Did I miss the memo? Not only are we no longer hanging art on hooks, it seems, but gallery walls may also be back. I know — a lot to catch up on. As I stepped through the WOW!house showcase this year, I was surprised to see groups of artwork suspended from rails in almost every room, and even more surprised by how much I liked it.

Over the last few years, designers have become increasingly nonchalant with how they hang art in homes. Some don't even bother hanging it at all, casually leaning canvases against the wall instead, affording them an almost sculpture-like quality. But what about pictures? Is it time to give gallery walls another go? This 'hanging picture rail' trend feels like a foolproof way to group artwork without it ending up cluttered and chaotic. Maybe we've found our perfect middle ground.

"Using a picture rail can really elevate a scheme, bringing a lovely old-world charm," says Camilla Clarke, founder and director of Albion Nord. So, here's how to style the new look, à la designers.

So, why now? And how? "I think that in an increasingly digital world, many people are embracing the analogue: beautifully crafted, tactile objects that have a sense of permanence and history," David Arratoon, design director at Collier Webb (makers of the most beautiful picture rails), tells me. "We're looking to tradition more within interior design, rediscovering techniques and materials that have endured for good reason."

He says the 'hanging rail' trend is the perfect example. "They are wonderfully functional, allowing artwork to evolve and move with ease, but they are also beautiful objects in their own right," he adds. "A finely crafted rail, with elegant chains and carefully considered detailing, becomes part of the decorative language of a room rather than simply a means of hanging art."

Interior designer Camilla Clarke, founder of Albion Nord, agrees. "Picture rails also give a metallic warmth and add interest to an otherwise empty space above a picture," she adds.

And, while it's certainly a look favored by interior designers, it's not out of reach for the everyday home. There are even affordable versions of hanging rails you can buy on Amazon.

As for styling the 'hanging rail' trend, Camilla says she's particularly drawn to its versatility. "You can really experiment with height, sizing, and space in a way that you can’t with hard fixings," she says. "They work particularly well with high ceilings and big rooms, but are actually remarkably versatile in almost any space."

To bring such a traditional feature into a more modern setting, David says the secret is restraint. "I favor simple, elegant detailing and finishes with depth and warmth," he says. "A dark bronze finish paired with refined finials creates a more minimal look while still retaining a nod to the past. I particularly like finishes that age gracefully over time; materials that develop character through use rather than simply looking worn. The rail shouldn't dominate the room; it should sit comfortably within it and feel entirely natural to the space."

Aside from that, proportion is also important. "Consider the length and positioning of the rail carefully, and think about how the artwork relates to ceiling height and the scale of the room," David continues. "I always encourage people to view the hanging hardware as part of the composition. Even details such as the size of the chain links should feel sympathetic to the proportions of the rail, the artwork, and the surrounding space."

Where traditional interiors rely on symmetry and formality, modern homes favor more relaxed arrangements. To achieve this with a 'hanging rail', David recommends mixing artworks of different scales and using negative space to make the display feel "collected rather than prescribed."

The reason I prefer the 'hanging rail' trend over a more traditional gallery wall is that it has more movement. Not to suggest your artwork will be swinging around, but it's not fixed in place. "It can be rearranged or replaced to suit an expanding collection or simply to reflect changing tastes and seasons," adds David.

It's also helpful if you've invested in one of the more custom wallpaper trends we're seeing a lot lately, such as textured papers, murals, or specialty finishes — you can hang art without damaging the surface behind.

The reason I feel so drawn to the 'hanging rail' trend is that it "changes our relationship with the objects we live with," explains David. "We've become more experimental, more willing to move things around and respond to how a room feels."

And that sense of freedom, he continues, tends to lead to interiors that feel more layered, personal, and constantly evolving, which is one of the overarching interior trends we're seeing right now. If you want to take it a step further, I also find so much joy when I see designers hanging things on the wall other than art, such as plates and sculpture.

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In my recent scrolls through social media, I've noticed one particular design detail that keeps unexpectedly appearing above cookers, leaning against upper cabinets, adorning banquettes, and even hanging from kitchen islands: art.

And I'm not the only one. "The kitchen has become one of the most emotionally important rooms in the house," interior designer Venetia Rudebeck tells me. "It’s no longer just somewhere to cook, but where people gather, work, and host. In many homes, it’s effectively replaced the formal living room, so it makes sense that people want it to feel layered, expressive, and personal."

When it comes to styling art in the kitchen, though, it's not always as straightforward as your living room wall. It's a space that serves a highly functional purpose, so there are practical considerations you need to consider. To get to the bottom of how to make sure your kitchen artwork is serving nothing but good looks, I asked interior designers how to hang art in the kitchen, and here's what they had to say.

"For years, art in kitchens was often treated as secondary — small or decorative prints rather than meaningful pieces," interior designer Venetia Rudebeck, co-founder of London-based Studio Vero, tells me. "Kitchens were seen as practical spaces that needed to be hardwearing above all else. But there’s something incredibly compelling about placing serious art in a room filled with life and movement."

So, how should we be styling art in the kitchen instead?

How to Style Art in the Kitchen

When it comes to styling art in the kitchen, placement is crucial — not just aesthetically, but for practicality, too. "Avoid hanging valuable pieces directly above heat or steam, for example, but don’t be too cautious," advises Venetia. "Lean artworks on shelves, place pieces above doorways, layer smaller paintings against splashbacks, or even prop something unexpected at the end of an island," she adds.

She also says it pays to be "less rigid" about what actually qualifies as art. "A ceramic plate, textile, or vintage object can have the same presence as a painting when displayed thoughtfully," she shares. And it's true — there are so many things you can hang on your wall instead of art that can achieve the same goal of adding instant character and personality.

For interior designer Christian Bense, styling art in the kitchen is a natural response to recent kitchen trends. "As built-in cabinetry gives way to open shelving, banquettes, and freestanding islands, walls and surfaces emerge that invite the same decorative treatment as a living or dining room," he explains.

As for how he'd do it: "Layering art alongside collected objects gives kitchens a more evolving quality — one that feels assembled over time rather than installed all at once," he shares. "Artwork fills visual gaps left by reduced cabinetry, certainly, but also helps transform kitchens into spaces that feel warmer, more expressive, and connected to everyday life."

Artwork mounted on your kitchen island, the back of a banquette, or on a shelf in your glass-fronted cabinets? Why not.

That said, it's always wise to frame artwork in the kitchen, ideally behind glass, and positioning it somewhere away from cooking equipment like the hob and oven, advises Hannah Thistlethwaite, a senior buyer at Heal's.

She also recommends lighting your art with sconces; "Wall lights offer a perfect opportunity to frame a piece of kitchen art, and if supported by shelving, create a real focal point," she adds.

The Best Style of Art for the Kitchen

But it's not just where you're styling artwork in your kitchen that matters, but what artwork you're styling. Nicky Mudie, founder and director of London-based interior design firm Violet & George, says the best art for a kitchen is the least matchy. "I love pieces that bring humor, color, or a bit of surprise into the room, whether that’s a large contemporary painting, vintage food artwork, photography, or even children’s drawings framed properly," she says, "It helps stop kitchens feeling too showroom-like."

Hannah Thistlethwaite, a senior buyer at Heal's, helps people choose art for their kitchens regularly and says it's about balancing the room's utilitarian needs with your own personal aesthetic.

"Kitchens are often the heart of the home and run on energy and life, so don't be afraid to use bold color or interesting subject matters, as these add character and warmth to what can be quite functional spaces," she says. But, as a starting point, food-related or botanical prints are always a safe bet as they suit the environment, she adds.

Shop Art for Your Kitchen

The way you decorate your kitchen isn't confined to your walls (or what's on the shelves or side of your island); here are the kitchen material trends that feel the most design-forward right now when it comes to your countertops and cabinetry.

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There are shows we remember because they seamlessly transport us elsewhere — be it a different, remote epoch, a surreal fantasy, or a faraway continent. Others feel worthwhile because they put us face-to-face with stories and narratives we had never even considered until that moment, bringing us closer to communities, carefully preserved traditions, and ways of being other than our own.

Unveiled at Tate Modern on February 27, Tracey Emin: A Second Life entrances you with its filterless, bittersweet portrayal of what it means to be uncompromisingly alive against all odds. Between glowing neons, large-scale installations, monumental canvases, and archival footage, its immersive set design will make you feel attentive and present, thanks in part to a grounding night-sky blue backdrop, chosen from Farrow & Ball's best paint colors.

The color? Stiffkey Blue, and as Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich, who toured the new exhibition with Farrow & Ball's Joa Studholme and Tracey's creative director Harry Weller last week, tells us: "Stiffkey Blue reads so much blacker here than I’m used to it being, and reminded me how clever Farrow and Ball is with its pigments that change so subtly depending on how the paint is used."

One of the most anticipated art exhibitions on the 2026 London cultural calendar, this landmark presentation retraces four decades of Tracey Emin's provocative production across painting, sculpture, photography, quilting, ephemera, home-inspired displays, and audiovisual works, wrapping you in a tranquil marine palette that makes her artworks feel even more urgent, compelling, and soul-piercing.

"Tracey Emin: A Second Life" Captures the Highs and Lows of Being Alive

It does so by throwing it back to the early days of Tracey Emin's career, which was heralded by the shocking and deeply divisive yet ever-relevant My Bed (1998), retracing the life of the Royal College of Art alumna and prominent YBAs' member almost step by step via moments of pleasure, of joy, of heartbreak and pain, of illness, of healing, and becoming.

A life-size reproduction of her messy bed, sided by an unruly pile of worn knickers, empty alcohol bottles, used and unused condoms, cigarette ends, a cuddly toy, Polaroids, slippers, and more, that seminal piece stood as a tangible portrayal of the inner and outer turmoil of a particularly challenging, depressive chapter of hers.

My Bed debuted at the Sagacho Exhibition Space in Tokyo, Japan, in 1998, and was first presented in London, where it's now on view, within the 1999 Turner Prize showcase at the Tate Gallery, causing shock, disgust, and confusion in equal amounts, before going on to rewrite the definition of art.

Tracey Emin: A Second Life unofficially takes this revealing display as its centerpiece. It also features a series of haunting self-portraits that see the maverick reflect on her experience of rape and sexual assault as a teenager, and others she painted in the aftermath of her squamous cell bladder cancer diagnosis, which she received in 2020.

...and the Sensory, Visceral Essence of It All

The show doesn't shy away from the debilitating impact this and the surgery that followed it had on the artist — having had her bladder, urethra, uterus, ovaries, lymph nodes, and parts of her intestine removed, she now lives with a permanent disability, and often turns to art to document it — but feels, nonetheless, life-affirming.

Inspired by the unexpected hue obtained from the mixing of mud and crushed cockles on the beach on the Norfolk coast after which the paint has been named, Farrow & Ball's Stiffkey Blue inserts another layer of poetry into an exhibition so powerful and raw that it quite literally keeps you on your toes.

The hue, which was picked by long-term Farrow & Ball admirers Tracey Emin and her creative director, Harry Weller, deepens "the emotional impact of Tracey's visceral works," Farrow & Ball's color curator Joa Studholme said after touring the exhibition alongside the latter last week — an experience she describes as "fascinating, inspiring, and harrowing."

Inky, pasty, and imbued with an earthy quality, Stiffkey Blue feels like a fitting choice for the background of Tracey Emin: A Second Life, where the filthiness of the human experience's darkest sides is put on a stage, scrutinized, and, in doing so, exorcized, making room for newfound, explosive energy.

It makes the trio of nudes gathered by Emin's Naked Photos – Life Model Goes Mad (1996) and captured above truly pop out against the pale blue of the flooring onto which the female protagonist of these shots is shown mixing colors, lying on a dark sheet of fabric, and painting.

Elsewhere in the exhibition, like in front of I Am the Last of My Kind (2019), Was Too Young to Be Carrying Your Ashes (2017-2018), and And So It Felt Like This (2018), the muted blue shade gives each artwork the semblance of a portal.

Three female silhouettes, rendered in turquoise and pink, fire red and black, and darker blue, purple, and red, respectively, stare back at viewers, ghostly embodiments of loneliness, grief, and physical trauma, as the darker walls recall the attention onto their agitated surfaces.

Combined with Tracey Emin's signature neon sculptures — striking windows into her desires and thoughts — the Farrow & Ball-authored backdrop looks like a starry night, or a dead calm sea with twinkling boats all over it.

"The Margate of my mind has the most beautiful sunsets that stretch across the entire horizon. Sharp white cliffs divide a charcoal blue sea from the hard reality of the land," the artist wrote of the place where she grew up in her book Strangeland. Tracey Emin: A Second Life cements her ability to reunite both in her work — passion, beauty, and hardship — without ever quenching her lust for more.

Tracey Emin: A Second Life is open at Tate Modern, London, through August 31. Book your tickets

Read about interior designers' favorite spring colors yet? You've still got time to catch up on the homework before the summer solstice lands on June 21. For more style advice, consider joining our community of subscribers for access to our weekly newsletters — a seasonal upgrade has never been more of a no-brainer.

Sharon Santoni has spent decades scouring flea markets, brocantes, and antique stores. Now, she's put everything she learned into a new book, The Art of Antiquing in France.

Discover how to buy and style French antiques, the top 10 French collectibles, and even detailed weekend itineraries for some of her favorite markets and fairs in France.

In the excerpt below, Sharon has revealed everything you need to know about sourcing and curating your own antique art collection — from the art movements you need to know to the most notable French Schools of Art, details to watch out for, how to negotiate, and subsequently care for your antique art at home.

Antique paintings are devious creatures. You start out buying a small oil on board or charming watercolor, drawn in by the romantic notion of the artist setting out from home on a Sunday afternoon, pitching his folding seat beside an old oak tree and opening his box of paints and brushes to capture the view before him. A few weeks later, you come across another painting that would keep the first company — then another, and another. Before you know it, you have a collection. Friends start commenting on your tastefully grouped displays, and soon you’ve started venturing into still lifes and portraits. It doesn’t take long before there are no more empty walls in your house.

Paintings can have several lives, from the first brushstroke to the finished canvas, changing hands through galleries and down generations. You can buy a painting to hang in a hallway, and then, after some months, suddenly decide it should move to the dining room. Each setting reveals a new side to the artwork, while the artwork itself transforms the space.

If you’re thinking of becoming a regular collector, sourcing is everything. A lucky, chance purchase is always fun, but to grow a collection mindfully, it’s best to identify dealers with tastes similar to your own. Build up a relationship with sellers who understand your style, and often they will source items with your preferences in mind. Buying at auction can also bring a particular thrill — not only does the buyer need to hunt down and identify the works that interest them, but there is also the competition to be dealt with. Stay focused; the thrill of a bidding war is a clever tactic by the auctioneer — and a good way to lose sight of a carefully planned budget.

Over the years, I have often set out to buy antiques in the company of others. It’s fun to compare notes and to help each other spot a potential purchase, but one thing I have learned is that beauty is subjective. This is particularly true for art; you have to follow your own taste and instinct to develop your budding collection with a cohesive style. Researching the art world is, therefore, time well spent. The more you read, the more you will hone your own eye and judgment. Visiting art museums, reading about the lives of artists, and even taking classes yourself will heighten your appreciation of other artists’ work.

For those seeking authoritative reference materials, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists is an invaluable resource. It details biographical and market information on thousands of painters and sculptors, and can be used to better understand the aesthetic value and provenance of your acquisitions.

French Art Movements

While most antique paintings you’ll encounter are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when starting a collection, it’s useful to familiarize yourself with the key French art styles. Artists often reference one another and build on past movements, so understanding these styles will help you place your finds within a broader historical and stylistic context.

Below are distinguishing characteristics of notable art movements in France that you’re likely to come across while antiquing:

Gothic (1150–1500)

Dominated by religious themes, Gothic paintings are characterized by elongated figures, intricate detailing, rich color palettes, and plenty of gold leaf. Panel paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and frescoes were the primary mediums of this era.

Renaissance (1500–1600)

French artists adopted the Italian approach to perspective, with realistic proportions. Oil painting became favored over tempera (pigmented egg wash), with a focus on portraiture and classical themes.

Baroque (1600–1720)

Artists introduced dramatic lighting and intense emotion into their compositions, often depicting religious and mythological subjects with a sense of grandeur.

Neoclassicism (1780–1820)

Romanticism in painting emphasized emotion, drama, and movement, often depicting turbulent scenes in rich, dynamic compositions.

Realism (1840–1880)

Artists started to reject idealization, favoring raw observation and an unembellished portrayal of everyday life. Often somber in tone and subject matter, and featuring loose brushstrokes, this movement marked the beginning of a turn away from the principles of classical art.

Impressionism (1860–1890)

Characterized by loose, visible brushstrokes and vibrant colors, impressionist paintings were often executed outdoors, en plein air. Impressionists captured the natural world and scenes of leisure, aiming to evoke a sense of immediacy and atmosphere.

Pointillism (1884–1910)

Pointillist artists used the science of color theory to apply tiny, precise dots of contrasting pigment to create optical illusions of luminosity. A notable feature of many pointillist artworks: a painted border — almost like a frame within the frame — designed to complement the artwork and play with its edges.

Post-impressionism (1885–1910)

Building on impressionism’s use of color and light, post-impressionist artworks feature structure, emotion, and symbolism, often using bold colors, exaggerated forms, and experimental techniques. This period gave rise to movements such as Fauvism, which embraced non-naturalistic color, and Cubism, which manipulated perspective and form.

French Schools of Art

Neither formal institutions nor defined movements, the French écoles were loose collectives of artists who worked closely together or were drawn to the same region. They often shared techniques, themes, and the culture and visual motifs of the local surroundings — even if they didn’t follow a single doctrine or teacher.

While each artist in a given school will have their individual style, their work collectively reflects a shared sensibility or moment in time.

École de Barbizon (1830–1870)

The Barbizon school was instrumental in the shift toward naturalism, emerging from a group of artists working in the small village of Barbizon, near the Fontainebleau forest. Their focus on landscapes and rural scenes laid the groundwork for impressionism, emphasizing direct observation and the changing effects of light. Notable artists from this group include Jean-François Milletand Charles-François Daubigny.

École de Bretagne (1850–1930)

Drawn to Brittany’s rugged coastline and distinctive light, artists began visiting the region in the mid-nineteenth century to sketch scenes of rural life. The movement gathered momentum in the 1880s and 1890s, particularly around Pont-Aven, where Paul Gauguin and others developed a bold, symbolic style. It continued into the early twentieth century, with painters often depicting the region’s customs and wild, windswept landscapes.

École de Paris (1900–1940)

An international group of post-impressionist artists working in Paris — particularly Montparnasse — who blended Fauvism, Cubism, and expressionism. Their emotional and intense works captured the city’s avant-garde energy, pushing the boundaries of modern art in the early twentieth century. The circle included artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Marc Chagall, and Jules Pascin.

The Collector’s Eye

When beginning an art collection, start small and immediately hang or display the pieces in your home. As the collection expands, your eye will naturally develop a sense of which works complement one another and which deserve to stand alone. Over time, you’ll also become more adept at recognizing quality, condition, and authenticity.

When considering an oil painting, examine the surface carefully. Is the paint evenly applied, or are there areas where the canvas shows through unintentionally? Look closely for any manques — small chips in the paint — along with any visible cracks, distortions, or evidence of overpainting. Has the canvas been relined or restored? Signs of repair can indicate either careful conservation or an attempt to mask damage. None of these alterations make the painting worthless, but they should be noted and taken into account when buying or negotiating a purchase.

Watercolors and pastels are particularly tempting, their delicate nature lending nuance to a collection. However, they are almost always sold framed behind glass, which makes assessing their condition, as well as shipping, more complex. If possible, examine the work outside of its frame. Watch for signs of foxing (small brown spots caused by oxidation) or warping from moisture exposure.

It’s always a bonus to purchase a painting bearing the artist’s signature. The name may be totally unknown, or it may allow for the piece to be identified as part of an artist’s body of work. Either way, it adds another level of understanding, providing welcome information to the art connoisseur thirsty to know more. While some artists sign only on the front (either the full name or just the surname), others inscribe their name, date, or even a dedication on the back. Nevertheless, it’s useful to note that signing a painting is a relatively recent phenomenon. The practice gained popularity among some of the great artists of the Renaissance — the most obvious being Leonardo da Vinci — but only became widespread in the nineteenth century.

Lastly, always inspect the frame, as it can reveal a great deal about a painting’s history, condition, and value. Up to the nineteenth century, picture frames were always wooden, with carved details, and occasionally gilded with gold leaf. From the nineteenth century onward, ornate frames were made more economically, using plaster molds applied to a wooden base.

Sadly, these plaster details become fragile with time and may chip or crack. They can be repaired by an expert or at home with a good deal of patience. Older frames are also constructed with mitered, hand-jointed corners, often secured with wooden pegs or nails. More recent frames, by contrast, tend to be stapled or glued. If the back of a frame is covered with a uniform sheet of brown paper, it may suggest a modern mounting.

Caring for Antique Paintings

Frames should typically remain with their artworks, as they are part of the piece’s history and are valuable in their own right. A trusted framer can offer invaluable advice and expertise in how to highlight your art to its best advantage. For unframed paintings, you’ll want to protect the edges by lining your chosen frame with foam, rubber strips, or velvet. If the frame is too deep, cork strips can be used to pad it out. For artworks on paper — whether paintings or prints — it’s essential to mount them on acid-free board to prevent deterioration. A mount can also be used to keep the artwork from touching the glass.

When hanging your artwork, avoid direct sunlight and damp, and never position it above a fireplace or radiator, as heat can quickly cause damage. Rather than placing a painting flush against the wall, allow it to lean slightly outward from the top to improve air circulation. Hanging art in kitchens and bathrooms can pose particular challenges, as humidity can fluctuate greatly. If displaying art in these rooms, avoid paper-based works, use a sealed frame, and ensure the space is well ventilated.

When handling a painting, always use clean, dry hands and touch only the frame to avoid transferring oils onto the surface. When it comes to cleaning, less is more. A gentle dusting with a soft brush once or twice a year is enough. If it requires deeper cleaning or restoration, always entrust the job to a professional.

Order your own copy of The Art of Antiquing in France by Sharon Santoni from Amazon.

I've always found choosing artwork for my home a tricky task. I don't really know where to find unique pieces that feel original and align with my style, and hiring a curator is unfortunately out of the question. That said, I think I've just discovered the next best thing in Soho Home's partnership with art gallery Rise Art — the curation has already been done for you.

The edit currently includes 93 artworks spanning various styles (landscape, abstract, figurative, etc.) by 27 different emerging or celebrated artists. And while it caters to different styles across various mediums, each piece feels especially fitting for modern homes, in keeping with Soho Home's enviable aesthetic.

