With London Design Festival kicking off this weekend, it’s hard to see it all. We wanted to edit down the list of the biggest and best event’s we’re excited to see – and even found a few that will continue long after the festival has ended, so you won’t be too sad if you miss out this week!
Basically a 34-metre curved wooden tunnel, the Smile might make you think that you’ll be on some kind of larger than life see-saw. However, you can walk from one end to the other without it even budging. It’s been called a ‘balcony for the city’ and we can’t wait to experience it!
16 September – 12 October; Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground, Chelsea College of Art and Design, 16 John Islip Street, SW1P 4JU
2. Below Stairs at Sir John Soane’s Museum
Part of an on-going restoration project, the Regency Kitchens at Sir John Soane’s museum are finally open to the public and just in time for London Design Festival. The space will host new pieces by Barber & Osgerby, Jasper Morrison, Martino Gamper and Paul Cocksedge inspired by their historic surrounds.
13 September – 4 March 2017; The Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP
3. ‘44’ installation by Omer Arbel at the Barbican
Lose yourself in the Brutalist surroundings of the Barbican and see Omer Arbel’s latest design incarnation – a light instillation made in collaboration with Canadian lighting brand Bocci, the piece made from hundreds of tendrils of free-poured aluminium will reach over visitor’s heads like a tree.
14 September – 18 April 2017; Barbican, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
4. ‘Green Room’ installation by Glithero at the V&A
Never the place to do things by half-measures, the V&A invite you to step inside an oversized time piece, set over six floors and suspended under a classical domed ceiling. These brightly coloured cords rotate mechanically to form an undulating wave of colour. The aim of the installation is to create the sensation of standing still while a clock works around you.
17 – 25 September; V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
5. The Counterculture room at the London Design Biennale
Perhaps one of the most fascinating installations at the inaugural London Design Biennale – timed to coincide with the festival – is Chile’s Counterculture Room which recreates a 1970s cyber communications hub. Expect tulip-shaped power seating and control panels big enough to transport you back into a world of retro science fiction.
7 – 27 September; Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
What are you heading out to see this week? If you think we’ve missed anything, let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or drop us an email!
We’re off to get our trainers on, see you around!
David & Mark x
forwardfeatures.net 
One thought on “A London Design Festival Edit: Our Top 5”