Waste Not, Want Not, a Celebration of Craft and Innovation

​

London Design Festival 2024 was an inspiring showcase of creativity, craft and design. This year's festival offered a mix of tradition, innovation and sustainability, reflected in standout exhibitions such as the opening of The Wax Building, Well Made at Pearson Lloyd, Sons of Beasley at SCP and Material Matters. My visit to these shows revealed an impressive

convergence of ideas that define this year's festival.

​

The Wax Building: Light and Comfort

It’s wonderful to see a new hub showcasing independent British design brands. A former Victorian furniture factory for waxing and shellacking in Shoreditch has been beautifully restored and reused to house some of the most exciting design businesses in the industry, including Cozmo, Tamart, Minimalux, LightMass^ and Field-Day Studio.

Cozmo, a furniture brand with durability and adaptability in mind showcased their sofas. Their moto is Don’t replace it, update it. What I love about this, is that with a change of jackets and a flexible system, Cozmo sofas can reinvigorate a tired space or adapt to a new one. The Wax Building is now their permanent showroom so you can go check them out for yourself anytime. 

​

Well Made at Pearson Lloyd: Honouring Craftsmanship in Everyday Design

The act of making was paid tribute to at Yorkton Studios. Curated by Pearson Lloyd, the exhibition, Well Made, featured a range of products picked by a diverse array of people and practices. In response to the demands of a more ecological and sustainable future, the idea of well made is explored through innovative production methods and materiality. 

Architect Elliot Payne chose the hot water bottle. Moulded from a single piece of natural rubber, largely unchanged for over a century, it’s also one of my favourite household objects. As the nights draw in, the hottie comes out and provides an inexpensive source of warmth, 

I also enjoyed seeing a seagrass trivet picked by designer, Michael Marriot. Made from an incredible natural resource, seagrass consumes carbon by weight 35 times faster than rain forest plants. Having woven with seagrass myself and enjoyed the relaxing process of making, it is reassuring to know that at the end of its life, it can be returned to the earth to decompose.

​

Sons of Beasley at SCP: Celebrating British Design and Cheery Offcuts

The Sons of Beasley exhibition at SCP was cracking. The opening night brought together so many familiar faces from the industry with an energy I haven't witnessed since BC (before covid) Designers Carl Clerkin and Alex Hellum used cheery coloured, discarded offcuts, supplied by Plykea, an East london based kitchen and cabinet maker, to create unique low impact pieces of furniture. A wonderful and innovative way to design out waste.

​

Material Matters: The Future of Sustainable Design

Sustainability took centre stage at Material Matters, an exhibition that explored eco-friendly materials and innovative processes aimed at rethinking design's relationship with waste and the environment. 

The double height space in the entrance was taken over by Studio Tip. A creative studio helping to find local circular solutions for waste resources showcased a striking, twisting, suspended sculpture created from a reclaimed hardwood balustrade. Keeping materials in use and reworking them into new objects resonates and is something I aim to do in my work. Novavita design also works with waste from construction turning it into new, playful, sustainable materials and their tiles made from recycled concrete and old bricks caught my eye for their gorgeous colour and finish. At the heart of Novavita is the adage: buy less, buy better. I couldn't agree more with this and makes me think of the wise words of Dieter Rams:

 

“Good design is as little as possible. Less, but better, because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.”

​

To sum up: A Powerful Celebration of Design’s Impact

London Design Festival this year was a powerful reminder of the role design plays in shaping the world around us. From the stunning restoration and reuse of The Wax Building to the craftsmanship celebrated in Well Made, the resourcefulness in Sons of Beasley, and the eco-consciousness of Material Matters, the festival I saw showcased a wide spectrum of creativity and innovation. For me, each exhibition provided a fresh perspective on what it means to design with intention and purpose.

​

Whether you’re a designer, maker, or just appreciate good ideas, London Design Festival offered an inspiring glimpse into the endless possibilities of design. I look forward to seeing how the innovations showcased this year will shape the future of the industry.

​

This event has ended. Please get in touch for more info.

​

Back to Stories