Prices start at £600 (or £510 for members), which, while certainly nothing to scoff at, for an original artwork isn't bad. Whether you use this as a way to discover new, up-and-coming artists and names worth knowing, or actually source a piece for your home (I already have my eye on a few), it makes choosing and hanging art in your home feel a lot less intimidating. Here are some of my favorites.

Abstract Art

From the abstract headboard trend to the wider shift towards expressive home decor, interiors are increasingly breaking the rules, so why not bring this to your wall decor ideas? These abstract art pieces feel playful with the bright color palettes — a stylish way to elevate neutral walls without the need to repaint.

Maximalist Art

I'd say that these maximalist artworks perfectly embody tidy maximalism — that is, although bold and colorful, they have a level of restraint that keeps rooms feeling somewhat ordered.

Figurative Artwork

These figurative artworks mainly include one singular color, rather than being multi-colored, which can make them slightly easier to incorporate into your existing color scheme.

Landscape Artwork

Landscape artworks aren't just for traditional interior styles; these pieces feel contemporary and unexpected. These specific picks are also quite a bit smaller than many of the artworks in the other categories, meaning they can slot into more spaces in your home, on a shelf or in a bookcase, perhaps.

As well as choosing the right frame for your artwork, lighting is another important step to consider to make it look its best. To help you on your way, you can read all about how to light art with useful tips from experts.

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A Norwich University of the Arts graduate, British textile artist Mia Sylvia has built a, quite literally, monumental career off her emotional connection with fabric — a material the creative remembers first feeling attached to at the age of five, when, terrified of losing her baby blanket, she hand-sewed her full name into its corner so that "in case someone found it, they could return it to me," Sylvia recalls.

Today, the emerging designer assembles textiles she hand-dyes using plant matter, rusted metal, food waste, and botanicals into woven and draped, fantastical fabric sculptures that, more often than not, float mid-air like clouds.

Installed anywhere from global art institutions like Tate Modern to the world's most exclusive hotels, with their perfectly imperfect, ethereal essence, Sylvia's creations capture the resurfacing of romance in interior design. And so it's no surprise the artist is invited to lend her creative touch to high-end wedding receptions and residential bedrooms alike. Below, she tells us of her pursuit of feeling over perfection, and how textiles can revolutionize a home.

"There's something deeply emotional about fabric. Textiles have always felt protective, intimate, almost like a second skin to me. Even as a child, I was instinctively using thread to anchor identity and attachment. That sensitivity to memory, touch, and personal narrative is still at the core of what I create. The moment you are born, you are wrapped in cloth, and so you are the moment you die. I feel so deeply about the role textiles have in our lives.

"During my time at Norwich University of the Arts, I was drawn to the physicality of fabric — how it could move, change color, collapse, hold tension, and behave almost like a living thing. Compared to other media, it allowed me to work instinctively and emotionally rather than rigidly. It felt limitless. That freedom is what convinced me to keep going with it, and it still does today.

"Whether in the places they visit or those they inhabit daily, people are craving experience again. After years of minimalism and digital overload, there's a desire for spaces that feel immersive and emotive. My work naturally aligns with that theatrical shift because it introduces movement, tactility, and drama, but in a soft and calm way. Fabric can completely alter the atmosphere of a room without hard construction. It feels transformative yet intimate.

"My recent collaboration with TikTok-viral interior designer Marco Zamora exemplifies that approach. The partnership came about organically through social media. It stemmed from our shared appreciation for immersive, emotionally charged spaces, the fact that I've had fabric installations in my bedroom for years, and I loved the idea of sharing this experience with others.

"Bedrooms are intimate environments. Textile installations like the one I developed for Marco can soften acoustics, diffuse light, and create a cocoon-like atmosphere. They turn a bedroom into a sanctuary — somewhere that feels enveloping instead of exposed.

"I'm drawn to spaces that feel layered and expressive rather than overly polished. Think Victorian, dark woods dotted with antiques and well-traveled knick-knacks — interiors that feel collected and tactile. I love when a room feels like it has a pulse. I'm not interested in perfection; I'm interested in feeling. My textiles bring softness and movement into structured environments, which feels like a metaphor for how I move through the world, too.

"I love the crossover moments within my work, when something exists between art and function. Weddings are beautiful because they're so emotionally charged; hospitality is exciting because of scale; exhibitions allow for full creative freedom. It's that diversity that keeps my practice alive.

"Aesthetically, I'm interested in softness meeting structure — tension between chaos and control. Ethically, I value slowness, intentionality, and joy. I care about process, about touch, about allowing materials to lead rather than forcing them into trend-driven outcomes.

"There's honesty in letting fabric behave the way it wants to. As for me, I'd like my work to feel like stepping inside a feeling. Ultimately, my dream is to share that feeling with others. To create something monumental that still feels personal — like that baby blanket did."

Bring a Textile Element Into Your Home

Dive into our latest edit of must-see exhibitions in London for more art and design inspiration and awe.

January can be a hell of a month for those of us who have indulged too hard in the holiday period and are yet to get back to their top form. But if there's one thing to rejoice about us being at the peak of winter, it's that the most depressing month of the year also coincides with the awakening of the British capital's cultural scene, where hundreds of appointments are ready to entertain arts-versed readers for weeks to come, starting from the best design and art exhibitions in London.

This month, a leitmotif runs through many of the most exciting London art shows: the desire to embrace objects and their materiality as vehicles for meaning; as containers for the most absurd, surreal, or verosimile of stories. Or, even, as gateways into specific beliefs, traditions, and cultures — into different ways of being. It is a theme that proves just how much the things we surround ourselves with can influence our lives, one that rings especially relevant as we approach a new beginning. Still, when it comes to uncovering the best new exhibitions in London, things are (forgive the pun) very rarely so black and white.

Saatchi Gallery's 40th-anniversary exhibition gathers large-scale works from esteemed artists like Richard Wilson and Jenny Saville alongside new commissions to explore climate change, technology, and the scope of human genius across the decades. Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino brings a rare slice of Italy to Thomas Dane Gallery with Luigi Ghirri: Felicità, an emotional retrospective he curated, dedicated to the work of the great photography pioneer. While multidisciplinary artist Leah Clements examines tropes of illness and perception in her enigmatic debut UK solo exhibition, Apophenia.

Keen to know more? Find all the London art shows I have on my list for the weeks to come below.

1. Together, Sarah Myerscough Gallery

Where & When: The Schoolhouse, 18 Balderton St, London W1K 6TG. To February 7

Many of the design and art exhibitions in London that speak to me most are centered around the action of making as both a sense and a shape-giving process, and so it's no coincidence that I have recently taken up a pottery course. Within the more traditional, aesthetics-led contemporary art world, though, not a lot of attention is paid to either craft or function. On view at Sarah Myerscough's new Mayfair headquarters until February 7, Together gathers contributions from 30 artists, makers, and designers who view their practice as a vessel of "shared humanity, cultural heritage, and a primordial connection to the natural world".

Whether through animated furniture, curious stoneware sculptures, or uncanny fiber compositions, the London art show seeks to demonstrate that, just like artist Theaster Gates says, "without the pursuit of making, I would have no purpose," capturing hands-on creativity as the ultimate way to be in touch with planet Earth. Got here too late? Make note of Thread, another one of Sarah Myerscough Gallery's unmissable exhibitions in London, and dive into the philosophy of weaving as a physical gesture and universal language spanning centuries (March 26-May 14).

Plan your visit to Together.

2. Massimiliano Gottardi: Zero, Alice Amati

Where & When: 27 Warren St, London W1T 5NB. To February 28

Instinctively, the see-through, fish tank-looking boxes that punctuate, alongside other crafty, curious forms, Zero, artist Massimiliano Gottardi's ongoing solo show at gallery Alice Amati, feel like long-forgotten time capsules — visible manifestations of a way of living, of being, created to be discovered by someone else further down the line. Staring closely at these glass cases, it is easy to spot the many domestic objects that, much like sea life constrained into a bowl, exist pretty much motionless inside them, submerged in water.

A chunky, vintage radio. Cutlery, stacked-up plates, and wine glasses. Crunched up foliage, paper cutouts, and half-finished beverages. There is a familiarity in Gottardi's work that attracts viewers almost immediately to it, but it's in depriving these common items of their original purpose that the artist imbues them with an almost eerie feeling. To him, they are embodiments of our relationship to chance; how the flow of life is constantly reassessed by it, put on hold, or disrupted.

Elsewhere in the gallery, geometrically designed talismans, including an oversized, 20-faced die, hint at mysterious sacred rituals. Despite the immediacy of certain symbols — the candle-lit altar, for example — it's like we have lost our ability to interact with them; to decipher their use. The London art show, then, feels like a metaphor for the dual face of the consumerist world, where stuff is sold to us as a remedy to everything, but most often than not, it doesn't cure us. Rather, it clutters our lives.

Plan your visit to Massimiliano Gottardi: Zero.

3. Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, Sadie Coles HQ

Where & When: 17 Savile Row, London W1S 3PN. To March 21

With over 40 artists on display, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, one of the first exhibitions to land at gallery Sadie Coles's new Savile Row space, borrows its intricate narratives from an Oscar Wilde novella of the same title. It brings the building's layered history as a 1870 arts club and the Irish author's vivid, sharp commentary on the Mayfair of the time together into one. Already in the 19th century, Wilde had recognized the spasmodic human obsession with appearance, and just how much people are willing to risk — or to trade — to prevent their looks from perishing over time.

Taking the performative nature and drama of Victorian high society as its backdrop, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime populates Sadie Coles's 17 Savile Row room with a series of colorful, eccentric projections of the self. Spanning photography, sculpture, and installation, the works on view in this London art show seek to denounce how both our lust for perfection and the 'touched-up' portrayals resulting from it "continue to conceal alternative private or primal impulses, and that our dependence on the observation of others remains absolute," explains the gallery.

Here, naked bodies float from above or lie on the floor. Human eyes appear to be inspecting both the figures in the canvases nearby and those observing them. While, albeit represented together, pairs of lovers can't seem to escape a feeling of solitude. Wrapped in flowy, pale antique rose curtains, with Persian rugs placed atop wooden floors, the exhibit stands as a manifesto to the egotism and the fragility inherent to the era of post-truth.

Plan your visit to Lord Arthur Savile's Crime.

4. The Long Now: Saatchi Gallery at 40, Saatchi Gallery

Where & When: Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY. To April 26

How do you capture a gallery's 40 years of programming in one single show? Continuing at the Chelsea hotspot through April 26, The Long Now: Saatchi Gallery at 40 attempts to answer that — and more. The group show, which brings together nearly 50 artists, including long-acclaimed names like Edward Burtynsky, Olafur Eliasson, Alex Katz, Sterling Ruby, and Damien Hirst, as well as rising personalities such as Dima Sroji and Ibrahim Mahama, was conceived by Philippa Adams, senior director at the art platform between 1999 and 2020.

Inside, you'll find anything from ginormous ants climbing up the walls to wall-wide, mesmerizing, sprawling canvases, and a vintage yellow car floating above the heads of some visibly distressed performers, to towering sculptures and walk-through installations suspended between the truth and the surreal. At once reflecting the spectrum of contemporary creative expression and that of the preoccupations that incite artists to continue creating, The Long Now: Saatchi Gallery at 40 is a physical exploration of the dilemmas that shape life today, from the rise (and rise) of technology to the shifting notion of identity and climate change.

Plan your visit to The Long Now: Saatchi Gallery at 40.

5. Leah Clements: Apophenia

Where & When: 97-99 Hoxton St, London N1 6QL. Opening February 6. To May 2

One of the exhibitions in London I am most excited to visit this month reconnects me with the work of local multidisciplinary artist Leah Clements, whose production I have written about in the past, and yet never ceases to surprise me. Apophenia, her first major solo show in the UK, is named after a condition that makes people spot patterns or connections between unrelated phenomena or events. For this new exhibition, Clements, who has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and uses her practice as a means of exorcising the impact this has on her life, has developed a single-channel film along with a body of sculptural, as well as audiovisual works.

In the video, which follows a female protagonist on a journey through thermal sites across Bath, Wales, London, and Bristol, the artist zooms in on water as a source of healing and purification, largely from distorted perceptions of illness and disability and what these entail. Visitors are invited to watch the footage while lying on medical seating resembling that of wellness clinics, psychoanalysis therapy rooms, or hospitals, as conversations between Clements and writer Jenn Asworth delve into the reality of living with a long-term condition while playing out in their ears. Through thorough, multisensory immersion, the experience transforms guests from passive visitors into active feelers, bridging the gap between the actor's, the artist's, and observers' own experiences.

Plan your visit to Peer Gallery.

6. Luigi Ghirri: Felicità, Thomas Dane Gallery

Where & When: 3 and 11 Duke Street St James's, London SW1Y 6BN. To May 9

Ask any Italian what the best exhibitions to see in London right now are, and they'll include a mention of the photography retrospective that's just opened at Thomas Dane Gallery, Luigi Ghirri: Felicità. Originally from Emilia Romagna and departed prematurely in 1992, Ghirri is one of the most innovative photographers to have been born in and have graced the Italian peninsula.

He is not just the greatest inspiration for my own visual practice, having invented a way to reveal the infinite subtleties, the nostalgia mixed with mystery that defines the landscapes and stories of my native Italy via his poignant color photography. But, as it turns out, he has also inspired Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria, Bones and All, Queer), who curated this London art show alongside long-term collaborator Alessio Bolzoni, dearly. The result is a captivating sequence of never-before-exhibited or rarely seen Ghirri images that capture Italy up close, unveiling a different side to it.

Plan your visit to Luigi Ghirri: Felicità.

7. Wes Anderson: The Archives, The Design Museum

Where & When: 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG. To July 26

With his hyper-symmetric gaze and his pastel-tinted interiors, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Wes Anderson hasn't just earned himself a name in the cinema empire — he's shown us a different way to look at and take in the world. In the recently inaugurated Wes Anderson: The Archives exhibition at the Design Museum, the American director's genius is out in full force, and so are the countless ephemera, film costumes, and models strikingly displayed throughout this London art show.

Accompanied by a spectacular, meticulously compiled catalogue of the same title, the exhibition marks the first time that Anderson's precious arsenal is presented to the public in the UK, and comprises more than 700 objects related to his movies, including some featured in his latest release, The Phoenician Scheme. Much just artist and designer Bethan Laura Wood's recent Platform showcase at the museum, Wes Anderson: The Archives is a world worth getting lost in, or, actually, more than just one!

Book your ticket for Wes Anderson: The Archives.

Not in London but still looking for inspiring destinations fit to uplift you this winter? Dive into our newest travel trends 2026 report to get a taste of the cities and activities destined to inspire globetrotters in the year ahead, or revisit our coverage of past design exhibitions to keep all notable galleries, fairs, and pop-ups on your map.

How to perfect your art hanging techniques has been a hot topic at the Livingetc office as of late. We all want our walls to look gallery-ready, guests gawking at our gorgeous design, but what's the secret? Anyone who has tried their hand at hanging art in their own home knows that it's harder than it looks. To save your walls from numerous holes, I called in the experts to help crack the code.

How to hang art like a professional relies on three key steps during preparation: selecting where to hang your art, how many pieces to hang, and, the talk of today, how high to hang the art. The height of your art affects the way the rest of your furniture feels within a room and the Feng Shui of the space as a whole. An artwork too close or too far from a mantel or the back of a sofa can throw off an entire layout.

So, what's the appropriate height for art to hang? Kelly Cahn, art advisor, collector, and appraiser, says, "I generally recommend hanging works so that the center is approximately 60 inches [or 150cm] from the floor. However, you should always take into account proportions, context, and balance with the surroundings, and adjust as needed." There is a formula, and a few rules to follow to avoid any... well, hang-ups — so, without further ado, let's discuss how high to hang art.

How High Should You Hang Art Above Furniture?

Planning how high to hang living room wall art above your furniture mainly depends on the size of your furniture and the size of your art piece. However, Kelly Kahn explains that, as a general rule, "When hanging works above the sofa or a piece of furniture, you generally want the lowest point to be about 6-12 inches [15-30cm] from the top of the furniture." You can go a bit higher if it's a high-traffic area or if kids or pets are in the home, though, she adds.

Placement also needs to account for your bedroom or living room layout. For instance, sofas tend to be the focal point of a living room, meaning "the art above them should be low enough to relate to the seating rather than being a separate element," explains art framing expert Jason Wickens, founder of Fotovia Art Prints. "Around 12 inches [30cm] usually works well, but it's best to trust your eyes for the best distance."

Also, if you have molding on your walls, Kelly says, "I suggest centering it in the middle of the molding if it's a larger work or bringing it to eye level if it's a more intimate scale."

How High Should You Hang Art From the Floor?

Trying to fill a bare space in a hallway or awkward living room wall where there isn't typically any furniture? These can seem like the trickiest of spots, but there is a simple rule for getting the height of your art right.

"The 57-inch rule is widely used in galleries and by many interior designers," says Jason. "It simply means placing the center of the artwork 57 inches [145cm] from the floor."

57-60 inches [145-152cm] is a good starting point because it reflects the average eye level. When art is hung at eye-level, it creates a more comfortable and welcoming environment. But, of course, homes vary, and so do people's preferences. "In a living room where everyone is seated, you may want artwork a little lower," notes Jason.

On the other hand, in rooms with tall ceilings, the instinct is often to hang art too high. In this scenario, Jason explains, "keeping the center around eye level still works best because it grounds the room and avoids dead space at the bottom of the wall."

How High Should You Hang Art When Grouped Together?

Like every interior design rule, there are times when the guidelines for how high to hang art can (and should) be bent and broken. Gallery wall ideas, for example, require a bit more nuance than a simple 12-inch [30cm] rule.

"When multiple works are hung together on a gallery wall or in a horizontal or vertical grouping, you have a lot more flexibility," says Kelly. To plan the perfect spatial configuration, "I generally try to center the group around a focal point and build out from there," she adds.

With these arrangements, you can typically edge closer to the tops of your furniture (hitting around 15cm away rather than 30cm), as there is a more dynamic visual being created rather than focusing on one piece.

So, if your gallery wall is feeling outdated, it may be because you've hung your collection too low or high on the wall. Center your main artworks and build out from there, keeping the floor-to-ceiling ratio and the tops of your furniture in mind.

Learning how high to hang art is an art in itself. It takes a bit of practice, patience, and a keen eye. If, after taking all this into consideration, your art still feels wrong, it's worth making sure it's not one of the places you should never hang art in your home.

As a hobbyist painter myself, I am partial to hanging artwork on any bare surface in my home. It's what you do with a blank wall, right? But what if you're someone who struggles to find art you actually like, let alone can style well in a room? Or what if the mood for the space simply calls for something... different — more interesting?

So if not art, then what can you hang on your wall? Interior decor is taking a turn for all things personal — spaces that really show your personality, no matter how strange. In turn, traditional wall art that doesn't hold any particular meaning to you or your space is falling out of favor. In its place, sculptural elements give walls depth and help add life to a room, creating that awe-inspiring moment.

If you want to hang art like an interior designer, but don't find yourself drawn to particularly to canvas, there are plenty of other routes to take. Art is subjective, of course. From plates and pretty sconce lights to knick-knacks and fun bag hooks, here are a few creative ways to shake up your 'wall' art.

1. Artisanal Plates

Modern wall decor ideas instantly become more interesting when they aren't a standard shape. One of the most common (but equally stylish) ways to shake things up is by hanging decorative plates on a bare bit of wall, using a special plate holder, such as this one from Amazon.

Chicago-based interior designer Jennifer Sucher says that by incorporating a plate wall, she was able to create her own shape in the space rather than being confined to a rectangle or square. "What you actually can't see in this photo is a light switch we were unable to move. By decorating with a collection of plates, we were able to work around the light switch in a way that we could not with a standard framed piece of art," she explains.

"We decided on plates because my client loves to travel, and this was something she could add to over time and easily tuck away in her suitcase," Jennifer continues. "We started the base shape with some vintage plates in different sizes, and eventually, she would be able to add a new plate here and there." The magic of this idea is that the wall will continue to grow and reflect the homeowner's evolving life.

A dining room, or breakfast room, is probably the most expected, but you don't have to be confined to these spaces. Jennifer says, "I think plates also work well on any narrow wall — a single linear stack of 3-5 plates on a wall that is too skinny for art but needs something. It feels totally unexpected and cool."

2. Unique Wall Sconces

"While art is always a beautiful way to bring color and feeling into a space, sconces feel like jewelry to me; they add warmth and that quiet glow that makes a room feel finished," says California-based interior designer Lisa Price.

We all need chic alternatives to overhead lighting, and what better way to show off your statement piece than accenting it as an art piece or dotting it into a clever alternative gallery wall idea.

"Wall sconces add a more unique feel, casting a warm glow to create an inviting space," adds Maggie Gienger, director of interior design at Arhaus.

"Much like traditional wall art, there are sconce options that align with any style aesthetic from modern to minimal to eclectic," she continues. "Plus, sconces are a practical option for illuminating a room and take up less physical space than a table or floor lamp without the harshness of an overhead light."

3. Decorative Hooks

The hooks in this kitchen were born out of necessity for more creative storage solutions, but they also happen to make a design feature in the space. "What you can't see is that the back door next to them is there, and this is the client's main exit and entrance day to day," explains Jennifer Sucher, the space's designer.

Yes, the hooks are functional, but they've been reworked to prioritize form. "We wanted something wood and beautiful to tie in with the kitchen," she adds. "We didn't want this part of the kitchen to feel like a mudroom, even though that is what it is essentially." Instead, the hooks become an interesting visual on the wall, replacing the need for art.

You can even style stylish coat hooks in more out-of-the-box places, and put your favorite hats and bags on full display. "I used the yellow disc plate hangers on the back (available on Amazon), which worked so well, and this gave us the flexibility to hang them on a single nail. They are surprisingly strong!"

4. Mirrors

"Mirrors are one of my favorite elements to style on a wall in place of art," says Lisa Price. Ever since the brooch came back in fashion, I've personally held the opinion that statement mirrors are the brooch of the interior design world. Why? They add unexpected pizazz to a space, acting as the perfect 'cherry-on-top' moment.

"They help create balance in design, and a sense of calm without ever competing with the art," adds Lisa. "Moreover, they can reflect the outside in, capturing light, greenery, and movement, and adding their own layer of beauty. "

Decorating with mirrors can bring that artful feeling without being just an obvious canvas on the wall. Just be careful not to go overboard with this idea and start putting these reflective pieces in the places you should never hang a mirror.

5. Collector's Items and Memorabilia

Here's where we crank the alternative art ideas up a notch. Gallery walls can be a tricky territory — they rely a lot on exercising restraint. Yes, they can feel contemporary and curated, but they can also feel cluttered and all-consuming.

