCP.
The chair was inspired by Bruno Munari’s 1944 poster Seeking Comfort in an Uncomfortable Chair and is designed with a lower side on which the user could casually rest their leg or knee.
The chair was inspired by Bruno Munari’s 1944 poster Seeking Comfort in an Uncomfortable Chair and is designed with a lower side on which the user could casually rest their leg or knee.
Plantastic products
Nature-inspired designs were in abundance at the festival, with French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani’s Mellifera: The Dancing Bee Hives installation taking centre stage at Fortnum & Mason, and the stunning Medusa installation at the V&A by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, encouraging people to look at the role of nature in modern life. At King’s Cross, Planted Unplugged showcased three days of talks to highlight how cities can reconnect with nature.
There were plenty of botanical designs around and, in particular, the houseplant trend shows no sign of waning. The Scottish lighting design project Urpflanze brought this into homes in a playful way with its Monstera-inspired chandelier (pictured), on display at the Future of Home by Local Heroes exhibition.
Nature-inspired designs were in abundance at the festival, with French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani’s Mellifera: The Dancing Bee Hives installation taking centre stage at Fortnum & Mason, and the stunning Medusa installation at the V&A by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, encouraging people to look at the role of nature in modern life. At King’s Cross, Planted Unplugged showcased three days of talks to highlight how cities can reconnect with nature.
There were plenty of botanical designs around and, in particular, the houseplant trend shows no sign of waning. The Scottish lighting design project Urpflanze brought this into homes in a playful way with its Monstera-inspired chandelier (pictured), on display at the Future of Home by Local Heroes exhibition.
Multi-functional spaces
If there’s one thing we’ve needed during a year of living, working, learning and exercising at home, it’s interiors that can multi-task. Designers have responded by creating products that can adapt to our needs.
The Cross Table 120 by TAKT (pictured), for example, is designed as a piece of ‘chameleonic furniture’ that can be used as a desk during the day and a dining table in the evening.
If there’s one thing we’ve needed during a year of living, working, learning and exercising at home, it’s interiors that can multi-task. Designers have responded by creating products that can adapt to our needs.
The Cross Table 120 by TAKT (pictured), for example, is designed as a piece of ‘chameleonic furniture’ that can be used as a desk during the day and a dining table in the evening.
A tricky puzzle for home workers is often how to find a desk chair that’s comfortable and looks good in their space. The Crossover collection by Hans Thyge & Co, seen at Icons of Denmark’s Design London stand, aims to solve that conundrum. The chair is wonderfully ergonomic and would fit beautifully with a home’s interior scheme.
Other multi-tasking designs on show at the festival included the ingenious LoftRobe. This remote-controlled product is essentially a platform that can be raised into a void above a ceiling then lowered down when in use. It can function as a storage cabinet or TV unit, or even as a desk.
Other multi-tasking designs on show at the festival included the ingenious LoftRobe. This remote-controlled product is essentially a platform that can be raised into a void above a ceiling then lowered down when in use. It can function as a storage cabinet or TV unit, or even as a desk.
Warm colours
The cool greys and blues that have been popular in homes for a while were replaced by a warmer palette. Various shades of green were complemented by rich, earthy tones such as the coral and teal, seen here at the Artifort stand.
The cool greys and blues that have been popular in homes for a while were replaced by a warmer palette. Various shades of green were complemented by rich, earthy tones such as the coral and teal, seen here at the Artifort stand.
Even bathrooms were embracing warmer colours. Ideal Standard, for example, presented the Ipalyss washbasin from its new Atelier collection. It comes in a range of colours from a pale plaster to this wonderfully rich pomegranate.
Soft textures
With these cosy colours came tactile surfaces, upholstery and textiles. There were natural fabrics and stone surfaces, soft, sustainable cork seats, and pieces upholstered in snug bouclé.
Woven materials were particularly popular at the show, with Alexander Rose going large with an oversized weave on its seating. Weaving was also on display as beautiful artwork in itself (pictured) at the Woven Form exhibit.
With these cosy colours came tactile surfaces, upholstery and textiles. There were natural fabrics and stone surfaces, soft, sustainable cork seats, and pieces upholstered in snug bouclé.
Woven materials were particularly popular at the show, with Alexander Rose going large with an oversized weave on its seating. Weaving was also on display as beautiful artwork in itself (pictured) at the Woven Form exhibit.
Circular design
Sustainability was a big topic at the show and, in particular, the question of how to avoid waste at the end of a product’s lifecycle. The Circular Design Project provided a series of talks on the subject at the Global Design Forum, and there were a number of innovative examples of circular design on display throughout the event.
British brand Deadgood Studio launched its new product, Sprung, at the show. The super-comfortable seat is made from recycled materials and is designed to be taken apart and recycled at the end of its life.
At the Designing for Circularity stand, 12 Danish furniture designers showcased different ways of keeping materials in use, as opposed to throwing them away. Warm Nordic’s emerald green surface material (pictured), for example, was created from discarded plastic beer kegs.
Sustainability was a big topic at the show and, in particular, the question of how to avoid waste at the end of a product’s lifecycle. The Circular Design Project provided a series of talks on the subject at the Global Design Forum, and there were a number of innovative examples of circular design on display throughout the event.
British brand Deadgood Studio launched its new product, Sprung, at the show. The super-comfortable seat is made from recycled materials and is designed to be taken apart and recycled at the end of its life.
At the Designing for Circularity stand, 12 Danish furniture designers showcased different ways of keeping materials in use, as opposed to throwing them away. Warm Nordic’s emerald green surface material (pictured), for example, was created from discarded plastic beer kegs.
Another example was Dansk Wilton’s carpets, created from natural, undyed wool. Any remnants can be cleverly transformed into other surfaces…
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Love the focus on organic and sustainable
Love that more earth tones are coming in and more of an organic natural feel to the spaces.
The table is like an updated version of the WW2 Morrison shelter! You wouldn't be able to tuck your dining chairs under, or get your knees under properly!!
(Having said that my 7 yr old spends quite a bit of time crawling about under our dining room table.)