The Zeitgeist Edit — What's on the Editor's Desk This September

September is probably the biggest month in the design world, especially in the UK. There's not only London Design Festival, running right at this moment (and at which the Livingetc team is currently out of the office doing the rounds of), but it's the time when a lot of brands launch new ranges, collections, and activations.

These ideas are the ones that will define a lot about how we create our homes in years to come. Interior designers will take inspiration; those resulting projects will be posted online; and those ideas will filter down, month by month, year by year, into the wider design vernacular.

London, maybe more so than the design weeks of Milan, Paris, even New York, has a reputation for creativity, innovation, and that slightly rebellious spirit that sets the tone for interiors that are bold, invigorating, and atmospheric.

But I'll have more of that to share with you in next month's Zeitgeist Edit — here's what I want to tell you about for now.

↑ Going Up — The National Trust

What do you think of when you think of a National Trust property? Most likely a heritage country home with a tea room, but the National Trust actually cares for several exceptional modernist and 20th-century properties that break away from the traditional stately homes for which it's best known.

22 Parkside in Wimbledon, a modernist home that has in turn inspired the likes of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, is now among them, having been given to the trust. Designed by architects Richard and Su Rogers, it's been described as 'one of the most significant homes in British architectural history', an early example of Hi-Tech architecture using materials that exemplify the architects' style, and recognizable for its brightly colored interiors.

The home is open this week for Open House London, specifically, but is only planned to be opened to the general public in stages in time to come.

↑ Going Up — Next Generation Tech

Early September sees IFA take place in Berlin, one of the world's largest consumer fairs for home electronics. To coincide, you'll often find some of the biggest technology brands launch their new releases at this time, too.

This year, I'm most excited by Sonos. Not only has the home audio brand launched new Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra devices (the last generation of the Beam was released back in 2021), but also launched the new Sonos 27 operating system, its first new system in some 20 years.

The new system introduces Sonos' own voice assistant for the first time, but it also introduces AI integration (if that's your sort of thing) in a way that sounds genuinely helpful.

↑ Going Up — Blue Stone

There's something so interesting about blue as a color, especially when introduced in hard materials like tile and stone. It sometimes feels 'unnatural', but in the best possible way. It creates an unexpected moment that makes you pause in the scheme and creates an intriguing dynamic with the other materials in the scheme.

I've had a couple of product launches in my inbox that have caught my eye this month. Tile brand Marazzi's Grande Lume, a supersized version of the brand's Crogiolo Lume, has been released to mark the occasion of Tile Week in Italy this September. It comes in a few colorways, but this rich, deep blue, with the fluid movement captured inside, feels particularly ethereal.

September also marks the Italian marble fair Marmomac in Verona, and for this, Italian natural stone manufacturer Antolini is platforming its Blueroots marble, a rare and exclusive stone that captures the essence of the blue stone kitchen trend.

↑ Going Up — LDF Launches

As I already mentioned, we're in the midst of London Design Festival right now, and with it come some fabulous installations, exhibitions, and shows that you won't want to miss. The good news? If you're busy this week, a lot of them extend their run beyond the week itself.

Take, for example, the showcase of Italian furniture brand Arflex at furniture showroom Aram. It's a big, beautiful display of the iconic furniture brand, and a great way to get up close and try out both its design icons and the latest releases from 2026's Milan Design Week. Whether you're an interior designer or considering investing in one of these luxury designs, it's a chance to experience this furniture properly in the UK. Plus, it's open until January 2027.

↓ Going Down — Fine Dining Aesthetics

Are we seeing the return of the diner aesthetic in restaurants? What was once an undeniable design trend in the hospitality sector has made way for a more elevated aesthetic in recent times, but projects like this from Parisian design studio Atelier HA prove there's a middle ground to be found between diner charm and fine dining elevation.

Designers Hugo Vince and Adèle Nourry have created this new restaurant in their vision of a space 'somewhere between a retro-futurist diner, a Parisian neighborhood canteen and a late-night club'.

The color palette is sophisticated, yet playful, while the materials and silhouette of the bar definitely deliver on the Americana fantasy, without ever feeling too kitsch. Vanilla and chocolate color banquette seating sits alongside chrome, brushed steel, polished concrete, mosaic tiles, and mirrors for a design scheme that avoids feeling like a scheme.

For more inspiration for the month ahead, why not sign up to the Livingetc newsletter, where you'll receive the Zeitgeist Edit, and more, direct to your inbox.