One way to avoid a tired aesthetic is to opt for something a little more unexpected. Say, vintage toys? "The homeowner had a lifelong collection of tiny tin toys, and we wanted to make them blend into the architecture and vibe of the home," explains Julia Miller, creative director of Yond Interiors and designer of the space shown above.

To achieve this, she created a museum-like mounting system where the toys appear to float on the wall. For a more affordable option, mini floating shelves would work, too. This out-of-the-box idea adds individual character to the space and turns the hallway into a stand-out design moment. Once you realize your house is your own to decorate, your creativity can be unleashed.

6. Basketball Hoops

Okay, okay, basketball hoops on the wall is a rather extravagant and singular idea, but bear with me. I've seen lots of chic game room ideas and hobby rooms on my interiors feed as of late, and this elevated take shows just how design-forward something so playful can be.

Of course, not every home has the space to dedicate a room or corner to hanging basketball hoops on the wall, but this kind of creativity shows just how daring you can be if you desire.

"We find that art that welcomes interaction reaches deeper levels of appreciation," says Ronald Alvarez, designer and founder at MONIOMI Design. "Our luxe mini hoops can be the centerpiece of an art installation, being admired for their intricacy in materiality and pattern play, and immediately become more approachable the second you take your first shot at the basket."

Importantly, the hoops feel deliberate and fit with this space's wider scheme. Layering them one above the other and framing them with the hand-painted trim helps them to feel decorative rather than just functional. It's bold, but it's fun — and why stop at basketball goals?

Skip the possibility of making art hanging mistakes, and go for something more unique on your walls this year. I'm already searching for what vintage knick-knacks I have that can be taken off the shelf and put in a place of pride on the wall.

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

The backdrop to countless films, from Brian De Palma's classic crime drama Scarface to Barry Jenkins's Oscar-winning, piercing coming-of-age film Moonlight, Miami calls for no introduction. Still, despite its suspense-filled cinematic depictions, the Floridian destination is rooted in nature and its seaside at heart, or so long-term resident and Design Miami's CEO Jen Roberts seems to suggest.

To her, the so-called Magic City is transient, ever-changing. Yet, "it is always a beach town at once," she tells me when we connect ahead of the comeback of Miami Art Week (December 1-7), which brings a plethora of coinciding fairs, including Design Miami itself and Art Basel Miami Beach — two of the year's hottest cultural events — to the Sunshine State's legendary hotspot, along with thousands of visitors from across the world.

To get a vibe check of Miami outside of the exhibitions' tents, all you have to do is "head to the beach and walk from South Point north to see how vibrant and diverse it really is," Roberts, who trained in Art History at Christie's Education and was co-executive director of NYC's The Salon: Art + Design fair before moving to Miami Beach to take up her current role ten years ago, recommends.

The Best Things to Do in Miami — During and Beyond Miami Art Week

She explains that the city and Design Miami, specifically, have connected her to the global cultural world, of which the appointment remains at the forefront. Co-founded by designer and consultant Ambra Medda and native Miami Beacher, real estate developer, and collector Craig Robins in 2005, Design Miami — its CEO tells us — is part of a wider story.

A story that, "for more than a quarter of a century now, has largely fueled the positive changes the city has undergone — great architecture, elevated public spaces, and much more," Roberts explains, adding that the fair has opened her mind "to how design, art and architecture can change the world."

What does she love most about her chosen home? Discover some of the best things to do in Miami below, from cultural institutions to foodie hotspots and locations to plunge into the Magic City's breathtaking outdoors.

Explore How "Art and Design Shape the Way We Live" on a Cultural Itinerary

Miami Design District; Wynwood; Rubell Museum; Wolfsonian, FL, USA

There are so many great art and design hotspots in Miami — from the Miami Design District and vibrant Wynwood neighborhood, to notable art museums and collections such as the Rubell Museum and Wolfsonian. I love how these places are so integral to the fabric of Miami; living proof of how art and design can shape the way we live. If I had to pick a favorite spot, it would be the Rubell. Every visit and exhibition always feels fresh. It's my favorite place to visit for a quiet moment by myself. I particularly appreciate the industrial architecture in dialogue with the surrounding art.

Feel the Pulse of Miami's Shape-Shifting Design Scene Directly on Its Streets

Miami Design District, FL, USA

The city is in a constant state of evolution, undergoing rapid changes with new developments. I mostly enjoy the atmosphere of the Miami Design District. It is home to several great restaurants, loads of stores, and art installations. My favorite aspects are the design and architecture elements of it, including several installations from years of commissions — in particular, the Annual Design Commission, which is unveiled every December, in collaboration with Design Miami Curatorial Lab. This year, the commission will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with an immersive installation by American artist and designer Katie Stout, titled Gargantua's Thumb. It's a fun neighborhood and offers much more than retail alone.

Get "the Best Deal in Town" at Local-Approved Eateries

Samba Brazil Restaurant; Abbalé Modern Mediterranean Restaurant, FL, USA

There's a small, very relaxed restaurant in Miami Beach on Collins Avenue, called Samba Brazil. It's family-run, and the food is great and authentic, genuinely the best deal in town! Otherwise, I also adore Abbalé, a Mediterranean eatery on Miami Beach — best clean cooking in Miami, in my opinion.

(Extra Livingetc tip: from vintage and independent furniture stores to dreamy coffee shops, Miami has got it all).

Shop Independent at Locally Owned Beach Boutique

Beach Boutique, FL, USA

My favorite shopping destination would have to be the Beach Boutique in Sunset Harbor on Miami Beach. The store is locally owned and has a great selection of the newest fashion pieces.

Soak in Sunshine and Hit the Waves on the Biscayne Bay

Biscayne Bay, FL, USA

Anywhere on the Biscayne Bay is the ideal location to make the most of Miami's sunshine and waves — sail, motor, or kite! The whole site is a haven for people who enjoy wind sports, and often the last way in which visitors experience Miami. A terrific day in my book would be taking a boat out on the bay for a full day or afternoon, visiting Stiltsville (house structures on stilts) while watching the kite surfers near the channel, and heading out to sea or south to the top of Key Largo through the bay. The water is beautiful and shallow there, so it has that Caribbean blue in many areas.

One (Lesser Known) Thing

I think the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and the Deering Estate are little-known outside of Miami. An interesting fact is that 20th-century American artist John Singer Sargent, whose work is currently exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, painted Charles Deering's portrait in the early 1900s.

Peeking Inside Miami Art Week 2025

For our readers in wintry London, even the slightest reference to Florida, the Sunshine State, and its culture and nightlife capital, Miami, will inevitably evoke images of a remote tropical paradise. But the much more lenient temperatures of the city's 'cold' season aren't the only ones to keep its streets hot this month (forgive us the pun).

From Tuesday, December 2, Miami's Pride Park welcomes the 21st edition of Design Miami (until December 7), one of the most anticipated exhibitions on the cultural calendar. Taking place in the year of its 20th anniversary, the showcase is part of the wider Miami Art Week agenda, which next week also sees the return of Art Basel Miami Beach (December 5-7).

Design Miami 2025's Highlights

Reuniting more than 70 galleries from across the world, including over 25 newcomers, the 2025 iteration of the fair is curated by American design curator Glenn Adamson, whose chosen theme, Make. Believe., examines contaminations between the past, present, and future of collectible design to chart its evolution and monitor new trends.

Among our favorite highlights from this year's Design Miami are an exclusive collaboration between FENDI and artist, designer, and model Conie Vallese, honoring the house's 100th anniversary through delicately beautiful, one-off bronze, ceramic, glass, carpet, and leather creations developed in partnership with five Italian ateliers, and a Peekaboo bag by the creative.

Fiore di Cactus, a special re-edition of Gufram's spirited 1972 CACTUS®, created for the occasion by Francesco Vezzoli and commissioned by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos' residential lifestyle brand RAY. And a captivating group exhibition by trailblazing residential gallery The Future Perfect, still fresh from the unveiling of its new Miami location, grouping a provocative cohort of artists exploring materiality as a vehicle for artistry, storytelling, and boundless imagination.

The details: Design Miami. By invitation only preview: December 2. Open December 3-7. Buy your tickets. Interested in Art Basel Miami Beach instead? By invitation only preview: December 3-4. Open December 5-7. Buy your tickets

After more city guides? Follow me to the discovery of some of Europe's coolest gems and the world's rising global capital on our Weekend Itineraries, or find your favorite among the destinations featured in our spotlight on underrated design capitals.

So, you have blank walls and a stack of art, but no placement plan and no clue where to start. I've been there and dealt with that — tackling how to hang art in your home is no easy feat. The good news, though, is that there are several designer-approved tips to make the process far less intimidating and end in gallery-like results.

The general goal is as simple as any: to avoid distracting art hanging mistakes. Starting with a blank spot on an open wall is always a good idea, but the questions often quickly follow. Should you hang one large piece or three smaller ones? Have you thought about scale, sightlines, and focal points? The road to well-hung art starts at the intersection of a clear vision and good guidance.

Don't settle for a haphazard gallery wall; well-placed art is like the cherry on top of a perfectly polished space. To help guide you on your curation journey, I asked the experts how, and below are their top seven tips for how to hang art like an interior designer would.

1. Overlooked Areas Make the Best Place for Art

"Often the best places to display lots of art are those that are overlooked, especially when you feel something is missing," says Cathy Glazer, founder of Artfully Walls. Whether the space is overlooked simply because of the purpose it serves, or because you haven't fully realized its potential, a mundane corner could be the perfect opportunity for your best art.

Think spaces like a home office, entryway, staircase, or living room corner. You may think of these rooms as places you should never hang art, but "Strategically placing artwork here can direct the viewer's attention, create new focal points, and breathe life into interiors," says Cathy.

Rather than viewing these spaces as transitional rooms or an afterthought, intentionally hanging art helps bring purpose and personality back into the picture (pardon the pun). This is especially true in entryway ideas, as these spaces are the first glimpse guests will have of your home. Give them something to talk about with a jaw-dropping accent piece or memento-oriented gallery wall.

2. Know The Number of Pieces You Want to Hang

Looking at a pile of art and photographs with nowhere to go can be intimidating, so the best next move is to make a plan. Gallery wall ideas can be stunning, but they can't be the solution to every blank space. It looks best when you carefully consider the appropriate number of pictures for each 'vignette' you're creating.

"In areas where you are looking to achieve either a calmer or cleaner look, or to make a dramatic focal point with a large statement piece, limiting the art to one or two pieces works best," says Cathy.

"I would also limit to one or two pieces in an area if there is already a lot of other things in that space," adds Hutton Kalik, former art gallery manager and now owner of HK Art Advisory Group.

Remember: there is beauty in restraint and playing with negative space in interior design, rather than just filling a blank with more art.

3. Size and Scale Matter

The size of a piece and scale in interior design both play a major role in where you should hang your art. "This applies mostly to larger pieces, as there are limited spaces with room to accommodate them," says Hutton.

But, while larger pieces often work well as focal points, wall art doesn’t always have to fill a set amount of space to make an impact. Smaller pieces, thoughtfully placed, can be just as striking, especially when paired with the right layout, lighting, or complementary decor.

Keep in mind that the size of your wall art will directly impact how balanced and cohesive a room feels. "Artwork that’s too small can make walls look unfinished, while overly large pieces can create visual tension," says Cathy. "The key is finding the perfect balance so the artwork enhances rather than disrupts the space."

Laying things out on the floor in front of the wall before you hang them is a great way to get a sense of the aesthetic before you have holes in your wall. "Especially when working with gallery walls, because you can switch the arrangement of the smalls until you like it," adds Hutton. "Then just mirror that formation onto the wall."

4. Sightlines are Key

The next tip for how to hang art like an interior designer is slightly more obscure, but just as crucial for creating high-impact positioning. It's all about sightlines. That refers to the way you can see peaks of other paintings in a gallery when you pass by doorways — you want to recreate this feeling in your interior.

"Sightlines are key to any promising art curation," says Cathy. "Keep in mind the view from different angles in the room, as well as views from room to room."

Hanging wall art in your living room? Consider how it looks when viewed from your dining room. If you can see art reflected in a mirror, be sure that it works with art in the same sightline.

5. Create a Focal Point

Next tip for how to hang art like an interior designer: Create emphasis in interior design by using art as a focal point. "Every room should have a strong primary and secondary focal point," Cathy says.

You want to think about where your eye naturally goes when you walk into a room. The primary focal point is likely a strong architectural feature, such as a mantel or a window, or perhaps a large piece of furniture like a bed, and the secondary is typically an interesting design element.

"If your room is lacking clear focal points, you can easily create them with art," adds Cathy. Plus, to make your art even more of a focal point in the space, consider how it's actually hung. The 'hanging rail' trend adds further dimension and interest, like jewellery on an outfit.

6. Lighting Can Be Worth the Investment

While not always necessary, picture lights for your art can be the detail that elevates the entire look. It adds a little drama and luxuriously highlights your favorite pieces in darker spaces.

Whether or not lighting your art is right for your space depends on how much of a focal point the specific artwork is, and the lighting (both natural and artificial) already in the room where the art is displayed.

"Consider whether there is already a lot of natural lighting and what other lighting resources are available throughout the space before investing," notes Cathy. If you entertain a lot, perhaps it's a good route for you. "Otherwise, there is not really a reason for professional lighting," notes Hutton.

7. There is Strategy in Mixing and Matching

I love the look of mismatched artwork — it feels personal and adds that true lived-in style to your home. As Hutton says, "This approach is just being eclectic and characterful, and it works well, if that is your style, "however, there is an art to getting it right."

A foolproof way to hang artwork in a grouping that feels contemporary, yet timelessly chic, is to combine styles and mediums. "Oil paintings look phenomenal paired with photography, bold abstracts pair nicely with delicate line drawings, and so on," says Cathy.

She adds that her favorite 'recipe' is to combine one or two graphic prints, one portrait, one oil or acrylic painting, and one photograph.

But when doing this, Hutton warns to "Be careful if the rest of your space does not match the art in terms of quantity and difference of style, it may be a bit odd, and result in something more mismatched than expertly mixed."

So there you have it — seven tips for how to hang art like a designer, and curate your own gallery-worthy collection. But what if 'hanging' wasn't the only approach? That's where the leaning artwork trend creates a captivating look with real edge.

Look, the art student in me doesn't really need any excuse to hang more art in my home — where there is space, there is space for art. However, never has there been a more compelling reason than when I discovered Klarstein's Wonderwall Air Art Smart Infrared Heater. In case that's not clear enough, yes, it's art, and yes, it's also a heater.

Now I know, a piece of artwork that also heats a room seems like futuristic technology; it's definitely not your average wall art. And while it's certainly not the most expected or common way to make a cold room feel warmer, this out-of-the-box technology may just be the most stylish.

If I'm completely honest, it's probably not the first piece of art I'd reach for — but for some people, it'll fit into their existing decor perfectly. And still, considering it's super flat and hangs on the wall just like art (read: discreet), and emits infrared rays that effectively heat a 10-square-meter area around it, I'm happy to look past that.

Klarstein lists this type of heating as extremely energy-efficient: 98 percent of the absorbed power is converted into heat radiation. Not only that, but if you've been studying up on how to use times and sensors to save on electricity bills, you're in luck because this device comes with a thermostat, auto switch-off function, weekly timer, and smart WiFi control via app to help regulate your heat usage.

While this abstract design would work well in modern spaces, if you, like me, don't particularly love the style, the good news is that you can choose from a few different preset options within the app. Plus, there are other sizes available, like this larger Wonderwall Smart Infrared Panel Heater (£158.99, also from Klarstein) that offer more display options.

This smart art heater feels like the beginning of what is to come in terms of chic technology mingling with interior design. But for now, here are a few more ways to heat your home ever so stylishly this winter.

More Stylish Smart Heaters to Shop

This artwork-turned-heater has me dreaming of the beautiful smart home devices we can sprinkle into our interiors. I wonder what else is out there...

For the VIP arts set, the return of both Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris might already ring as old news, as exclusive peeks at their booths were allowed from as early as this Tuesday. Still, as the former and biggest of the two events officially opens its doors to the public today, continuing at Paris's Grand Palais until Sunday, October 26, with the latter on view inside Hôtel de Maisons through the same date, we thought it was the right time to bring you a design-driven edit of the projects and names you'll hear more and more about in the coming days.

Gathering 206 galleries from 41 different countries and territories, including 65 platforms hailing from its base of France and 29 newcomers, Art Basel Paris is sure to reunite some of the world's most forward-thinking talents across its four sectors (Galerie, Emergence, Premise, and Magazines) and ever-exciting public program of cross-city activations and conversations. With 40 additional design exhibitions to check out at the third iteration of Design Miami.Paris — which focuses on collectible works between the modernist and contemporary period, and even makes room for colossal installations in its Design at Large section — there are no limits to creation.

To ensure you'd remember each of the below Design Miami.Paris and Art Basel Paris standouts for longer than their duration, we purposefully chose to spotlight projects whose relevance, we think, will outlive the fairs. Selected for their unique contribution to material and craftsmanship innovation, or, instead, for their ability to encourage us to think differently about the domestic space, its function, and the influence it has on our lives, whether directly or more subtly, every showcase listed below tells us something about the future of decor.

What to See at Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris

We've rounded up the only Design Miami.Paris and Art Basel Paris must-sees you truly can't miss this week, besides the French capital's most beautiful restaurants and cafes, that is. And all in just one list!

Uchronia: Day Bed at Hôtel Plaza Athénée — Can Dopamine Decor Aid Your Repose?

Hôtel Plaza Athénée, 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France

When I began to browse for things to see at Art Basel Paris and Design Miami.Paris 2025, I instantly remembered noticing a bed-shaped, colorful, and quirky installation tucked away somewhere in one of the French capital's leafy gardens. Even just from the exaggerated scale and vibrancy of the piece, I should have known where it came from. The brainchild of Livingetc's favorite interior design studios, the ever-dreamy Uchronia, and long-time collaborators Gilles de Brock and Jaap Giesen's striking glazed ceramic tile brand, Palet, Daybed transforms the Cour Jardin of Hôtel Plaza Athénée, one of Paris's most coveted hotels, into an experiential fantasy, and fittingly.

Echoing the natural palette of its suggestive location, the activation reframes the modern bedroom area from an often overlooked, personal space for repose into an en-plain-air stage for artisanal and artistic invention, giving free rein to imagination. To say it in French, there is a certain funfair-esque je ne sais quoi to Palet's red and green canopy structure, its 'broken' blocks resembling the spinning arms of the most adrenaline-filled of rides. Crafted to order in the Netherlands, the podium and vertical structures are complemented by a clover-shaped headboard custom-made by Treca, bed linens by Le Jacquard Français, floral curtains and cushions by Misia, and Seigneurie's Chromatic paints. Perhaps it's time for dopamine decor to step into intimate territory and lend its rule-breaking backdrop to our dreams. Who knows, maybe joyful decor can affect us positively even while we sleep?

To November 11. Free access.

BANK: Duyi Han at Art Basel Paris — Is Looking Back the Main Road to New, Inspiring Futures?

Art Basel Paris, Grand Palais, 75008 Paris, France

Had it not been for my research on design-led Art Basel Paris highlights, I probably still wouldn't know the work of Duyi Han. Presented by Shanghai and New York-based gallery BANK, the artist and designer's solo presentation at the fair epitomizes his ability to inject emotion into every environment he creates. With a practice informed by philosophy, fashion's visual culture, and the trial-and-error process that sits at the core of pharmaceutical science, Han's immersive installations, and in particular, the two at the heart of BANK's Art Basel Paris booth, Ordinance of the Subconscious Treatment (2021) and Visions of Bloom (2024), rely on elements such as light, color, embroidered textile motifs, and a sensory, emotional experience of furniture and architecture to make visitors aware of the function these play in their lives. The first of these works, more rooted in his Chinese heritage, looks like a living room punctuated by classically inspired homeware with a futuristic, almost dreamlike twist, fully inscribed in patterns taken from Buddhist and Taoist temples. The latter projects visuals informed by both the natural and the cultural world onto an intricately furnished room with wallpaper and eye-catchingly decorated furniture, sewing the gap between the organic and the artificial, the inside and the outdoors. Together, they reveal the power of design to draw from the past, human experience, and the subconscious to make way for new worlds.

To October 26, 1am to 7pm. BANK, Booth 1.M10 (Emergence section, first floor balcony). Book your tickets.

Harry Nuriev: Objets Trouvés at Art Basel Paris — What If We Stopped Creating Anew, and Reinterpreted What's There Already?

Art Basel Paris, École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, 14 rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France

Avid Livingetc readers may remember Harry Nuriev for his recent, metal-clad design for London's "bistro of the future", Noisy Oyster. Still, the Crosby Studios' founder is known for reshaping his idea of creativity from night to day, and Objets Trouvés, a captivating installation part of Art Basel Paris's public programme, makes his desire to break free from artistic convention more evident than ever. Set inside a chapel on the grounds of the Beaux-Arts school, the piece comprises a number of supermarket boxes, which the artist and designer has filled. But rather than simply being invited to look at them, visitors are actively encouraged to bring an item they are no longer interested in keeping with them, and leave it in one of the boxes after taking a piece in exchange. Surrounded by timeless frescoes and marbles, the exchangable protagonists of Nuriev's Objets Trouvés ("found objects") act as a reminder of the polluting logics of mass-production and consumption, all while shifting the attention from the lifeless collection the creative director assembled into a grid into the first place onto the one passersby will contribute to create over the course of the coming days.

To October 26, 10am to 7pm. Free access.

Friedman Benda at Design Miami.Paris — Does True Innovation Actually Start With Materials?

Design Miami. Paris, Hôtel de Maisons, 51 Rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris, France

Coinciding with the 2025 iteration of Art Basel Paris, Friedman Benda's Design Miami.Paris booth, part of the event's Design at Large section, stands out for the deeply sculptural, textural essence of the furniture pieces gathered by it, and its flair for out-of-the-box material innovation. Hailing from Mexico City, Fernando Laposse has crafted his tesselated Totomoxtle Cabinet from corn husk marquetry, solid beech, and brass hardware. Made from oak and walnut veneer, Joris Laarman's just-unveiled, aerodynamic Ply Loop Console appears ready to take off, while Formafantasma's four-part, cherry wood, LED, and acrylic Panel Lamp floats in the room, hanging from above. There are pieces that, like in the case of Carmen D'Apollonio's whimsical, mushroom-reminiscent lamps or Misha Kahn's bronze chair One Shoe, A Fold of Love Handle, a Rogue Dog Ball, look as if they are slowly melting to the ground. Others, like Andile Dyalvane's glazed earthenware vases, seem to be blooming, opening up into two parts. Long story short, if there's one thing Friedman Benda's participation in Design Miami.Paris proves, as captured by Frida Escobedo's chainmail-topped Creek Chair 02, is that in contemporary decor, rules are made to be undone.

To October 26, Friday and Saturday, 11am to 7pm, Sunday, 11am to 6pm. Book your tickets.

Designers of Tomorrow by Apple at Design Miami.Paris — Is Uplifting Furniture the Way Forward in Interiors?

Design Miami. Paris, Hôtel de Maisons, 51 Rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris, France

The inaugural edition of Apple's Designers of Tomorrow initiative, running during Art Basel Paris as part of Design Miami. Paris's programming, invites the creative community to discover four studios and one-person practices whose works we will begin to see more and more of. Selected by Apple's VP of human interface design, Alan Dye, and VP of industrial design, Molly Anderson, in collaboration with designers Faye Toogood, Mathieu Lehanneur, Sabine Marcelis, and Samuel Ross, curator Aric Chen, archivist Hervé Lemoine, Ateliers de Paris founder Lyne Cohen-Solal, and Design Miami CEO Jen Roberts, the talents spotlighted embody how the union of craftmanship, innovation, and technology can help the design scene thrive and move forward. Presented in a dedicated group show at Hôtel de Maisons, the winning creations were realized with the support of one of Apple's newest products, the M5 iPad Pro.

Shanghai-based Duyi Han's two-part Noetrigram v0.9 mirror blends the classical, the contemporary, and the occult with its embroidered messages and slightly esoteric look. Marie & Alexandre's large-scale glass experimentation feels like the see-through answer to Buchanan Studio's iconic stainless steel cabinetry and accessories. Jolie Ngo's Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds and Table Lamp in Cherry Blossoms and Himalayan Salt feed into the whimsical, creaturesque aesthetic that's been taking over the industry recently, while Marco Campardo's Jello collection was inspired by, yes, butter — showing that, when it comes to textures, food can be as inspiring as art (hello, James Shaw!).

To October 26, Friday and Saturday, 11am to 7pm, Sunday, 11am to 6pm. Book your tickets.

Pièces à vivre at GALLERIA CONTINUA — Is Homeware More Than Just 'Stuff'?

GALLERIA CONTINUA Le Marais, 87 Rue du Temple, 75003 Paris, France

Founded in 1990, GALLERIA CONTINUA has long distinguished itself for its conceptual exhibitions pondering the continuum between art, design, and the way in which we live, their present and past. In the ongoing group show currently on display at its outpost in Le Marais, Pièces à vivre ("living spaces"), every room of the gallery has been turned into a specific domestic environment. In their Master Bedroom, artist duo Ornaghi & Prestinari look to the most intimate of rooms, making the disconnect between two partners' apparent connection and their emotional and mental alienation visible through a divider that separates the bed into two and out-of-sync lights that, positioned on either side and only turning on when the other one goes off, emphasize their inner clash. Legendary artist Ai Weiwei's design for the children's room references Mondrian through the two-dimensional piece Broadway Boogie Woogie, made entirely of LEGO bricks, capturing childhood as the groundwork for adults' ability for creation. Meanwhile, Eva Jospin recasts the balcony from an outdoor ornamental element to an indoor one, using the inner courtyard of the platform to let her nature-inspired vision of craft take center stage in a flying, magical portal.

The goal of the organizers is "to open contemporary art, not by simplifying it, but by anchoring it in what is close to us, in objects, spaces, and everyday gestures," they explain. In doing so, they invite the audience "to rethink the place of art in our lives — not as something distant or decorative, but as a companion in thought, emotion, and perception. The gallery becomes a home; the home becomes a work of art." And what better way to approach the year ahead than embracing a house renovation as a canvas for expression, joyfulness, and warmth?

To November 1, Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-7pm. Free to access.

Minimal at Bourse de Commerce — Can a Show Prove That in Art, Like in Decor, Less Is More?

Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, 2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris, France

A cross-continent survey exploring the rise, the meaning, as well as the visual manifestations of minimal art, Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce reunites over 52 artists from North and South America, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe into a transportative maze of color, texture, light games, and form. Curated by Jessica Morgan, director of the Dia Art Foundation, it isn't just worth stopping by to take a closer look at the historical outpost of Paris's Pinault Collection — an 18th-century, narratively frescoed dome renovated by groundbreaking Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Instead, across a large-scale selection of artworks such as towering geometrical sculptures, neon-powered installations, still life photography, performance stills, and more, Minimal reclaims the crucial influence that solid, abstract forms still hold in relation to the shaping and our perception of the world. From minimalism to maximalism, and every genre in between, when it comes to both art and interiors, before taking on a more complex structure, everything begins with a line. A shape. A motif. That's what the selection of masterpieces grouped for the occasion under the same roof, featuring contributions from the likes of Enzo Mari, Lee Ufan, and Dan Flavin, reminds us of implicitly. A lesson that, considering the recent rise of post-modernist furniture, its preference for "unusual forms and materials", makes it a must-see ahead of the year to come.

To January 21, Monday to Sunday, 11am to 7 pm, Friday to 9 pm. Book your tickets

Galerie Patrick Seguin at Design Miami. Paris and 5 Rue des Taillandiers — Is Soft-Mixed-Sharp the New Timeless?

Design Miami. Paris, Hôtel de Maisons, 51 Rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris, France; Galerie Patrick Seguin, 5 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris, France

Open since 1989 and situated in Paris's Bastille district, Galerie Patrick Seguin makes up for two of our Design Miami.Paris highlights this week. At the fair, Patrick and Laurence Seguin's platform brings a selection of 1950s furniture by Jean Royère, one of the most prominent figures in the 20th-century decorative arts movement, but don't be fooled by the collection's manufacturing date: from the pond-like, organic shape of the Forme Libre coffee table and the soft-mixed-sharp lines of his Trèfle armchairs, pairing leaf-shaped reclining backs with boldly angled armrests, to the avant-garde Table Ondulation, where the movement of a wavy wrought iron base is countered by the linear simplicity of its top, this Royère retrospective sets the tone for today's spirited reinvention of the timeless in decor.

Galerie Patrick Seguin's ongoing exhibition (to November 22) of pioneering architect and designer Charlotte Perriand's sculpturally sublime work, too, proves that mid-century modern furniture can stay true to its function-first aesthetics while also being playful. Curated by Saint Laurent's creative director Anthony Vaccarello in collaboration with the artist's estate, the initiative saw the exclusive re-edition of some of her most extraordinary designs, including never-published prototypes and rare one-offs. Among these are the sprawling and, seemingly, floating sofa Perriand conceived for the Japanese ambassador in Paris in 1967, a rosewood, cane, and Jin Thompson Thai silk whose seven-meter, ondulating base seems to hint at the wings of a bird. As well as her Indochina Guest Armchair of 1943, produced during her time in Vietnam and boasting a chromed tube, leather, and rosewood material pairing over a slanted body that rhymes with sophistication even today.

To October 26, Friday and Saturday, 11am to 7pm, Sunday, 11am to 6pm. Book your tickets. To November 22, 9am-7pm. Free access.

Autumn is now in full swing, and while the weather might be getting colder, the atmosphere in the creative industry is, let me tell you, hot, as shown by the just-terminated new edition of Frieze Week. Brimming with inventiveness worldwide, galleries and art institutions are taking turns showcasing the very best of today's talent. So, if you are having to pass on the above Art Basel Paris highlights, don't despair: you'll still find plenty of fascinating design exhibitions in London to keep you busy for the rest of the year.

For die-hard or aspiring arts connoisseurs, Frieze London and Frieze Masters are two of the most anticipated events on the cultural agenda, gathering thousands of visitors from every corner of the world to take stock of the state of creativity between past, present, and future.

While that's undoubtedly true for us, October in London and, particularly, Frieze Week, isn't just the perfect moment to catch up on some of the most captivating art and design exhibitions in London. It is also a time to explore how painting, sculpture, video, and installation can quietly reshape the domestic environment, too, by prompting us to reconsider how we interact with, decorate, and experience the most intimate of spaces around us, whether directly or indirectly. And what better way to do so than by coming face to face with the experimentation of today's leading and burgeoning artistic talents?

With 168 galleries from over 40 countries taking part in Frieze London, the contemporary wing of Frieze fairs, and an additional cohort of some 120 platforms represented at its historical and modern sibling showcase, Frieze Masters, at The Regent's Park for the rest of this week (through October 19), The Big Smoke is once again ready to serve as the litmus test for any aesthetic and interior design trends set to define the year ahead. That's why we have spent the past 48 hours rushing about town to attend the previews of both Frieze and the coinciding premier design fair, PAD London, along with a selected series of solo gallery exhibitions, exclusive collaborations, and more: to bring you a curated edit of standout moments worth drawing inspiration from for your home.

Make note of our trusted culture insiders' favorite food and drink spots in London, stock up on energy, and let's go: these are the ten Frieze Week projects we will be looking back to while crafting a liveable masterpiece of our own — and what they implicitly got us thinking about decor.

Frieze London — Is Art That Imitates Life (That Imitates Art) the Chicest Buy for a Contemporary House?

Coordinating wall art in a room so as to curate your favorite masterpieces properly while ensuring each piece in your collection feels cohesive is a hard enough job, but you know what's even harder when living in a contemporary home (or apartment)? Finding artworks that are a. aesthetically striking and b. culturally relevant without c. compromising the overall look and feel of your base. When I visited the preview of Frieze London yesterday, I quickly began to notice a number of canvases and photographs that paint the home as their main stage, some of which even incorporate more domestic scenes as artworks in the portrayed display, like in a loophole, or in a 'meta'-artwork (see Yutaka Nozawa's contributions to gallery KAYOKOYUKI's two-person Focus presentation or Toby Grant aka Cato's canvases for Harlesden High Street's one above to get a sense of it all).

Ordinary moments like sipping coffee at a dining table or reading and typing away in your living room suddenly acquire brand new meaning and allure when framed artistically. Compared to abstract compositions, which risk coming off as dry or even pretentious, or more dated, historical creative expressions, art that puts the everyday center and front is not only the type you won't get tired of, but also the one you'll look forward to coming back to after spending a few days away from home. Standing out for their vibrancy and their emotional way of rendering such an intimate space while retaining a sense of suspense, of mystery, creations like these solve the dilemma while infusing your rooms with a one-of-a-kind, quirky twist.

Danielle Fretwell: Tablescapes at Alice Amati — Is Your Dining Table Still Life-Worthy?

27 Warren St, London W1T 5NB

Food isn't just food, cocktails aren't just cocktails in American artist Danielle Fretwell's second solo exhibition at Alice Amati, Tablescapes. An hypnotic collection of still life canvases with uncannily rendered shiny tea cups, serving silver trays, filled-with-fruit plates, candles, and softly glowing candles and lamps as their protagonists, the showcase feels almost didascalic in its title. But in a way, it is the literal description of the paintings contained within it that prompts you to wonder whether, actually, there is more to the show than the eye can see. If Fretwell's ability to portray everyday settings and objects so realistically is in itself impressive, the ease with which she infuses an air of unresolved mystery into each artwork is her ultimate gift.

Dinnerware, it seems, holds stories we barely acknowledge, as do the tables it sits on, which gives us even more of a reason to curate both in our home. From the artist's evocative showcase we love (and steal): color-blocked, lacquered tabletops in colors like blue, red, and forest green; antique silverware reframed in flawless, minimal contexts like in her crab-starring Superiority canvas; and the space age-y, sculptural dishes at the center of her Orbital (sweet cherries) (2025) and Orbital (cocktail olives) (2025), particularly in chrome.

Read more about Danielle Fretwell's exhibition, Tablescapes, which continues beyond Frieze Week at Alice Amati through November 8.

PAD London and Beyond — Has Your Design Vision Got, Ehm, Legs?

With 67 international exhibitors converging on Mayfair's Berkeley Square from across the globe for the 17th edition of PAD London, which inaugurated on Tuesday, October 14, and continues through Sunday, it can be hard to know where to start. This year's event, which counts 11 newcomers, certainly doesn't lack inventiveness, with much of the wit coming from first-timers like Beirut's PIK'D, which brings a whimsical presentation of sea urchin-like, textural ceramics and spectacularly blown, floral glass arrangements, and Dubai's Booroom Gallery, whose booth centers Ksenia Breivo's ice-looking, blooming sculptural tables and vases, José Zanine Caldas' totemic wooden forms, and quartz-like organics sconces, as well as floor lamps by Russian architect Ariana Ahmad.

To catch my attention amid all the hustle and bustle, though, and not even exclusively inside of PAD London itself, but also at collateral events, was the tendency of certain designers to give their furniture a fantastical silhouette complete with amusing, creaturesque legs. From Marc Newson's beaten aluminium piece, Pod of Drawers, part of this year's Carpenters Workshop Gallery's setup (B19) at the fair, positioned opposite Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell's vaguely bear-reminiscent, human-scale functional sculpture Back to Back Cabinet, and Aldo Bakker's Tonus (Olive Family) (2022), a wood-carved series of varying-in-size-and-shape (or age?) stools at Sarah Myerscough Gallery (B27) to a number of footed, lacquered coffee tables and baskets starring as fanciful additions to the Uchronia-designed Pantone Celadon Suite, an exclusive activation unveiled at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park right on time for Frieze Week, London is calling it: this year homeware is going whimsical.

Read more about Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, and Uchronia.

PAD London — Stitching, Piecing, Patchworking: Is 'Jigsaw' Furniture the Latest Trend in Decor?

Between Frieze London (and Frieze Masters), PAD London, and the plethora of pop-up exhibitions and collection launches currently taking over the British capital, it is easy to lose sight of highlights. Luckily, though, some of my personal favorites made it hard for you not to see them — and brought the fun and the unexpected back into the design realm. I am talking about the visually 'pieced-up', stitched, or full-on Tetris-like furniture pieces I have come across while searching for standouts at PAD London.

These include some of the cabinet and lighting models of Dutch designer Linde Freya Tangelder's wood and metal SLABS collection, where seemingly individual fragments are 'woven' together through visible stitches, presented by Mumbai gallery Æquō (A6). Charles Kalpakian's essentially beautiful Castle collection for Booroom Gallery (B25), where soft and straight lines meet and blur into minimal, pastel-shaded collectible designs like in a puzzle of sorts. And in the crafty steel creations of Lena Solovyeva and her Objects / Modules series, where the same modular bench motif is repeated into countless different combinations that, like in a game of Tetris, are made possible by the alternating of empty and full shapes.

So what's the fuss? Functional, yet aesthetically unique homewares like the ones listed above prove that, in an era of non-stop visual stimulation and excess, all it takes to make a statement is attention to detail, the right choice of materials, and an ability to turn even the most linear of furniture items into an opportunity for play. Rather than settling for striking patterns and palettes to reclaim attention, these designs' monochromatic surfaces, their 'fractured' textures, or, in the case of Lena Soloyeva's benches, re-assemblable structures, demystify the interior space, transforming it into a platform for storytelling to take center stage while keeping away from fleeting trends.

Take a Seat at Harvey Nichols — Are Chairs For More Than Just Sitting?

109-125 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RJ

Stepping inside Harvey Nichols's recently unveiled, new multifunctional concept space, 125, will be enough for you to know the above dilemma is pure rhethoric. In Brigitta Spinocchia Freund's collaboration with the Knightsbridge department store, Take a Seat, viewers are surrounded by some of the most iconic chairs in history, from amusingly whimsical designs by the late Italian artist and designer Gaetano Pesce and chrome-sculpted pieces from equally pioneering peers like Mario Botta and Paolo Pallucco & Mireille Rivier to the essentially beautiful, mid-century Kangourou Armchair by Jean Prouvé, Alvar Aalto's wavy Small Paimio, and Maria Pergay's girlish Ribbon Chair.

Developed on the occasion of PAD London 2025, Take a Seat captures the relevance of chairs beyond their functional nature, inviting passersby to rediscover them as a reflection into life, its ever-shifting needs, and the evolution of our sensory and aesthetic sensibilities. As Spinocchia Freund herself notes, "chairs are among the most expressive and intimate forms of design. They hold the human body, but they also hold stories about materials, makers, and moments in time." As such, the presentation doesn't simply present viewers with a comprehensive overview of some of the most influential furniture pieces in modern and contemporary history, but it simultaneously seeks to predict the future of the item, too, through its integrated Makers Wishing Wall — an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the work of the UK's creatives and makers of tomorrow.

Read more about Brigitta Spinocchia Freund's interdisciplinary design studio.

Frieze London and PAD London — Could Decor Be the Message?

Showcases like Pulp Galerie's Gaetano Pesce retrospectives at PAD London (C15) and Lubna Chowdhary's new Assembly ceramic installation at the Frieze London presentation of Mumbai-based gallery Jhaveri Contemporary, which considers "the relationships between architecture, anthropology, and design as a means of exploring cross-cultural identities" through the painted, sculptural, and photographic works of nine artists, prove how much both functional and purely aesthetic pieces, from colorful dining tables to intricate ceramic tapestries, can become vehicle for meaning existing beyond their eye-catching appearance.

If the production of the pioneering Italian architect and designer, who passed away last year, attempted to recast tradition through resin, polyurethane, and silicone, materials that allowed him to inject a playfulness and flexibility into homeware, thus rejecting its historical rigidity, Chowdhary embraces her craft as a means to connect her British and Pakistani heritage. Within this context, her colossal wall of color, echoing the intricatedness of the Middle Eastern and Asian architectural canons in its stacked components, and masterpieces like Pesce's 931 table and 928 chairs (1993) come to embody the ability of objects to not only attract us visually, but to significantly alter our perception of the environment around us, the stories that compose it, and the function of art and furniture as a whole.

Architects for the Birds at Christie's King Street — Is Your Birdhouse Cool Enough?

8 King St, London SW1Y 6QT

Christie's King Street's latest charity auction and exhibition, Architects for the Birds (October 8-14), whose proceeds aid the Tessa Jowell Foundation's work and research in brain cancer treatment and care across the NHS, put an imaginative spin on a traditionally design-lacking outdoor living element — the birdhouse — with the help of some of today's most innovative minds. Reuniting original designs from architectural legends like Norman Foster, Jacques Herzog, Kazuyo Sejima, Renzo Piano, Lina Ghotmeh, and David Chipperfield, among others, Architects for the Birds looked to the birdhouse as a liminal space between the inside and outdoors.

It did so through a series of sculptural, poetic creations that, inspired by the natural elements and our interaction with them, stood as talismans of redemption, care, and hope — a metaphor between what awaits recovering patients and what came before. Ranging from crafty, tree-like solutions to enigmatic, one-piece reflective surfaces, the pieces didn't simply embody a good cause. They also reignited visitors' connection with the plethora of life forms and sensations that await us all, just steps away from our homes.

Read more about Christie's King Street's Architects for the Birds charity initiative.

Love in the Misanthropocene at Palmer Gallery — Are Projectors the Aesthetic Way Into a Home Cinema Experience?

15 Hatton St, London NW8 8PL

There is a lot to unpack about Love in the Misanthropocene, Andy Holden & The Grubby Mitts' ongoing exhibition at Lucas Giles and Will Hainsworth's thought-provoking West London platform Palmer Gallery, but allow me to say, the first thing that sprang to mind when I visited last Thursday was, simply: God, I could do with a projector. That's not to take away from the content of its multisensory setup — the opposite. If anything, the lo-fi, slightly grainy, retro-fueled feel of the images moving in front of me reminded me just how much cooler watching anything gets when it is not done on a TV. But back to Andy Holden & The Grubby Mitts!

As visitors make their way to the main exhibition room of the former aircraft manufacturing factory, a series of short films and animations appears intermittently on its white-washed walls, interspersed with headphone sets, cartoony painted scenes, quirky, metallic hanging bowls, sculptures, and more. To each screen, or projection, in the installation corresponds a track from Andy Holden & The Grubby Mitts' namesake album — a play on the state of alienation and the antithesis human-nature that characterize life in our digital-saturated times, recorded between 2016 and 2024. Informed, in equal measures, by today's non-stop news flow, current affairs' darkest side, and the influencers and memes-populated social media discourse, Love in the Misanthropocene strikes as a wake-up call. Through humorous lyrics, trippy landscapes, animals, and insects-filled visuals, and a transportative narrative, it playfully challenges our place in — and view of — the world.

Read more about Andy Holden & The Grubby Mitts' Love in the Misanthropocene, which continues at Palmer Gallery beyond Frieze Week through October 21.

This week, more home inspiration comes courtesy of London-based designer and maker James Shaw, whose just-launched collection for cult concept store KOIBIRD shows that there is always an alternative to throwing away materials we don't want. In need of a caffeine fix? Discover our design-conscious selection of must-know coffee shops in London for when you feel like taking a break from the Frieze and PAD London frenzy.

When we stopped by KOIBIRD, the dreamy concept store at 62 Marylebone Lane, London, earlier this year, it truly felt like stepping into an alternate world. From today, gradient lilac, pink, and acid green walls, sheeny pois tiled floors, quirky curation of clothing, accessories, and collectibles, and Space Age-inspired decor won't be the only elements to allow the shop to absorb you in a dimension of its own.

In his just-released home collection for KOIBIRD, London-based emerging designer and maker James Shaw looks to redeem plastic, one of the most polluting materials of our century, reworking it into a series of functional objects, including a lamp, candlestick holders, a candelabra, two mirrors, a set of bookends, a planter, a pepper and salt grinder, and a kitchen roll holder, that's as colorful and quirky as it is amusing.

In doing so, the RCA Design Products graduate doesn't simply grant it a new life. He also finds his way of "unlocking a playful, voluptuous, and idiosyncratic side" to something that would otherwise have gone to waste, proving that even when we think things have lost their value and that it's time to move on, there may still be something they — we — can make (with them).

Known for his squishy, icing-like designs obtained from materials like walnut timber, polished aluminium, and mirror, and discarded goods like waste wood, bio-resin, denim, and corduroy, as well as for his textural experimentation with recycled papier-mache, pewter, and plastic, of course, Shaw has exhibited widely around the world.

Some of his pieces, including sustainably developed armchairs, creaturesque wooden furniture, and mysterious, melted sculptures, have taken over Sloane Square's The Conran Shop in The Blob Viewing Room, an installation that's just come to a close. While his work is stored in the permanent collections of MoMA, The V&A, The Montreal Museum of Art, The Design Museum Ghent, and The Museum of London, to name a few.

How did the designer get his first go at this? "I have always been interested in discarded materials," Shaw tells me, adding that his "first ever furniture collection was made by 'combing' the streets for broken and discarded furniture parts and then recombining them into new items."

It was his graduation project from college that allowed him to start looking at things differently. For it, "I built a machine — an extruding 'gun' — and in the reverse order compared to how things normally work, I needed to find a material to put into it," he explains.

Around the same time, Shaw had connected with a plastic recycling plant that, he recalls, had made him aware of "how much of this material is around and how badly it is normally treated." Visits to the site provided the ground for the shaping of the vision behind what he does.

"The primary intention behind this work is to create fun, desirable objects from a problematic material that people will use and keep for a long time," Shaw says of his core goal. "Plastic normally requires huge factories to process. What I bring is a more human approach where each object is hand-crafted and essentially unique."

His collection for KOIBIRD, which launches today and will be available to purchase for a limited amount of time in store, is emblematic of that approach. To draw Shaw towards the London concept store after being introduced to it by Uchronia, the studio that designed it, was the sense of vibrancy, experimental understanding of craft, and continuous search for joy that he believes define its ambiance and curation.

The items he imagined for his collaboration with the shop, which KOIBIRD's chief product officer Shereen Basma describes as "unique" while simultaneously "retaining the DNA of the brand", particularly through their flashy colors and irreverent shapes, push the limits of artisanry by relocating plastic disassembling and reinvention from large-scale industrial sites to Shaw's own studio.

The result is a series of one-off collectibles that, infused with the nostalgia that stems from our memories of building with playdough, and categorically distinguished by their organic, generous forms, bring a sense of softness and comfort into the home.

"We pretty much do everything in-house in our workshop in London, which means that every element of the making has to be thought through because we are going to be doing it," the designer explains. "I am fascinated by making in all its declinations and materials, and each model from our KOIBIRD collection expresses how it was molded into shape, trying to marry this with how it will be used and how it looks."

But how does regenerating plastic, the main source behind this new line, actually work? "Several machines allow me to work with it, the main one being a self-built 'extruder' which melts the material down and squishes it out as a hot, malleable material which we then form by hand," Shaw says. "We also have a grinder, which means that we can take in things like milk bottles and then grind them back into a material which we can feed into the extruder, as well as grinding up and reusing any tests or prototypes that don't make the grade."

He makes it sound easy, but the designer admits that building the machine was a real trial-and-error process. "We are now on the fifth iteration, the first ones were really bootstrapped from things I had access to — using a drill as the motor, heaters borrowed from something else. For the current extruder, I worked with a few different engineers, and it's a thing of beauty in itself."

The KOIBIRD drop sees Shaw venture into more uncharted territory than his usual, soothing pastels through strong reds and neon tones, which, the creative admits, he really loves.

"I am very interested in objects of daily use that can give us little moments of pleasure. Rituals like lighting a candle or cooking a meal are the moments that make up the texture of life, and it's this that I want to work with," he shares. One thing is for sure, his KOIBIRD home line won't go unobserved.

Discover the full collection in store at KOIBIRD.

Into the green furniture moment? Discover how Somerset-based house Somer is crafting circular furniture that is rehomed once you let it go. Or head to our design exhibitions directory for more sculptural inspiration.

October is in full swing, and for the London cultural crowd, it can only mean one thing: Frieze Week is very nearly here. But as the booths of Frieze London and Frieze Masters (October 15-19, The Regent's Park) remain inaccessible to many, this year we have decided to cover the event inside out, literally.

While we, of course, plan to report back on all of the exhibitions in London that break through the noise during Frieze Week, highlighting our favorite solo, group, and special project presentations at both the leading fair, the coinciding contemporary and historical design showcase of PAD London (October 14-19, Berkeley Square), as well as anywhere else outside of their tents, in this list, we are giving carte blanche to some of the art insiders we look up to most so they can show you how to succesfully revel in the frenzy of it all like one of their own.

From atmospheric addresses granting you an immersive taste of the British capital's spirited gastronomy scene to the coolest London bars for Martini enthusiasts, and the gatekept spots for a vinyl-powered spin on the dancefloor, find everything you need to turn Frieze Week into a culinary, cultural, and decor feast below — including anticipations on unmissable shows.

Eva Langret — Director of Frieze, EMEA

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? Frieze Week is the highlight of the year. My only worry is how quickly it flies by! We spend months preparing, and then it's over in a flash, a bit like hosting a dinner party where you've poured your heart into every detail and, suddenly, the night is gone.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? Definitely Sessions Arts Club. Every time I step inside, it feels like entering another world — the building's rich history, chef Abigail Hill's seasonal creations, and their evolving display of art make it feel alive in a special and unique way.

Rita's in Soho has so much character and is always a standout for me as a London staple. They'll be coming to Frieze London this year, with a terrace Taco Bar that promises freshly made tacos, tortas, and more. Trullo, in Highbury & Islington, is a neighborhood favorite that never misses. Their handmade pasta is some of the best in London, and it's wonderful to see them joining Frieze Masters for the first time in 2025.

What excites you most about Frieze 2025? This year's Frieze feels especially exciting, with major new spaces opening from Sadie Coles, Maureen Paley, Rose Easton, and Modern Art. What I love is how London can embrace both established names and new voices: Frieze brings all of that together— it's a true a community moment that reminds us why this city is such a vital cultural capital.

Valerio Capo — Co-Founder and Co-Director, Gallery FUMI

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? My biggest fear is that I will never have enough time to see it all, particularly since I am busy with the gallery showing at PAD London during the week. My favorite part about it is having the opportunity to reconnect with clients and friends who come back year after year: often, this is the one week when we all meet.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? For breakfast, the ArtSpace Café at Claridge's is my go-to: it is calm, elegant, and away from the Frieze chaos, plus their madeleines give me the sugar boost I need.

Lunch time calls for Rochelle Canteen, which is tucked away, relaxed, and serves consistently excellent food. For dinner, the choice always falls on either Mountain or Brat: buzzing spots with delicious shareable dishes and a familiar crowd.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? I'd go with Soho Mews, which makes for an intimate, quiet escape, and The Marksman, which is casual, unpretentious, and always lively.

And what's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? Knowing when to slip away from the parties.

Selvi May Akyildiz — Director, No.9 Cork Street

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? I am a big fan of Toklas, near The Strand, which feels relaxed, elegant, and fresh, but I also really love Rita's, its intimate, creative atmosphere, and, of course, their devilled eggs.

And what's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? The only secret to surviving Frieze Week in style is going to bed at a sensible time.

During Frieze London 2025, No.9 Cork Street will house three coinciding exhibitions: Deewaar, which centers on the work of American-Pakistani artist Zaam Arif; To everything spurn, spurn, spurn, gathering eight talents' subjective interpretations of "disdain and contempt"; and Testimony of the Soil, a showcase of paintings by Egyptian artist Ibrahim El Dessouki, looking at the relationship between "land, power, and labor".

Lucas Giles — Co-Founder and Director, Palmer Gallery

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? Frieze Week for me is a double-edged sword: I love meeting new people and catching up with old friends who are in town, but since I live above my gallery, the after-parties tend to spill over into my home — just ask my girlfriend ...

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? I live above the gallery just off Church Street, so breakfast at Habaybna, a Lebanese restaurant, is a must. Get some mint tea and a manakish flatbread, and watch the world go by in the little Church Street Market ecosystem. If you're near the fair, pop into Fischer's in Marylebone for a quick schnitzel. They serve classic Austrian fare, but it's always delicious, plus, it's a cozy, elegant spot for lunch with friends or colleagues. For a lively post-Frieze dinner, Phoenix Palace off Baker Street is a good option; it's a massive dining floor, so you're likely to get a table even with a crowd. Think big round tables, lazy Susan's and a whole load of steaming Chinese dumplings!

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? The Barley Mow, an old school boozer in Marylebone, has a lovely bar and wooden booths, and a nice, cross-generational mix of clientele. The Royal Exchange, a lovely old corner pub in Paddington, is another one of my favorites. It was a notorious hangout spot for the Lisson Grove punk scene, and it is not uncommon to see Paul Simonon from the Clash on the decks on a Thursday night. It is the place for a good pint of Guinness and legendary DJ sets. Another notorious boozer tucked away behind the council blocks around Sussex Gardens, The Heron's decor is interesting to say the least (think Taxidermies and weird Royal memorabilia), and the Thai food is surprisingly excellent.

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? No real secrets — just enjoy it and do your own thing. There's so much to see, so embrace the FOMO and remember that not seeing everything is part of the fun.

Jana Terblanche — Director, Southern Guild

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? One always hopes to see all the best shows in town, but time rarely allows it. Between Frieze itself, satellite exhibitions, and endless openings, there's always that nagging thought that you might miss something truly special. For this week, Regent's Park becomes the center of the art world. I'm always excited to connect with my international peers of artists, gallerists, and collectors who have traveled from all over the globe to immerse themselves in art, conversation, and connection.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? The Wolseley, an iconic Mayfair spot beloved for its glamour, flawless service, and unbeatable full English, is great for a pre-fair morning meeting. No trip to London is complete without a visit to St. JOHN. Expect an unpretentious setting and no-frills service, with bold British flavors throughout. Finishing with the madeleines is a must.

A little jewel of a yakitori bar with a cool, late-night edge, at Junsei, you'll find skewers, sake, and vinyl spins all blending in perfect harmony. It's ideal for meeting old and new friends.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? Hi-fi bar SPACE TALK is the ultimate ambient hotspot for audiophiles: I love their tomato sesame cocktails. Annabel's in Mayfair, one of the best private members' clubs in London, makes for an opulent, exclusive, and theatrical experience, while the artsy Goodbye Horses offers a more laidback, high-low alternative (you've got to try their cheese toasties).

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? Stay hydrated, pace yourself, and don't try to see everything. Have a plan, but also leave room for spontaneity. The most memorable conversations are rarely the ones you schedule.

Karine Haimo — Senior Vice President, PACE, London

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? I could do without being dehydrated and on my feet for seven days straight, but I'm so excited to have everyone in town and to take them to our Peter Hujar booth at Frieze Masters!

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? WatchHouse Coffee is my go-to for a caffeine fix. It is always packed, so patience is key, but the coffee's definitely worth it. A quiet oasis tucked away, Rochelle Canteen is ideal for a midday reset with seasonal dishes and the kind of calm that's rare during Frieze.

The Fat Badger is perfect for a drink and dinner. There's live music, a beautiful crowd, and a set menu that saves me from decision fatigue.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? When it comes to drinks, I like SPACE TALK for its cozy ambiance, music enthusiasts, and unique cocktails; Little Portland for its futuristic, nocturnal vibe and dancing; and the Painter's Room at Claridge's for a more elegant, power-players-fit evening with impeccable Martinis.

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? An extra pair of shoes in your bag and smart layering, as Frieze weather never commits.

Freddie Powell — Founder, Ginny on Frederick

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? I'm always fearful of overheating and always excited about overconsumption.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? Sessions Arts Club, where my oldest school friend, Abigail Hill, cooks up magic. St. JOHN in Clerkenwell, as it's perfectly located around the corner from Ginny on Frederick, and the untouchable Ciao Bella — very excited to be hosting a big dinner there this year with Rose Easton to celebrate Alex Margo Arden and Jan Gatewood's incredible presentations in the Focus section of Frieze this year.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? I fear Rita's is far too fabulous to be considered 'insider' these days, but I'm excited for the mezcal cocktails they serve up in the outdoor area of Frieze, and the classic mini Martinis of their Lexington Street HQ — nothing beats them.

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? I always buy new trainers to wear — I'm a superstitious guy!

Loïc Le Gaillard — Co-founder, Ladbroke Hall and Carpenters Workshop Gallery

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? I always worry there simply won’t be enough time — to see the people, to take in the art, to appreciate the energy of the week. But what excites me most is exactly that energy: reconnecting with our community across Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Ladbroke Hall, celebrating the incredible artists we work with, and seeing the city come alive around the fairs.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? A small, artisan café with strong coffee credentials and a seasonal brunch menu, Queens of Mayfair is a great spot for more intimate, less formal mornings. Lunch is usually eaten on the fly — like everyone else at the fair, I tend to live off the restaurants that pop up within either Frieze or PAD London themselves. By the end of the week, they all know my name.

For dinner, my choice is Pollini at Ladbroke Hall, of course. This week, they're presenting a bespoke menu for both fairs. I'm incredibly proud of the team for recently being awarded the rare three forchette by Gambero Rosso for the second time. Pollini has truly cemented its place in London's creative culinary landscape.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? Not to be repetitive, but Pollini Bar at Ladbroke Hall is buzzy, filled with collectors and creatives, and delivers on both proper Martinis and lively conversations. Claridge's Painter's Room is another one of my favorites: it is an elegant address beloved by the art world's old guard, it boasts immaculate service, and it will give you the feeling of being in the right place.

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? Don't try to see everything. The best discoveries often happen when you slow down. I prefer revisiting the exhibitions afterwards, in my own time, when the crowds have thinned and the work can speak for itself.

Lara Asole — Senior Museum Liaison, MASSIMODECARLO

What do you fear and enjoy most about Frieze Week? My greatest fear is running out of caffeine — it's the only real emergency during Frieze Week. What excites me most is the sense of temporary community: everyone you've ever worked with, traveled with, or meant to email back suddenly appears within a one-mile radius.

It's also when the gallery, MASSIMODECARLO, unveils some of its most exciting projects: this year, we're presenting a solo show by the German artist Lenz Geerk, his first in London in six years, which makes for an intimate and powerful return.

What are your top three spots for a meal during the fairs? Mornings usually start with a quick stop at Miel Bakery or La Fromagerie — nothing beats a proper croissant before the chaos begins. Lunch tends to be a moving target, but Toklas is always a solid bet. And for dinner, Noble Rot on Lamb's Conduit Street never disappoints.

Who serves the best drinks to the art world? You'll find the usual suspects scattered between The Standard in King's Cross — where half the art world seems to debrief over drinks — and Café Deco, which has become a favorite for those who like a good glass of wine. And if you need something sweet before the next opening, Gelupo for a late-night gelato is practically a ritual.

What's the secret to surviving Frieze Week in style? Strategic footwear, hydration, and a red lipstick — it distracts from everything, including fatigue.

Can't get enough of our food recommendations? See how the best burger joints in London are redefining fast food one filled bun and space-y interior at the time.

In a cultural scene still trudging its way to true inclusivity, nothing feels more refreshing, irreverent, and pioneering than a gargantuan installation that's meant to be enjoyed by all. That's what British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE's new large-scale artwork, Walk With Your Dreams, stands for — an experience of this creative world that, rather than remaining constrained within the walls of private institutions or galleries and the curatorial concepts of their design exhibitions, stretches its arms to embrace whoever happens to stumble into its fold.

Unveiled this Thursday, October 2, at Milton Keynes Station Square, a 40-minute train journey north-west of London Euston, the sprawling, kaleidoscopic piece expands over an abstract tapestry of vivid yellows, greens, and cherry red tones across 3,027 square meters. This is the latest in a series of community-focused artworks by the emerging talent, whose prolific production encompasses anything from colossal, open-air works to covetable furniture lines and high-profile brand collaborations, following similar public interventions at Fulham Pier, Helsinki's Amos Rex Museum, and Piccadilly Circus, among others.

Taking the "new town" of Milton Keynes, an 89-square-kilometer city originally set up in 1967 to ease the population overspill of London post World War II, and now home to some 300,000 inhabitants, as its backdrop, Walk With Your Dreams strives to celebrate the area's visionary origins, dynamic present, and ambitious future.

Milton Keynes — New Dreams for a New Town

The setting of Ilori's mesmerizing mural, which wows passersby as they step outside Milton Keynes Central Station, isn't coincidental. Despite its very recent city status, acquired in 2022, Milton Keynes serves as a positive example of contemporary urbanism.

Not only does the British hub boast "the fourth most start-ups per capita, and productivity almost a third above the UK average", Walk With Your Dreams' commissioners, Milton Keynes Development Partnership (MKDP) and Milton Keynes City Council, recount. But with 22 million trees and plants amounting to 35% of its surface and 34% of residents coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds, it also raises the bar for both outdoor living solutions and cultural integration.

The multidisciplinary artist's eye-catching installation, his largest public artwork to date, joins the 270 public artworks already dotting Milton Keynes from north to south, though this is the most ambitious and largest creative expression to grace its grounds yet.

When we meet Ilori, a North Londoner, on the morning of its unveiling on the rooftop of the glassy Unity Place building — arguably the best viewpoint to catch Walk With Your Dreams in full — the designer explains that the love he instantly felt for Milton Keynes' people was what convinced him to submit a proposal for the square revamp.

"My parents come from Nigeria and grew up there," he tells me, adding that relocating to the UK inevitably took them away from their relatives and closest community. "For them, London can sometimes feel quite lonely," the artist explains. "And I can often relate to that."

In Milton Keynes, on the other hand, "I just felt at home from the very start," he says, recalling when, back in 2016, he would travel "back and forth" while completing a residency program at Milton Keynes Arts Centre. "There is something quite special about different people migrating here from somewhere else to build a new home, a new family, to be part of something new," Ilori adds. "That's what excites me about Milton Keynes."

"Walk With Your Dreams": A Tapestry of Stories

According to the 2024 Equality and Diversity in Milton Keynes report, the Black African population is one of the city's "fastest growing local minority ethnic communities", with Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and the Swahili-speaking, east-central Africa region cited amongst the top 20 largest BME groups based in the English suburb. Naturally, this made British-Nigerian Ilori a particularly fitting choice to honor their stories through design.

Reproducing the vibrancy of the Yoruban dyeing technique widespread in the western part of the continent through expansive swathes of paint, Walk With Your Dreams shows just how much there is to gain from living in a melting pot of cultures like Milton Keynes. For its creator, who points to people and nurturing a sense of belonging as the consistent drives behind his work, the 2D installation is a reminder of how — despite individuals claiming the opposite — "no one owns any specific space or place". Instead, "we're all building the spaces we inhabit together," he says.

The activation's uplifting palette doesn't just wink at the intricate, eye-catching motifs of the Sub-Saharan textile tradition, but echoes the birth and evolution of the Milton Keynes development, too: flowers reference the blooming of the new town's dream — its transition from utopia to reality — as well as the picturesque nature that surrounds it; beams of light stand in for "power and progress"; circles are used to capture the state of interconnectedness that sees the city's multiple communities coexist; and, last but not least, color is relied on to express the joyfulness, surprise, and optimism that few things like creativity unleash.

'Wayfinding' Art — An Inspiring Way of Finding Your Way Around Milton Keynes

Beyond its symbolic meaning, Walk With Your Dreams also fulfills a more practical function. A 'wayfinding' artwork informed by Milton Keynes' easily navigable grid system, its symmetry, and geometry, now integrated into the Station Square's new flooring scheme, the installation promises to facilitate pedestrians' movements around the city by highlighting the walking routes and underpasses that make up the destination's central artery.

"Yinka has an exemplary record of developing and delivering exceptional public realm works which respond to place, community, and context," Adam Sciberras, special projects director at Milton Keynes Development Partnership, shares. This project, he continues, is about setting out what people can expect from Milton Keynes, offering "a great introduction to our young, innovative, diverse, and sustainable city and the vibrancy, enthusiasm, and biodiversity that people experience here."

Bold color and hypnotic patterns have become a staple of Ilori's oeuvre. Still, he promises, these aren't mere stylistic choices; they influence the way people perceive, engage with, and react to the work. Every detail of Walk With Your Dreams, from the choice and placement of the plants around it to the intensity and juxtaposition of its hues and how organic and geometric shapes alternate in it, was fully intentional.

"I have recently heard something quite interesting about how certain forms can cause you to move quickly or slowly," the artist explains, smiling at the idea of kids running through the piece's striped alleyways. "There will be a space where people walk, one where they sprint, one where they stand, and one where they sit," Ilori says. He sees the site's potential to become a meeting point, "like King's Cross with its Jacques Rival Identified Flying Object bird cage". Even more than that, he hopes it will prompt passersby to consider the impact it can have on their day: "How does stepping on this mural really make you feel?"

Behind the Crafting of an Evolving, Larger-Than-Life Masterpiece

The blossoms in Ilori's walkable art attack aren't the only ones to adorn the exterior of Milton Keynes Central Station. Landscape architects Planit have been tapped to encircle Walk With Your Dreams with a raw, prairie-style planting scheme that will shift and transform with the seasons.

Think poetic patches of greater meadow-rue and wand flower, intense drops of color brought in via red bistort and Echinacea 'Guava Ice', and wilder, unruly touches given by evergreens like sweet box and Turkestan feather grass, with "pastel-shaded bulbs, rich herbaceous planting, and flowering species" set to alternate over the warmer months.

"Yinka's work is so energetic, so we wanted planting that would hold its own in regard to choreographed color," Frankie Smith-Morris, landscape architect at the firm, says of the natural banking "that frames the central artwork." Ultimately, though, no ornament complements Walk With Your Dreams better than those who get to move across it — you'll know it when you see it.

In for more immersive art explorations? See how Mexican artist and designer Daniel Valero, the founder of rising studio Mestiz, breathed a new dose of whimsy into Instagram-viral restaurant, sketch, at AGO Projects' ongoing showcase ¡hola, London!.

I ’m in the market for some gay art. My partner feels the want for it, too, but we have put it off, wary of becoming the cliché: thirty-something gay men with a Tom of Finland book on the coffee table and a line drawing of an appendageless male torso hanging over the fireplace. It’s the basic starter pack of cis-gay domesticity. To succumb feels at once predictable and, somehow, too inevitable.

The trouble, I’ve realized, is that my idea of queer art — what it is, what it means — is limited. Somewhat of a blunt instrument. Still, it’s not entirely my fault. There’s a recurring convergence of styles and themes persuasive enough to suggest, if not a singular queer aesthetic, then at least its shadow.

What is that queer aesthetic? It’s one of the first questions I ask Davy Pittoors, a queer independent curator and arts organizer, based in Rye. “I get asked that question a lot, and I really hate it,” he tells me. We’re off to a good start.

I first stumbled across Davy on Instagram several years ago, when he was running a small queer art shop and gallery in Margate — a smart, beautifully presented curation of artworks and ephemera by queer artists, from vintage magazines to watercolors to Grecian-style ceramics decorated with risque gay frescoes.

These pieces resonated with me in ways that went beyond my previous encounters with queer art, though I couldn’t quite explain why. As an interiors editor, I’m predictably invested in how my home looks, but this longing to see my queerness reflected in it felt harder to place. “Anything we buy or create is actually a form of self-expression,” Davy tells me, “and I’m fascinated by that. I think queer people, including myself, often don't feel that at home in the world, so tend to be very intentional about those choices.”

Davy tells me that it’s something that has manifested itself more so in his home than the clothes he wears, and with a wardrobe stuffed with monochromatic basics myself, I can relate. “For me, creating a home is really important, and it's how I express my identity,” he says.

Davy is the curator behind Queeriosities, an annual art fair and design exhibition in London in its third year, opening today — the biggest in the UK, and a new cultural touchpoint for the city’s LGBTQIA+ arts community and its collectors. And, I suppose, would-be collectors, such as myself.

And yes, you’ll likely see some of those motifs I’ve noticed commonly in queer art — sex, kitsch, activism, joy, even tragedy — but it’s not what defines the artists featured in the exhibition, says Davy. “I think they're all tools that the queer community has learned to wield throughout history, but I don't think they define queerness in itself — not any more than a hammer defines a house. Queerness resists definition, and the fact that it is so ‘slippery’ is what makes it beautiful, what makes it strong, and makes it constantly evolving.”

It’s easy to be drawn to art that wears its queer identity openly, but in reality, it exists in all shades of subtlety. I think of an exhibition at Charleston this September, part of its ‘Queer Bloomsbury’ celebration, where Bloomsbury Group artist Duncan Grant’s erotic drawings were on display. They’re undeniably demonstrative of his queerness, but as head of collections, research and exhibitions at Charleston Darren Clarke tells me: “You can look at everything he makes as queer, but, even in the erotic drawings, the use of line, color, form, shape, and composition is the same as when painting a portrait of his mum or a bowl of flowers. The subject matter is almost incidental.”

The more interesting part is, possibly, the story. “There was a lot of gift exchange, for example,” says Darren. “We have a little jigsaw puzzle that Duncan Grant made for his friend, Saxon Sidney Turner, and it's of a naked bear, a pair of buttocks, which are sort of red and glowing from being spanked — Saxon had a particular interest in that sort of activity.” Its requirement to be kept secret meant that it was art to be enjoyed, not so much for commercial merit, and Darren even has a theory that the collection of erotic drawings became grouped as Duncan Grant was preparing for a Tate exhibition in 1958. “He had curators from the Tate coming around to his place in London, looking through piles of artwork from the previous decades, and I believe he didn't want them to see these.”

I had always sort of imagined Charleston as being a space of unbridled creative freedom and queer community, but as Darren points out: “When Duncan and his partner David Garnett were forced into rural Sussex to escape conscription, they were actually losing some of their freedom in London. If you want your queerness in the countryside, you sort of have to take it with you.”

Having left behind the more metropolitan days of my youth for a quieter town outside of London, the remark hits home. It recalls a conversation with Russell Whitehead, one half of interior design studio 2LG Studio, co-founded with husband Jordan Cluroe. The couple recently moved from a four-bedroom Victorian townhouse in Forest Hill to a one-bedroom in Shoreditch.

“As children who were told you’re not going to get married (as gay marriage wasn’t legal then), I think we went out into the world looking for the perfect family home to prove the naysayers we were allowed to have that, too,” Russell tells me. “It was important for us to get the four-bedroom Victorian home, and we spent our blood, sweat, and tears, and every hour we had to try and make that happen.”

“Then, when we sat in the house and we realized that our day-to-day life was just us — we had these guest rooms for family to come, but we wondered: who did we get this house for? Do we need these extra bedrooms?” This led to further questions: “What would our queer home be? Where would it be?”

Russell and Jordan’s questioning led them to imagine what their “queer dream house” looked like, prioritizing the things that mattered to them. Some of it is still about aesthetics — including “a whole floor that will be like a live-in shop for Jordan’s collection of clothes that just happens to have a bed in it” — but it’s now more about place, rhythm, and community. “I just want to be surrounded by creative queer people,” Russell says.

They put that ethos into action with their recurring London Design Festival exhibition, You Can Sit With Us, which, this year, they devoted entirely to queer artists and designers. “Partly, this was because we had realized there were so few people in the furniture and lighting industry who identified as queer,” Russell says. “It's sort of relatively easy to find artists or ceramicists in that arena, but the furniture world, specifically, is incredibly heteronormative and largely male. One way around that was to kind of work with people from multidisciplines and ask them to do things that they hadn't done before, but we also reached out to people we know in the queer community and asked them, ‘Do you have any friends?’”

The act of community-building is a recurring theme that, more than subject matter, seems to be the common link. At La Camionera, a lesbian bar in London's Hackney that opened earlier this year, all the artwork adorning the walls comes from friends of co-founders Clara Solis and Alex Loveless. “We have pieces by friends that are regulars at the bar, like Rene Matic, and Faye Wei Wei,” Alex tells me, “while curator Tosia Leniarska also sourced us some amazing pieces.”

There’s a subtle charm to La Camionera’s collection — a wink, if you will — reflecting the IFYKYK vibe of its name (La Camionera means ‘female truck driver’ in Spanish, slang for a butch lesbian). Designed by Studio Popelo and Wet Studio, the space doesn’t announce its queerness as loudly as some of London’s more infamous scene spots — the city’s most famous gay bar is called G-A-Y, after all — but the signs are there if you look. On one wall, a painting depicting a woman in a crop top wielding a power drill, for example, feels like a knowing nod. “The artists are just people we know that make great work, and there’s nothing to really give away the identity apart from one brilliantly-lesbian photograph by Jill Posener — and we’ve even thought about moving that when we have our parents’ and kids’ coffee mornings,” Alex adds.

Something is interesting about the subtlety of queer spaces like this, especially in contrast rainbow flag–studded spectacle of pride parades. Or take, for example, another recent opening, Roses of Elagabalus, a queer members club named after a painting by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema depicting a young trans emperor, which draws on the illicit queer clubs of history — from burlesque dens to gay bathhouses — and that has a ‘no phones’ policy. These are places of belonging, but also public spaces, where that sense of safety needs to be assured and protected.

It’s likely not new news to you that not only are queer people under scrutiny and attack, but queer art is, too, especially as it relates to trans and gender non-conforming people. In the States, Donald Trump rescinded federal funding for art that ‘promotes gender ideology’ this year, while controversy over a depiction of the Statue of Liberty as a black, trans woman placed artist Amy Sherald at the ‘heart of a culture war’ — one that rages just as fiercely this side of the Atlantic.

As Davy says: “Queer artists and craftspeople are some of the bravest and most resilient members of the community, because the anxiety of living and working in these times can become exhausting. I have seen some artists double down on their work to make sure that their viewpoints and their voices aren't lost. And others feel they need to step away from their work and dedicate themselves completely to activism.”

Through Queeriosites, Davy’s also created a safe space for queer artists to showcase their work beyond those anxieties, without fear of censorship, or even as simple a microaggression as someone ‘raising an eyebrow’ to their work. In an exhibition filled with queer artists, no one, really, has to come out.

"There’s the sense of an exhale that I experience when everyone's in the room,” Davy says. “We can actually leave all this baggage at the door, and we can just focus on being ourselves and just showing the work we want to show.” That sense of community, then, doesn’t just run through the artists exhibiting, but the patrons attending, too. We all know what we’re there for.

I ask Russell, of 2LG Studio, from where he thinks that yearning to invest in queer art comes. “It's highly likely that you're going to respond to the output of a queer artist because you might connect on specific wounds that you've been given,” he says, “but I also think there's an element of wanting to put your dollar into the community that you live in, whether you actually live in it, or feel your part in it.”

That may be where my home life is missing right now. I don’t live in a town with a particularly rich queer culture, but I feel that through filling my house with the work of queer artists, I’m bringing the ‘queerness to the countryside.’ In my own home, I can create some sense of queer community, even if it’s one-sided, curated on my part — with the added bonus of supporting events like Queeriosities, where I can go and still soak up the real thing.

Further Reading

Want more perspective on queer arts? I asked Davy for his further reading list:

● "LDN Queer Mart is another London-based fair that does a great job platforming emerging and diverse queer voices. I really love what they put together and they do it really thoughtfully.

● The Museum of Transology recently held its 10-year retrospective, Trancestry, and it was masterful. The work that they’ve done creating such an amazing archive of objects and stories — and bringing communities together — is beyond important.

● On the notion of home, the Do Ho Suh Genesis exhibition at the Tate is a really incredible deep-dive into the idea of home, how we carry it with us and the ways in which it shapes our memories and experiences.

● Charleston in Lewes and Firle, Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, the Dennis Severs House in Spitalfields and the multiple points of queer history from Radcliffe Hall to Edward J. Burra and Henry James here in Rye are all constant sources of inspiration for me.

● A few key books: The Queerness of Home by Stephen Vider, Crafted with Pride by Daniel Fountain, Buying Gay by David K. Johnson — and, of course, Gemma Rolls-Bentley’s Queer Art."

Los Angeles, California's undiscussed creative capital, may not look to you as a place where initiatives aimed at championing the boundary-pushing talents that make the city a cultural must-visit are lacking — or, at least, it doesn't seem so from the outside.

Home to some of the most exciting curatorial platforms active across the US and the global arts scene, from the Future Perfect's West Coast outpost, a pioneer of the residential gallery model for collectible design, and the centrally located Melrose Hill district, where projects like Trevyn and Julian McGowan's African craft-focused gallery, Southern Guild, abound alongside the mazy homeware emporiums and showrooms scattered all around, to the countless studios you'll stumble upon while strolling through East Los Angeles and Downtown, the Californian city's streets come alive as a diffused creative hub.

Still, last year, when the team behind the Los Angeles Design Festival (LADF) announced that the initiative would disrupt its annual event to shift to a biennial format, Holland Denvir and Meghan McNeer — two local design insiders with years of experience working with rising and established personalities across boutique brands and creative agencies, and editorial projects, respectively — knew there'd suddenly be a gap waiting to be filled in the scene. Enter, Los Angeles Design Weekend.

"We created Los Angeles Design Weekend (LADW) to help establish Los Angeles as a global design destination that deserves recognition," the two tell me of the alternative festival they set up last year, whose inaugural edition (June 21-23, 2024) reunited over 140 labels, craftspeople, designers, artists, and architects in a four-day marathon of exhibitions, workshops, and collateral events held across multiple locations in the city's Northeast and Downtown districts.

Denvir and McNeer felt that the program of other LA design initiatives was failing to reflect the rich breadth of perspectives that converge in the City of Angels' "uniquely diverse community". Returning today until Monday, September 29, "LADW is structured to mirror how design thrives here through neighborhoods, independent studios, and collaborative energy," the co-founders say.

The idea is simple. Just like in the case of LADF, instead of centering everything in a convention hall or a single Los Angeles neighborhood, Los Angeles Design Weekend moves "across the city, spotlighting different creative communities each day," Denvir and McNeer explain.

When flying to Los Angeles from abroad, travelers' earliest introduction to its distinctive style flair is likely to come from the rooms and the lobbies of the addresses they are staying at. This isn't surprising considering that many of the best LA hotels bear the signature of design superstars like Kelly Wearstler, whose curated guide to the city is enough to show you how much there is to see.

LADW, though, extends the privilege of reveling in thought-provoking, innovative creativity to all through dozens of free-to-access activities to pick from. For its co-founders, this is what makes the experience feel quintessentially Angeleno — the fact that it's "rooted in discovery, accessibility, and connection, while showcasing Los Angeles as a leading voice in global design".

LADW 2025's Must-Sees

Similarly to its debut edition, Los Angeles Design Weekend 2025 seeks to rekindle the craftsmanship and manufacturing legacy of the city's Central and Northeast districts, where the appointments on its dense agenda take place. Expanding over the festival's first three days from south of the Mexican American neighborhood of Boyle Heights to Atwater over a stretch of about ten miles, the thick trail of open studios, interdisciplinary installations, and evening soirées that dot this year's LADW makes it particularly hard to choose highlights. There are, however, things I can't help but regret that I won't be able to see for myself.

I think, for example, of American-Slovenian designers Jon and Maša Kleinhample's new HOME STORE, which, situated in Los Angeles' arts district, will offer an intimate look at their humor-charged, whimsical collectible design and interiors practice, KLEIN, by juxtaposing the objects from their collection with vintage finds, their favorite printed goods, and art, one vermouth tonic after another.

Frozen Han, a poetic group presentation rooted in the ever-relevant legacy of Korean craft, will see ten artists explore the fragile and yet intoxicating beauty of the East Asian country's artisanry tradition across woodwork, glass, clay, metal, and textiles in a spellbinding installation accompanied by a tea ceremony hosted by the sweet delicacy makers at MIGAAM.

Echoing the iridiscent essence of Venetian Murano glass and the mesmerizing organic patterns of 19th-century spongeware, the animated, wavy ceramics of local artist Morgan Peck will be on show at Highland Park's quirkiest flower shop, Lenita.

David Alhadeff's The Future Perfect and artist-run gallery The Pit will celebrate the release of T-1000, the latest collection by Adam D. Miller's kitschy-cool design studio, Reaperware, with a party hosted at the latter platform on September 27 and a coinciding pop-up exhibition at TFP spotlighting numerous never-before-seen pieces from his ceramic lighting, vessels, and seating work.

Immersing visitors in a residential-like setting, husband-and-wife Michaele Simmering and Johannes Pauwen's sustainable furniture studio, Kalon, will be opening the doors to its Atwater Village home, inviting them to engage with their process and their award-winning, essentially beautiful line in metal and wood, Element.

"We take real pride in how relaxed and welcoming these gatherings are," the co-founders, who also joined LADW's first edition, tell me. Comparing them to "a great house party, with guests spilling onto the street, the rooftop, and into quiet corners across our three floors," they explain that, for them, the showroom isn't just a place where design is shown, but one where community gathers and cultural exchange can thrive and grow.

Los Angeles Design Weekend — In Three Picks

I ask Los Angeles Design Weekend's Denvir and McNeer to share three event picks that sum up the festival's spirit. "Each of our top three must-sees embodies what makes LADW distinct — community, collaboration, and the belief that design should feel open and welcoming rather than closed-off or pretentious," they tell me.

1. "Lovers Unit: Open Studio + Ice Cream Party captures the generosity and playfulness of LA's design community," Denvir and McNeer say. An interdisciplinary design and architecture practice, on September 28, "Lovers Unite is opening their studio for an ice cream social, complete with Milkcult scoops and Kismet cookies. The heart of it, though, is an Instagram auction of handmade vessels, with proceeds going to CHIRLA to support neighbors impacted by ICE raids. It's design with purpose, rooted in solidarity and joy."

2. "What began as an introduction between a few people eager to get involved in LADW quickly became Open House — Art & Objects In Residence, a full-fledged exhibition inside a mid-century Glassell Park home," the festival's co-founders explain. "Borough Design and Thought Forms Studio pulled together artists working in print, textiles, ceramics, and scent to create an intimate, site-specific show. It reflects the collaborative spirit of LADW — a constellation of practices coming together to reinterpret modernism in Los Angeles through a very local lens."

3. Finally, "Elysian Park Collage Party & Potluck represents the true beauty of LADW," they explain. "It's not about prestige, it's about gathering: people will spread blankets in Elysian Park, share food, and make collages together — crafting as a community, outdoors, in one of LA's most beloved green spaces. It's the kind of event that makes design approachable, fun, and deeply Angeleno."

LADW 2025 in Practical Things

Whether it's Milan or New York Design Week, no showcase is ever complete without the right dose of drink and culinary tips. That's why we have turned to Kalon's co-founders, Simmering and Pauwen, to bring you an insider's lifestyle fix. So, where are the best restaurants and cafés in Los Angeles?

"Our own stretch of Casitas Avenue has quietly emerged as a center for design in Los Angeles," they say. Neighbors like Waka Waka and Estudio Persona are shaping the city's contemporary design conversation, and you'll find the same creative energy spilling into the cafés and studios nearby. Proof Bakery and McCall’s are long-time local favorites, while Barra Santos channels the best of a European sidewalk wine bar.

Those searching for the top concept stores in LA should rejoice, too. "Plant Material — the nursery and retail space from landscape studio Terremoto — is a destination for anyone interested in plants and outdoor design," explain the two. "Architectural icons like Hollyhock House and Neutra's VDL House give a glimpse of Los Angeles modernism, while Skylight Books' Art Annex remains an essential stop for art and design magazines. OK Store, one of the city's best design shops, specializes in impeccably curated everyday objects and is always worth a visit."

For something more unexpected, the Kalon duo recommends walking or riding along the LA River bike path, where a major rewilding project — led in part by Frank Gehry — offers a rare and striking stretch of urban nature. Much like each LADW 2025 event, "these spots capture the mix of craft, culture, and neighborhood energy that makes this corner of Los Angeles such a vibrant place to experience design."

Los Angeles Design Weekend starts today and continues through September 29. Walking, cycling, or cab sharing is highly advised to minimize congestion and pollution. Plan your visit

Not in LA for the weekend? Check out our most recent edit of unmissable London art and design exhibitions instead.

sketch London, arguably one of the most visually striking, talked-about restaurants in the British capital, isn't new to larger-than-life creative arrangements that completely revolutionize what an eatery and bar is meant to look, feel, and sometimes (don't worry, I'll get to that later) even smell like.

Home, among the others, to the now golden-hued, previously Venetian pink the Gallery — the Instagram-famous London restaurant designed by Livingetc favorite India Mahdavi in 2014 and most recently revamped in collaboration with artist Yinka Shonibare in 2022 — when it comes to design that spills outside of what we believe to be possible, you can trust this multi-restaurant address to have a surprise or two in store for you.

Unveiled on Thursday, September 18, ¡hola, London!, the first UK exhibition of Mexico City and New York's creative platform AGO Projects and, fittingly, one of the coolest design exhibitions in London right now (through November 11), marks the return of sketch's annual art and design exhibition.

Embodying the playfully irreverent, thought-provoking energy and craftsmanship-focused aesthetic that brings together the 58 talents represented by Rudy F. Weissenberg and Rodman Primack's gallery as a whole is Daniel Valero, the founding designer of whimsical studio practice Mestiz, whose handwoven, wavy wicker lampshades, quirky ceramics, and creaturesque wool experimentation we have grown to love recently.

Spanning sketch London's entrance and reception areas, as well as the spaceship-looking roof of its surreal East Bar & Pods nook, the uplifting installation infuses a fresh dose of wonder into the institution's color-blocked hallways.

Realized in partnership with cult brand PATRÓN® Tequila, which has curated a collateral program of bookable music-fueled cocktail nights to take place at 9 Conduit Street every Friday evening for the duration of the event, with Latin DJs, salsa dancers, and Mexican-inspired canapés, ¡hola, London! instantly reminded of one important thing.

In a world where political tensions and growing social discontent can drive us apart, it is often those creatives who don't feel the urge to take themselves too seriously who unite and inspire us when we need it most. People whose artistic efforts go hand in hand with a desire to craft objects that are as carefully assembled — sculpted into shape through ancestral techniques that value heritage and quality over wasteful, yet faster, practices — as they are imbued with a genuine ability to inject a sense of hope, of joy, into the everyday.

Originally commissioned by the Denver Art Museum, the majority of the pieces on display at sketch London in Mestiz's AGO Projects-backed autumn takeover belong to Valero's El Charco immersive installation, where "materials are transformed into wild furniture, skillfully crafted to reflect their natural environments and guided by a colorful cosmovision," explained the studio.

From the moment visitors step in, they are immediately confronted with a plethora of contrasting textures, amusing silhouettes, and soul-lifting messages left on both paper and petate fiber, all of which contribute to making the exhibition one to know.

Crocodile-passing wicker shelves (or stools?) dot the arched passageway that leads to two of sketch London's most beloved spaces, namely the Glade and the Gallery, and so do the many hand-painted plant motifs artist Daniel Gordian Mora left on the walls, towering cacti-shaped totems, and knitted, eye-catching banners scattered throughout.

Based in San Miguel de Allende and part of AGO Projects' Mexico City roster of designers, Valero charges each of his large-scale pieces with the folkloric symbolism, natural connection, and storied artistry that serve as the heart of his country's craft.

"Handmade using local materials and time-honoured techniques, transforming botanical elements into works of design imbued with life and movement," the studio explains, these objects are "creating mystical spaces where the seemingly ordinary becomes extraordinary."

What emerges from this surreal, technicolored puzzle of forms is "a dreamlike terrain that blurs the boundaries between nature and design, folklore and modernity," Valero says. It only makes sense then that, wrapped up in the radiant, comforting essence of the designer's creations when I visit the show before my Thursday office tasks get in the way, I don't quite seem to find the courage to step away.

¡hola, London! continues at sketch London through November 11.

There are certain high street stores that are a one-stop shop when it comes to finding stylish pieces on a budget, and Søstrene Grene is definitely one of them. Every season, the brand succeeds in releasing a range of trend-led products that feel fresh and cool, but don't cost the earth.

For autumn/winter 2025, its latest collection isn’t at all what you’d expect for the season — it's light, airy, bright, and colorful: just the antidote you need to an impending turn in the weather.

There are a few heroes I've spotted in the new range: this wall shelf is perfect for embracing the coffee nook trend; this blue veneer wood side table that only costs £50, but looks like something that would cost hundreds from Hay; and this patterned tablecloth that looks like its been hand drawn on are all particular highlights. However, it's the wall art that's really caught my eye for following a big interior design trend.

The idea of color drench framing has become a huge trend in 2025. It’s the idea of choosing a frame and mount in the same color, and using it to more creatively frame smaller artworks. However, up until now, it's been more of a DIY job to get the look.

Søstrene Grene has released its own collection of color block frames that I think would be the star of the show in any gallery wall. These stylish frames are available in both red and blue, and the good news is that they retail for just £12.80. They come with a print inside but if you’d rather switch it for something that feels more personal to you, then that can easily be done.

Shop the Rest of the New Collection

It’s hard to believe that the new collection from Sostrene Grene doesn’t come hand in hand with designer price tags. Every item in the edit feels consciously thought through and could stand alone as a one-off piece, whether that be a footstool, candle holder or a decorative plate. Adopt a fresh take on autumn winter by picking up some of the best bits that they have to offer this season.

There is something so effortless about a lean. Perhaps that's because it literally takes the weight off. It's casual, relaxed, quietly confident — and turns out, works a treat when it comes to styling artwork around your home, too. No nails needed.

The art hanging mistakes that most people get, well, hung up on are choosing the wrong size, proportion, or position of their pieces. You don't want the display of your art to feel too cookie-cutter, too perfect, or rigid in the space. It's a home, not a gallery. That's why one of my favorite tricks is to slightly off-center the artwork. It instantly becomes a more interesting focal point and starts to tell a story within the space.

But better yet, don't hang your artwork at all. Instead, lean your frame or canvas against the closest wall. Small pieces work well on shelves and countertops, while larger ones can stay on the floor. Sounds simple? It is — for the most part. But there is a trick to ensuring that it looks intentional, not accidental.

Over the last few years, there has been a shift in the way people style art in their homes. Gone are the days of super-structured gallery walls, now considered by many (this editor included) to often feel too contrived, while trying really hard to be the opposite. Though, of course, there are still ways to do it well.

"There’s definitely a move toward looser, more individualized ways of showing art," says architect Georgina Wilson. "It’s less about perfect symmetry and more about personality."

Hanging a standalone piece of art takes a special knack, too. You don't want it to look too random, so it's important to consider how it sits in the space as a whole. Too high and it's awkward to look at, too low and it can make the room feel small — in desperation, artworks get left leaning against the wall while we wait to work out what's best, and then suddenly... it clicks.

"There's a casualness to leaning artwork that's really cool," adds Shona McElroy, principal of Smac Studio. "It also brings a new dynamic to shelf styling — the art can be more stylistically different from the other artwork that is hung, too, bringing variety and interest to the space."

How to Lean Art With Intention

So, how do you make it look intentional, rather than unfinished? Because everyone knows that looking casual never comes easily. "It needs things around it to help balance the eye," says Shona. "I would avoid putting a leaning piece of art alone where there is an obvious space above it where it may be hung. That will feel like it's just waiting for the handyman to come back and hang it."

Georgina Wilson agrees, adding that it's all about intention. "A piece can be leaning, layered, or oversized, but if it’s been placed with purpose, it won’t feel accidental," she says. "It’s about balance, scale, and how the art relates to the furniture and architecture around it. Even the most relaxed placement should still feel like it belongs."

And while a small frame works on floating shelves or a countertop, this interior design trend looks best when you go big — "I think it's important to get the scale right, opting for larger and oversized pieces," says Georgina.

This approach feels like a natural extension of the 'One Amazing Thing' theory in design — the idea that every space needs at least one unexpected, eye-catching, or out-of-place piece to make it more impactful overall. By subverting how you expect to see art displayed, it changes the way you interact with it and elevates the entire scheme.

"When you shift art off the wall and bring it down to floor level, it invites a different kind of interaction," adds Georgina. "You're not just passing by. It catches you off guard in the best way. It breaks the eye-level rule, which makes the experience more personal, adding a cool factor."

And it can make a space feel more lived-in, considered, personal even. Georgina describes how it can instantly soften a space, too. "It feels relaxed, considered, and quietly confident, like the room isn’t trying too hard," she adds.

What's more, leaning art is more flexible. "It means you can move pieces around as your mood or the seasons shift, which can completely change the tone of a room without any major effort," says Georgina.

I, for one, will never be done decorating. I want my space and style to continuously shift, change, and evolve, just as I do. And perhaps that's exactly why I think this 'lazy' way of displaying art also just happens to be the best-looking. What do you think?

"Gosh, can Switzerland be hot," must have been my most immediate reaction as I laid foot on the roasting asphalt of Basel, the country's buzzy creative capital, for the very first time last Tuesday at noon. Heading to the preview days of the latest edition of the world's foremost art fair, Art Basel 2025 (June 17-18, open June 19-22), one of the most anticipated appointments on the agenda of globetrotting collectors, gallerists, and fine arts practitioners alike, and an unmissable mingling opportunity for all-round bon vivants, it was impossible not to immediately start noticing all the little details that make the nation a bucket list destination across the globe.

The grass might not always be greener on the other side, but trust me, despite the heat, it certainly is in this quaint, postcard-like northwestern slice of Switzerland. From locals letting the Rhine River guide them back home after a long day at work, floating peacefully down the balmy basin in swimwear with their belongings safely stored in a waterproof bag for a stress-free commute, to the countless, panoramic al fresco dining spots for savoring food, drinks, and great company late into the night, and the just as many architectural marvels, museums, and design showrooms to discover along the way, it takes less than a few hours to feel like you'd be better off living there — a couple of minutes when the sun hits its fascinating blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque mixed uber-modernist buildings, casting choreographic shadows all over the pavement.

The city's magic, though, as Egyptian-born multidisciplinary artist and adopted Baseler Basim Magdy pointed out while walking me around his booth at the fair, waxes, wanes, and even has a name: Art Basel. Marking the return of one of the most exciting cultural events of the year, the 55th iteration of the influential showcase brought together 289 industry-leading galleries from 42 countries, including 20 newcomers hailing from all over Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Led by Director Maike Cruse, Art Basel 2025 took over the aluminum-clad, futuristic halls of the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Messeplatz exhibition center in one of its most diverse and successful editions yet.

Strong sales aside, what made the presentation worthwhile was the debut of its Premiere sector, platforming innovative artworks realized by contemporary artists over the past five years, Katharina Grosse's site-specific, spray-painted reinvention of the hosting institution, which transformed its Hall 2's exterior into a dynamic, electric pink maze, and the hidden trails of artistic expression unleashed by Stefanie Hessler's curated public art program for the fair, Parcours, whose bold installations, scattered along the animated Clarastrasse and the adjacent riverbank, probed the continuum between the natural and the manufactured, history and technology, the human and the transcendental in response to the theme Second Nature. What stayed with me most from Art Basel 2025, though, are the seven powerful explorations of home, personal identity, and collective memory outlined below.

Hall 1

Michelangelo Pistoletto at Galleria Continua

At Art Basel 2025, legendary Italian painter, action and object artist Michelangelo Pistoletto presented visitors with Rispetto, a kaleidoscopic living room space expanding around a central mirrored table modeled after the unruly silhouette of the Mediterranean sea, encircled by a series of large, wood-framed mirrors. Like most of his production, which unfolds at the intersection of art and everyday life, this piece, too, relates to the current state of affairs by symbolically putting the epicenter of the ongoing European refugee crisis and the theater of wider sociopolitical struggles at its heart.

Fusing the concept behind two of Pistoletto's previous works — namely the Third Paradise (2003), which invoked collective engagement and personal responsibility in support of the planet and "the human society inhabiting it", and Love Difference (2003), the table serving as the core of this installation, decorated with chairs sourced from the countries overlooking the Mediterranean to hint at the urge for transnational dialogue — Rispetto aimed to "create a lasting space for conversation, turning rupture into an invitation to embrace difference as the basis for understanding". The mesmerizing domestic setting, part of Art Basel 2025's most spectacular section, Unlimited, which featured 68 monumental works, and platformed by Galleria Continua, allowed visitors to take up a hammer and smash the mirror panels all around them first-hand. In doing so, people revealed the striking background contained by them, each reading "respect" in a different language and embodying an opportunity for catharsis, empathy, and reciprocal understanding.

Basim Magdy at the Samsung ArtCube Lounge

When a few of weeks ago I received an email from Samsung asking me to join the brand on a press trip to Art Basel 2025 to celebrate its latest collaboration with the event, I was as surprised as you likely are right now to find out that the electronics pioneers have now got a foot in the art scene, too. Still, the prospect of flying to Switzerland to check out their interactive Samsung ArtCube, powered by the South Korean house's cutting-edge Art TVs, including the AI-optimized Frame, MICRO LED, and Neo QLED 8K, and brought to life by an exciting curation of artworks, felt too good to miss out on, particularly for an arts-addicted lifestyle editor. Though I normally gravitate toward more analog creative expressions, I found the appeal of this walk-through, multisensory installation, which gathered bidimensional contributions from a cohort of established and rising talents along with captivating animations, undeniable.

For screen geeks, the Samsung ArtCube, whose 38-piece painting collection marked the biggest collaboration between the tech manufacturer and the fair yet following its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach last year and its appearance at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, served as an opportunity to observe these TVs' performance up close — and realize how close they get to reproducing the look and textural feel of authentic artworks. For me, though, the activation begged one question: how can technology (re-)shape our relationship with the art world?

As Samsung's European Product Manager, Sofia Monteiro, the curator of the brand's ever-evolving artwork selection, explained during a panel discussion that saw her share the spotlight with K-pop idol RM of BTS during the fair, "Samsung Art TVs have the power to bring the museum experience into the home." Working with leading art institutions and creatives from across the globe, every month she handpicks paintings and photographs to include in the Samsung Art Store, the digital archive enabling every Samsung Art TV owner to add an extra source of inspiration to their space's decor. Granting everyone access to bold contemporary works, the collection strives to demystify what has traditionally been an elitist industry, "extending the benefits of thought-provoking, uplifting creativity to all".

In return, the showcased artists get to witness their craft in ways they didn't even know were possible. "Being able to physically walk inside a space and simultaneously experience my work across multiple levels — a painting on top of a film, presented on an LED screen — is something I have never done with my art before," Basim Magdy, whose transportative canvases, photographs, and moving images incorporate nods to his Egyptian heritage, the natural and animal realm, and historical political references into technicolored, futuristic utopias suspended between memory and a dreamed-up reality, told me, referring to his experience of the interactive booth. His contribution to the Samsung ArtCube at Art Basel 2025, which alternated with works by Roméo Mivekannin, Zandile Tshabalala, and Antonia Kuo among others, came spontaneously after he was approached by the brand. To herald it was a short clip from one of the artist's films, used a suggestive background for his paintings in the installation. In it, a person's hands, wearing a robotic exoskeleton, moved poetically across the frame, infusing the room with the flickering glow of the candles attached to them, while in the foreground, Magdy's bright, sci-fiesque universes proceeded to tell a tale of their own.

Also platformed by Cairo-based Gypsum Gallery's two-person-show Premiere presentation, where the chemically altered polaroids of his Hungry Tourists Never Forget the Shores They Sent Postcards From (2025) series poignantly captured the emotional and physical aftermath of mass tourism alongside Swiss-Greek artist Dimitra Charamandas's painted investigation into natural landscapes as a site for "change, erosion, and regeneration", Magdy doesn't believe technology is here to replace traditional art, but to complement it and facilitate new ways forward. "It's a kind of experiment," he said of his participation in the Samsung ArtCube, adding that people's reaction to it might inform new projects in the future. Intrigued by its potential, "I took a leap of faith because, while it's important to preserve the integrity of the work, I felt open enough to try something — and that's what I think artists should do".

Hall 2 — Premiere and Statements

Alexandra Metcalf at Ginny on Frederick

Ask me what exactly drove me toward British artist Alexandra Metcalf's solo presentation at Art Basel 2025, Assembly: Peter, Jackson, David, Frederick, and I'll know go straight to the point: it was the weirdly entrancing disco ball that, spinning around in the miniature living room she recreated inside the third of the antique grandfather clocks featured in her show with London gallery Ginny on Frederick, got me closer to it. Like the rest of her Statements installation, that specific detail bore a cinematic essence that broke the fourth wall, leaving passersby to wonder not just about the inspirations behind it — to me, it screamed Strangers Things, though I might be completely wrong — but also and especially about what convinced the artist to develop such meticulously crafted interiors within a space as constrained as that of former dials and clockworks. There was, in fact, more than Tim Burton-style, trippy aesthetics to Metcalf's latest creative offering, as also suggested by the male over-representation of its title, though the vertiginous, checkered yellow and black staircase of her left-hand-side clock would be enough to make this piece worthwhile.

A provocative look into the inner workings of women's "lives, choices, and physical realities", Assembly: Peter, Jackson, David, Frederick sought to denounce how these "have been regulated, medicalized, and silenced" against their own will. Exemplifying the contrast between "the entanglement of care and control" that, in the artist's view, determines the female world, objects like dioramas, oversized pins, glass, surgical tools, and fragments of domestic furniture were placed inside the bellies of the clocks. A metaphor for the invasive medical procedures women are often forced to undergo, these unassuming items also spoke to the structural institutional neglect they are exposed to while simultaneously playing on the "blurring of nurture with restraint" represented by the domestic sphere. In Metcalf's work, the home is rendered in all its ambivalence. To put it in her words, it is "a site of both violence and resistance, haunted by the legacy of decisions made about women, rather than with them".

Formafantasma and Alberto Garutti at Galleria Massimo Minini

With hundreds of installations to interact with and draw inspiration from, events like Art Basel are, at their core, an endurance test for die-hard art and design enthusiasts. At least, they certainly are for me. Luckily, though, there are presentations that speak to you no matter how many paintings, colossal sculptures, and audiovisual setups you have been faced with up until that point. Whether because of its proximity to my home (I grew up only a dozen kilometers away from Brescia, where the platform has its base), or thanks to the instinctual sense of familiarity I immediately felt in engaging with its largely Italian cohort of spotlighted artists, Galleria Massimo Minini's booth at the fair was certainly one of them. A stunningly executed interdisciplinary exercise, the stand comprised expansive, pastel-shaded murals by Alessandro Mendini, which, conceived to expand on the geometric nature of Peter Halley's new, pop abstract paintings, lent themselves as the perfect backdrop against which more retro-fueled creations found their place.

Among all the personalities showcased by the gallery, including the likes of legendary Italian painter Carla Accardi, pioneering American textile artist Sheila Hicks, and visionary image-maker Jacopo Benassi, two practices stood out: that of intersectional culture and design think tank Formafantasma, the boundary-pushing duo formed by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, known for their high-profile collaborations with lifestyle colossuses like Hermès and lighting pioneers like Flos, besides their recurring Prada activations during Milan Design Week, and the late Italian artist Alberto Garutti's, whose decades-long career examined the complex relationship between art creators and the spaces and viewers that experience their works.

It isn't a coincidence that both of their contributions to Galleria Massimo Minini's Art Basel 2025 participation took the emotional, lingering power of design to the fore. The Formafantasma's chair and chaise longue on display at the booth, part of the duo's La Casa Dentro ("The Home Inside") series, disrupted the hyper-precise, almost sterile canons of Modernism — which replaced ornamentation with function-driven simplicity via raw materials like steel, glass, and concrete — through romantic fabric insertions as well as handpainted floral motifs that revived the atmosphere of the designers' childhood home. Meanwhile, Garutti's What happens in rooms when the people have left? (2001-2023), a tidy selection of buttery furnishings, including chairs, tables, cupboards, and vases, stacked up on top of each other as if in a storage room, addressed the role that objects and domestic environments as a whole continuously play in our lives, even when unnoticed. Covered in a fluorescent coating, each of those pieces would come alight at night, when no one is there to witness them, in a poetic manifestation of the magic, sentimental warmth, and life trapped in the things around us.

Joyce Joumaa at Galerie Eli Kerr

Part of Art Basel 2025's Statements section, which focused on special projects by burgeoning talents, Lebanese artist Joyce Joumaa's Period Sights (2025) installation took visitors inside different domestic and commercial sites of the country. A wall dotted in back-lit breaker boxes, each filled with a different interior completely devoid of people, from a melancholic, empty restaurant to the close-up of a sculptural chandelier and an unused kitchen sink, the presentation, which won her the 2025 Baloise Art Prize at the fair, strived to raise awareness of the everyday implications of the ongoing, war-induced infrastructural collapse of the artist's homeland. It did so by matching each of the installed images with "timers set according to the timetables and duration when power is restored in each of the locations". What that meant for the audience is that the showcase never looked exactly the same, but continually changed throughout Art Basel 2025. The warm light that brought each capsule environment to life at specific times was never, in fact, switched on in all of them simultaneously, but took visitors by surprise, prompting them to engage with and reflect on the unpredictability currently keeping Lebanese people's lives on hold.

Wei Libo at sans titre

Represented by gallery sans titre, Chinese-born, Paris-based artist Wei Libo's solo presentation in the Statements section of Art Basel 2025 was almost impossible to miss. Taking the form of a larger-than-life domestic environment, the show caught my eye for the unexpected contrast of traditional wooden marquetry and whimsical, cartoony ceramics that defined its atmosphere. Comprising a vintage, oval table decorated with plump, sheeny vessels, and an expansive wooden wall interspersed with three-dimensional fruit sculptures, the booth represented the encounter between Libo's rural Chinese roots, the country's storied craftsmanship, and his personal reckoning with television pop culture and industrialization. Rather than attracting the viewer's attention with striking visual effects, Libo's production, which centers furniture and home-like, cocooning dimensions to address his emotional connection to China, turns antiques' quietly beautiful canon on its head to give way to imagination. At Art Basel 2025, what initially looked like a retro-inspired living room thus revealed itself to the public as a much more mysterious space, where his creaturesque earthenware experimentation simultaneously hinted at the melon-shaped ceramics of the Song Dynasty and the heroes of the manga he used to watch as a child. Playful and uncanny, aesthetic and enigmatic, Libo's large-scale contribution to the fair was more than just an installation — it was a glimpse into the artist's biography, values, and mind.

Sara Ouhaddou and M'barek Bouhchichi at Selma Feriani

London and Sidi Bou Saïd-based gallery Selma Feriani used its participation in the Premiere section of Art Basel 2025 to spotlight the work of Nadia Ayari, Sara Ouhaddou, and M'barek Bouhchichi, three North African artists whose layered production reinterprets the region's storied iconography, craftsmanship, and symbolism through a compelling contemporary lens. Among them, the creations of the latter two were the ones I resonated with most. A series of wool fabric panels decorated with abstract, towering silhouettes in rich earthy hues, Bouhchichi's Terra project seeks to revive the connection between the artisanal tradition of southeastern Morocco, his native country, and northeastern Mali. Echoing the look of ancient architectural buildings, each of these textile canvases, developed in collaboration with female crafters dedicated to preserving ancestral techniques, acts as a bridge between the desert landscape, the mountains, and the timeless cityscapes of both regions. Relying on abstraction to capture the vibrancy and complex stratification of histories that distinguish this area, the artist's woven paintings look to the home as well as nature as vessels for the dissemination — and preservation of — knowledge and culture.

Something similar occurs in Sara Ouhaddou's production, more specifically in Lune, Oh Lune (2025) and Mon alphabet de terre (2025), the two clay-based explorations she brought to Selma Feriani's booth at Art Basel 2025. Drawing from her Moroccan and Amazigh (Berber) heritage, the artist collaborates with communities of craftspeople from her native region to amplify and protect vernacular artistry from the passage of time. Standing out for their mesmerizing, puzzle-like surfaces, the artist's creations look, at once, as decontextualized fragments of a stunningly ornate building and aerial views of Morocco's textural landscapes. Despite their deeply tactile essence, though, these artworks are Ouhaddou's attempt at making something incredibly fleeting, immaterial, and volatile — Amazigh, her natal language, which exclusively exists in oral form — tangible. Through her collaborative approach to making, she allows artisans to directly contribute to visualizing her personal story while simultaneously creating a blank slate onto which their understanding of Moroccan mythology, their preoccupations, creative spark, and needs are projected in turn. The result is an eye-catching abstract alphabet that not only voices the artist's own vision, but speaks of the country's past, present, and future as a whole.

Missed Art Basel 2025 but keen to keep up to date on the must-see art and design exhibitions in London? Luckily for you, we've rounded up all the standout cultural appointments of the season, from long-awaited solo presentations to walk-through creative endeavors and more.

Is it just me, or has June in the British capital never felt busier? Between much-anticipated openings rethinking the role of museum collections, annual architecture festivals making the discipline as interactive as it's ever been, and more one-off design exhibitions to catch in London, this month is jam-packed with creative inspiration, starting from the latest iteration of the London Design Biennale. Inaugurated on June 5 (through June 29), the fifth edition of the acclaimed showcase, titled Surface Reflections, reunites over 40 countries from across the globe in a thought-provoking, cross-disciplinary presentation that, to quote its Artistic Director, Samuel Ross, strives to show "how design can be the great connector between industry, the political landscape, and meritocracy as a whole."

"Surface Reflections is an invitation to introspectively look at what we all have to offer with our unique allegories, context, and histories," the British fashion designer said during the speech that marked the unveiling of the London Design Biennale 2025. "It's about that distinction of self, but it's also about the connective tissue that links us all together. We go through the same processes and matters of life, whether that be eternal, internal, or external, matters of deep introspection or respite." Comprising 40 pavilions centered around the production of either specific nations, collective research projects, international collaborations, or standalone creatives, with contributions straddling the fields of design, culture, science, and technology, this year's curatorial program is, "at its core, a contemplation of the times that we're in — a call for us to consider our common interests, sense of self, and humanity", Ross said.

For us, it was an opportunity to learn directly from the designers who are shaping the future of the field about how their climate-friendly material innovations, reinvention of traditional craftsmanship techniques, and latest technological experimentation can weave their way into the home, too. Not just as meaningful decor additions, but as design principles that can inform the way we live moving forward — as my favorite projects from the London Design Biennale 2025 exemplify below.

1. Paper Clouds: Materiality in Empty Space, Japan — The Future is Weightless

Taking over the cinematic Nelson Stair in Somerset House's West Wing, Paper Clouds: Materiality in Empty Space, Japan's participation in the London Design Biennale 2025, looks to the country's storied tradition of creating with Washi paper, derived from a blend of plant-fiber and wood pulps, to investigate its possible uses within the architecture and fashion space. A site-specific project by the University of Tokyo's SEKISUI HOUSE - KUMA LAB, curated by Clare Farrow, this whimsical, airy installation unfolds as a series of floating cloud-like structures that, hanging from the ceiling, captivate the viewer with their organically textural form. Amplified, like the sky projecting its color onto bodies of water, by the teardrop-shaped mirrors placed on the floor, it was activated by a stirring original piece of music, including live performances, by violinist and composer Midori Komachi, dressed for the occasion in a sculptural dress obtained from the same material.

The Take-Home Lesson

Pavilions like Paper Clouds: Materiality in Empty Space don't just look magical, as if offering a glimpse into another, delicately poetic world, but also demonstrate just how much more sustainable, and less detrimental to the environment, modern interior design, architecture, and couture can be when incorporating naturally sourced, ancient materials. A study in lightness, resilience, and the inner strength of Washi paper, the pavilion "is entirely recyclable and made with threads from traditional Japanese kimonos," curator Clare Farrow tells me. The music accompanying it captures the "actual sound that the medium makes when touching human skin". Played through visually unobtrusive, aesthetic speakers crafted from ancient stone by Mineral Sound, "it's a fusion of art forms that brings an experimental element to this 18th-century space," she adds.

2. Memory Grid, Oman — Heritage Doesn't Go; It Transforms

Multiple dimensions coexist in architect Haitham Al-Busafi's pavilion for Oman, Memory Grid; at a moment, the blue neons above me make the corridor at its heart into the perfect setting for a sci-fi. The next, I am reminded of the primordial importance ceramic vessels have had for humans and the world as a whole, as carriers of primary goods, but also of meaning, heritage, and culture, since the dawn of time, as I inspect the transparent vases trapped in the installation's checkered structure. Already 5,000 years ago, "ancient civilizations used them as containers for storing whatever they deemed most precious — water, food, oil," Al-Busafi tells me. His Memory Grid does the same, just with our never-ending flow of data; "what we share constantly on social networks, day after day".

Rather than representing the data visually, he built the pavilion to immerse visitors in the modularity of a data center, the see-through body of each vase standing in for their incorporeality, their ephemeral essence, their fragility — and ours, in return. Created with actual vessels Al-Busafi 3D-scanned and used as molds, each fragment of Memory Grid, made from a hot plastic sheet, took its final shape through vacuum forming. Remembering how he once saw a fully intact ceramic vessel from around 300 BC while working at an archeological gallery in Oman, the designer asks: "should people still exist in 3,000 years' time, what would they find of us? Would there be anything left, or would things only exist in the digital realm?"

The Take-Home Lesson

My most immediate reaction to Oman's London Design Biennale 2025 pavilion was one: we shouldn't let go of traditional crafts, as those are the only ones with the potential to outlive us. Instead, we should allow them to take on new forms. Specifically, I was intrigued by Al-Busafi's 3D printer-assisted reinterpretation of pottery, and how, despite relying on different mediums than the original one, it still manages to convey ceramics' storied legacy and make it relevant to today's world.

3. URNA, Malta — Brutalist Design Captures the Beauty of Future, Present, and Past

I'll be honest, you'll have to see URNA, the Malta pavilion and Golden Medal winner at the 2025 London Design Biennale, in person to get a sense of the poetry captured in this project. A spherical, fascinating reconstituted limestone installation seemingly floating above a dark podium, complete with a short film screening in the space and a series of BTS printed matter catalogues, the project has just been announced as the most outstanding overall contribution to this year's exhibition. Created by a collaborative team of architects, designers, curators, and creative directors, it "speculates on a radical future for the adoption of cremation in Malta," they explain, one that reinvents the handling of human remains "as a culturally significant process". The idea is to integrate their dust into spheres like the one spotlighted here, each of which would become part of an alternative kind of burial site — a powerfully suggestive, utopian, quarry-like place where memory, heritage, sustainability, eco Brutalism, and transformation collide. As thought-provoking as forward-thinking, the commission, which draws from both ancient civilizations' sepulture practices and a futuristic approach to design, wants us to rethink the notion of death and the rituals around it through a surreally beautiful proposal that will make our departed loved ones an integral part of our everyday life.

The Take-Home Lesson

Although the greatest lesson one can take from URNA has been outlined above, there is more to be said about the opportunity that resides in regenerative design, and even more when applied to the decor world. Human remains aside, plenty are the creatives already repurposing other organic materials, from fungi and raw plant fibers to wheat, into functional projects that strike the balance between aesthetics and sustainability, one for all Mexico City-based Fernando Laposse, who recently featured in our review of London's hot new Latin American foodie hotspot, FONDA. Another take-home comes from URNA's brutalist essence — a reminder of how Brutalism, an architectural genre that's recently returned to the fore — continues to be associated with parallel realities and a desire to craft better futures for all.

4. SUR ANDINA, Argentina — Ancestral Practices Inform the Most Magical of Crafts

Putting the vibrancy of SUR ANDINA, the Argentinian presentation at the London Design Biennale 2025, into words will be hard, but I'll give it a go anyway. Wrapped around the walls of a small room in the East Wing of the showcase's location, looking at this installation feels like staring straight into the sun, as a giant, back-lit, loom-like structure stands glowing before you. A folklore-inspired collaboration between textile designer Cindy Lilen and sound artist Iliana Díaz López, this multisensory pavilion, pairing woven textiles and furniture with entrancing field recording, choral singing, and light, strives to evoke "the call of Mother Nature, the living pulse of the land, and the Andean world," the duo tells me. Combining multiple ancestral weaving techniques with a futuristic sound system and a mystical take on decor, it renders the beauty and wonder that lies in the outdoors.

The Take-Home Lesson

I had never considered how much specific textiles can alterate the way we perceive light, but as designer Cindy Lilen tells me while welcoming visitors to her London Design Biennale debut, "every type of wool makes for a completely different effect," and the ones she worked with collided to an otherworldly one. Obtained from locally sourced, indigenous, and regenerative natural fibers from Argentina's mountainous region of the Andes, SUR ANDINA not only leads the way in sustainable textile design, but also exemplifies the potential this medium can have in relation to sculptural, accent lighting. Plus, who wouldn't want that illuminated ottoman?

5. Notes to Humanity, Life Calling — Letting the Outdoors in Keeps Us Human

Among the collective, non-country pavilions gathered in the fifth edition of the London Design Biennale, Life Calling's Notes to Humanity caught my eye for its essential set-up and powerful mission. Entering its room, situated in Somerset House's West Wing, feels like stepping into an ethereal library, dotted with beautiful green Banker's lamps, pale wood furniture, and thriving vegetation that infiltrates each corner of the room — from patches of musk to lush ficuses and ferns. Framed and hung on the left-hand side wall of the pavilion is a series of messages left by people from all walks of life, each addressing the same dilemma: "what does it mean to preserve your humanity in the Digital Age?" Rather than rushing off to see the next installation, here, visitors are invited to take a moment to think, stop, and express their vision of a human-friendly, incoming future.

The Take-Home Lesson

Any avid Livingetc reader will glance at Notes to Humanity and think the same thing: biophilic interior design. And while that was, largely, my very reaction given the green thumb feel of the installation, the initiative goes one step further than simply encouraging people to create domestic spaces that can foster a better way of life by incorporating plants, wellness-aiding textures, and colors into our domestic design. It prompts us to bring what we have inside out — whatever those worries, hopes, and preoccupations might be — get closer to ourselves, and to each other, all while allowing nature in. Call it indoor-outdoor living, just a little more brainy?

6. Wura, Global South — Artisanal Weaving Looks Back to Look Forward

Wura, the Global South's contribution to the London Design Biennale 2025, sited at the very end of Somerset House's East Wing, enchants with its softly glowing quietness. Coming a couple of rooms after Saudi Arabia's tech-engineered, busy 'assembly line' exploration of water in the contemporary landscape, this golden-hued room instantly imbues you with a sense of calm. Created by lead artist and curator Danielle Alakija, Wura houses an inner lit standing sculpture framed by four square, wood-carved stools bearing handmade abstract motifs. The centerpiece, made from cowrie shells and gold chain — embodying the currencies of old Africa and today's one, respectively — speaks to the interlaced histories of trade, colonization, and cultural rebirth that have led the continent to the present day, and continue to inform its future. Translating to "precious" in Yoruba, the Wura pavilion captures the importance of acknowledging and reconciling with the past to move forward, without ever leaving our roots behind.

The Take-Home Lesson

Fashioned from shells, gold chain, and a cylindrical, wrought-iron structure, and hand-carved wood, the Global South's participation in the London Design Biennale 2025 is possibly the most interiors-worthy among the pavilions presented. While it's hard to abstract its message from its aesthetics, Alakija's work shows how traditional artisanal practices can be reinvented in a contemporary form that protects their history and resonance while making them even more resonant to the eye of today's viewers.

7. Human-Centred Design: Visuospace, Hong Kong — The Spaces We Inahbit Shape Our Well-Being

Hong Kong's pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2025, Human-Centred Design: Visuospace, was one of the first ones I walked into during the event's press preview, and the one whose vision stuck with me the longest after leaving the building. A mesmerizing audiovisual installation at the intersection of art, design, and neuroscience, it will hypnotize you with its shape-shifting moving images, morphing from barely recognizable, abstract compositions into ultra-red renders of urban cityscapes and towering skyscrapers. Led by H.S. Choi, the project was developed by collecting emotional data from Hong Kong residents, monitoring the degree to which they felt happiness, sadness, anger, and frustration, the team behind it explains. The stats were then translated into an animated sequence that, assigning specific visual effects to each feeling experienced by the participants, maps the spectrum of Hong Kongese citizens' well-being into a neon-lit, captivating artwork.

The Take-Home Lesson

One of the most densely populated places on Earth, Hong Kong is known for its high-rise buildings, where residents live up to 200 meters above ground level. In Human-Centred Design: Visuospace, viewers are confronted with the way in which the spaces we inhabit shape our physical, mental, and emotional health through a spectacular audiovisual piece that digs into themes of identity, belonging, and alienation. Here, you won't just be able to discover how citizens living in lower-rise residential units compare to those housed in Hong Kong's tallest skyscrapers, but you'll also get to learn more about your own well-being, thanks to the opportunity of having your data collected via a headband on-site and shared with you within days.

The London Design Biennale 2025 is open at Somerset House, London, through June 29. Plan your visit.

The London Design Biennale 2025 couldn't, in any way, have landed at a more exciting moment for London's cultural community. What am I hinting at? Well, well, well. In case you missed it, the V&A, one of the world's leading museums, has just revealed its years-in-the-making, Stratford outpost, the Victoria & Albert East Storehouse. We visited it first-hand on its opening day last week to test drive it for you, and its 250,000-artifact collection is well worth a deep dive.

In other cultural news, Marina Tabassum's Serpentine Pavilion 2025 was inaugurated at the namesake Kensington Gardens gallery this Tuesday. A breathing, poetic installation with a tree at its heart, the large-scale enterprise captures how, by leaning into natural growth and transformation, "architecture can outlive time".

It's not quite Night at the Museum, but the V&A's new opening of its storage facility — the V&A East Storehouse — is about as 'behind-the-scenes' as it gets. Located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London, the storehouse stows over 250,000 artifacts and spans four stories over an area bigger than 30 basketball courts. It was created by New York-based architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro with the support of Austin-Smith:Lord with one goal: turning the storied institution's archive inside out. And boy, they have succeeded.

Here, visitors can see the V&A's vast collection up close, without the usual glass barrier, making the freshly unveiled location, which opened to the public for the first time last weekend, one of the most exciting city additions for assiduous visitors of design exhibitions in London. To my surprise, the set-up feels genuinely transgressive; I almost gulp when I find myself eye to eye with a multi-hundred-year-old, gold-leafed saint.

I ask Technical Manager Matthew Clarke — who supported the installation of the objects, including the seven-ton, 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from Toledo's now-destroyed Altamira Palace, the Kaufmann Office, Frank Lloyd Wright's only complete interior outside of the US, and a stunningly preserved marble colonnade from 1600s India — whether he is concerned about people touching the very expensive, fragile works. "It is a worry because the V&A East Storehouse is something that's so 'not museum,'" he admits. "But it's giving people agency and trust, and I think that it will bring more ownership of the collection."

Among the pieces collected here, his favorite one is a section of what was once Poplar's Robin Hood Gardens, a Brutalist residential complex designed by Alison and Peter Smithson in 1972, which, by the time its demolition started in 2017, housed over a thousand residents within its intricate, maze-like plan. "It was the first thing that came into the storehouse in 2021," Clarke recalls. "We installed that whilst the space was still a construction site." Now an integral part of the center's architecture and thought-provoking public program (visitors get to learn more about it and the stories of those who call it their home as they wander around the site), it is yet another proof of the V&A East Storehouse's efforts to democratize art, and take people along on that journey.

The new Order an Object scheme goes one step further. Anyone may reserve up to five items from the collection and examine them in the storehouse's glass-walled workroom at the appointed time. The public appetite is huge; over 1500 objects and 300 appointments were booked in the first ten days since it started operating. Meanwhile, the queues outside of the sleek V&A East Storehouse building stretched nearly half of its silhouette over the opening weekend in a palpable, contagious manifestation of enthusiasm that bodes well for the future of the cultural hub.

I am anything but surprised, and I am not alone, either. "Where else would you encounter suits of armor, Sage cloths, biscuit tins, building fragments, puppets, fizzles, chandeliers, and motorcycles in one place next to each other?" Diller Scofidio + Renfro's co-founder, Elizabeth Diller, jokingly asks. Tapped with the demanding task of doing justice to the eclecticism and vastness of the V&A's collection, the studio "decided to lean into the delirium about the strange taxonomies, the mediums, the wide variety of sizes, the myriad of materials, the broad range of geographies and historical periods" reunited among its ranks.

Part brutalist industrial facility, part sci-fi-esque cabinet of curiosities, the result is, to say the least, transportative. In one moment, you feel moved by the plethora of masterpieces stacked up on the shelves all around you. The next, you'd bet it's you that's moving, as the glassy, checkered floors proceed to reveal what lies beneath your feet, as well as above you (vertigo sufferers, I warned you), starting from its cinematic first floor.

A stern brow, wrinkled Roman soldier. Mesmerizing textiles stretching back to the dawn of time. A pair of latex hot pants manufactured in Derbyshire in 1992, and soon, an entire section centered around David Bowie's belongings, artistry, and life, are only a handful of the curiously fascinating pieces waiting to be observed at the V&A East Storehouse. The coolest thing about it yet? That its appeal doesn't stop there, because if you're hungry, the fun has only just begun.

Feeding the crowds of foodie museum goers is London Fields' beloved independent café and pastry heaven, e5 Bakehouse, which opened within the V&A East Storehouse last week to coincide with its launch. The vibe here is, like for the rest of the location, joyful, colorful, and fun, without ever renouncing the irreverent, pioneering approach to art and design that has made the V&A a revered destination worldwide — let alone the freshest British produce and fragrant cakes, bread, and croissants.

The brainchild of architecture studio Thing, the spot has instantly earned itself an entry in our next roundup of interiors-conscious cafés in London. It isn't hard to see why. Opening up to the public with a series of squashed square chairs in spring green, rust red, orange, and lime, with just as many Eames-style rocking ones placed in front of its panoramic window lookouts, e5 Storehouse unfolds into a sun-lit lounge section, followed by an airy, blooming-with-flowers dining area that, dotted in warm Douglas fir furniture and teeming with people, still retains its calm.

Needless to say, coffee is fantastic, too, with all beans roasted in-house, ensuring your hot drink is not too sweet or frothy. The A Lel Chuang blend, named after the Rwandan village where it is ethically farmed, tastes deliciously tangy, with notes of cherry, mandarin, and caramel manifesting at every sip. The cherry on top, the bound-to-go-viral hangout even has a pastry exclusive to the V&A: a tart with a filling that changes seasonally. At the moment, it's a crunchy Nut Tart: a biscuity sourdough base stuffed with salted-caramel pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans.

With the V&A East Museum due to open in spring 2026 minutes away from the Storehouse, we know where all gastronomy and arts enthusiasts will be mingling at.

The V&A East Storehouse is now open in Stratford, London. Plan your visit.

It's not every day that I get to start my day with a morning stroll through the ornamental, teeming-with-wildlife mosaic of colors, textures, and water games that are London's Kensington Gardens, the Grade II-listed green lung situated west of the sprawling Hyde Park. Today, though, the press preview of the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, which will grace the lush grounds of the namesake institution's southern gallery in one of the best design exhibitions in the British capital between June 6 and October 26, makes for an exception — and one well worth the 8:30 AM showtime, too.

The brainchild of award-winning Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, whose practice strives to develop spaces that unfold in harmony with, and contribute positively to, the environment around them, investigating the impact of our presence on Earth, and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), the Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is, as hinted by its title, a physical as much as a metaphorical Capsule in Time. Now in its 25th edition, the Serpentine Gallery's initiative, kick-started by a cinematic steel and glass structure signed by legendary Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid in 2000, lends its outdoor stage to the preoccupations of our era in a poetic exploration of presence and absence, light and darkness, balance and transformation.

For Tabassum, A Capsule in Time, her first-ever project realized outside of Bangladesh and her debut at working with wood, is an opportunity to manifest the function that architecture fullfils in our lives, she tells me over an email exchange ahead of its reveal, which is welcomed with speeches by Serpentine's CEO, Bettina Korek, Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist, and the architect herself.

"The relationship between time and architecture, between permanence and impermanence, of birth, age, and ruin, is intriguing," she says of the antithesis that characterizes the commission. "Architecture aspires to outlive time — it is a tool to live beyond legacies, fulfilling the inherent human desire for continuity after life."

But time isn't the only thing this discipline escapes. Through our experience of it, Tabassum appears to suggest, we can transcend other boundaries, too, whether cultural or geographical, and find new ways of being together in an in-between place charged with the most remote, disparate histories and, therefore, more universally resonant.

She is already putting this concept into practice. The community-gathering power of Shamiyanas, the uplifting bamboo and cloth tents that, "convening hundreds of guests on any occasion", serve as a staple of Bengali weddings and beyond, for example, was deep on her mind while working on the Serpentine Pavilion. Its half-capsule structure, composed of two vaulted canopies and two semi-domes separated by pathways and a courtyard, leans into the ritual and blissfulness of days spent out in the sun, whether in Bangladesh or England.

"8,000 kilometers from London, the Ganges delta is a fluid landscape that tells the tales of movement and impermanence," Tabassum says. "Two-thirds of Bangladesh is a product of progradation, an active delta hydrology formed by the rivers Padma, Meghna, and Jamuna." There, dwellings change locations as the rivers shift courses. Despite the apparent migration, "memories of those lived spaces continue through stories and parables," she adds.

Like the rest of the architect's experimentation, A Capsule of Time speaks to that state of ever-becoming, of transience and mutability, by letting the natural elements take control of its plan. It is a lesson I learn at my very expense while waiting for the pavilion's inauguration to start, as a cold breeze begins to weave its way into the project's open structure — an omen of the smoke-thin drizzle that's about to follow. And a reminder of the unpredictability that rules all kinds of life.

"In Bangladesh, we don't build a lot with wood because it's not one of our materials," Tabassum explains. Still, the medium's functionality was instrumental to the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, as it might be to its afterlife. "We are hoping to bring the construction to a different venue, and using wood meant that we could create a structure that could be easily dismantled, taken away, and reassembled."

Obtained from locally sourced, glued laminated timber, the zigzag sections of A Capsule in Time are complete with translucent polycarbonate panels that brighten up, dim, and coruscate in response to light.

It is only when sunshine passes through them, casting dramatic geometrical shadows and amber tones onto the floor, that Tabassum's airy structure feels complete. Only when people probe its perimeter, occasionally stopping to look up at the slices of sky caught between its iridescent arches, pick up one of the books stored in its shelves, or sit down at its benches to scribble into their diaries, chat with a friend, or read one of their own, that the installation feels most alive.

There is no separation between the inside and the outdoors in the architect's Serpentine Pavilion, her fluid design simultaneously aiming to embrace both. Just like there is no distinction between the humankind and the rest of the natural world when it comes to taking turns to interact with its softly undulating surfaces.

That, Tabassum explains, is the intention behind the Ginkgo tree that sits at the project's heart — to redirect viewers' attention to the primordial source. To open our eyes to our shared origins, our roots. And show that, in dialogue, people, too, can thrive.

"2024 has been a year marked by intolerance, wars, countless deaths, protests, and suppressions. Differences of opinion and respect for cultural diversity and societal norms are at an all-time low in many parts of the world. But how can we transcend our differences and connect as humans?", asks Tabassum.

The answer comes, again, from the breathing core of the Serpentine Pavilion 2025, its Ginkgo tree. Chosen by the architect for its demonstrated ability to resist and continuously re-adapt to the threats posed by the environmental crisis, it is a beacon of hope that proves that, even from hardships, stems positive growth, so long as we find room to confront them, reconcile, and evolve.

Marina Tabassum's Serpentine Pavilion 2025, A Capsule in Time, is free to access at Serpentine Gallery through October 26. Plan your visit.

If Alice in Wonderland had tumbled into a uterus-inspired fever dream, she might have conjured up some of the designs found in British artist Charlotte Colbert's first-ever furniture and homeware collection. A striking debut that immediately puts her on par with some of our favorite emerging designers.

Whimsical doodles form benches and chairs, and bold, thick-lashed eyes peer out from vases, teapots, and trays. Charlotte's bespoke pieces furnish the fantastical, Wes Anderson-style residence she shares with her husband, pop artist Philip Colbert. A converted row house situated in London's Spitalfields district, this multifunctional space, designed by Chris Dyson Architects and Buchanan Studio in collaboration with the duo and dubbed Maison Colbert, serves as both a home, a gallery, and a studio.

Replete with elevators, balconies, and custom tiling, it first appeared on the pages of Vogue in 2023, having already featured in the spreads of the Financial Times' luxury sibling, HTSI, the year before: two publications that made Charlotte Colbert's playfully fanciful pieces increasingly popular among glossy titles readers, and beyond.

The collection itself began, Charlotte reveals to Livingetc, with beds. "Beds feel like portals, travel capsules to our other selves, our other realities, that 50% of our lives that we spend asleep," she says. Her particular 'travel capsule' is a plush pink piece with a sprouting uterus headboard.

The symbol of the uterus is one which Charlotte uses repeatedly throughout her work as a multimedia artist (she is also an award-winning filmmaker). "It's so basic, magical, and humbling in equal measure," she explains. "We all come from a uterus — even the king, Donald Trump, and the pope."

Beside the bed is the Atomic Marshmallow Side Table, a sandwich of circular glass panes bulging with bulbous pale pink cubes, reminiscent of Colbert's gloriously be-titted bathtub.

Each piece — from Charlotte's intricate Love Bed to her Eye Vases — is a work of art in and of itself. I wonder if it feels overwhelming to live in a home with so many artworks that demand attention.

"What's nice about being surrounded by stuff that isn't in massive distribution is the reminder that things can be reinvented. The future needn't be a clean, Apple-designed space; it could be something completely different," Charlotte weighs in.

For the artist-turned-designer, the symbol that most represents the idea of reinvention and possibility is that of the eye, "a protective talisman and invitation to visualize positive futures".

The eye appears all over her crockery, like an elegant Mad Hatter's tea party as seen through the eyes of a drug-addled paranoid. But bringing the strange and wonderful into daily objects is more than just a bit of fun. It reminds us that everything is changeable.

"I love the idea of bringing Surrealism into the everyday. If simple things can be re-imagined and reinvented, then so can the structures and systems in which we live. Surrealism invites us to dream of better futures," says Charlotte.

The creative is not prescriptive over what those futures might be. Her eyeball-imprinted crockery — and the eyes which appear across her linens, homeware, and furniture — do not so much see a specific future as they symbolize a "hope that we all remember we have some agency over it".

Charlotte Colbert's debut furniture and homeware collection is available via 1st Dibs as well as online on the artist's website. Find some of our favorite pieces from the line below.

Clerkenwell Design Week is just around the corner (May 20-22), marking the much-anticipated, beloved appointment on the calendar of London-based and globetrotting lighting and furniture lovers alike. The 14th edition is the largest iteration of the initiative yet, reuniting the over 160 local showrooms and dozens of public activations in a three-day exploration of craftsmanship, community, and innovation.

Clerkenwell — the epicenter of London's creative and architectural scene and the perfect location for the UK's leading independent design festival — will be host to collection launches, talks, brand activations, and some of the best design exhibitions in London.

But with so much to see, where to start? If you've only got a day to work with, these are the six most arresting pop-ups to satiate your design appetite.

Italgraniti's Surreal Vending Machines

Outside Farringdon Station, Cowcross St, London EC1M 6BY, outside Old Sessions House, 22 Clerkenwell Grn, London EC1R 0NA, and inside Church of Design, St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, EC1A 9DS

People heading to Clerkenwell Design Week should be on the lookout for luxury tile manufacturer Italgraniti's Automatica vending machines, and no, there's much more than snacks up for grabs this time! Positioned right outside of Farringdon Station and Old Sessions House, as well as inside of Church of Design — three of the key locations of the festival — this unexpected interactive installation, created by architect Simon Astridge in collaboration with the B-Corp accredited brand, will allow visitors to choose their favorite porcelain tiles from the stock available, purchasable exclusively through a token distributed at the Solus showroom (80 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RJ). At once sleek and crafty, nostalgic and futuristic, the Automatica vending machines make the Clerkenwell Design Week experience instantly collectible.

May 20-22

India Mahdavi and Martino Gamper's Woven Dreams

Old Sessions House, 22 Clerkenwell Grn, London EC1R 0NA

That any showcase bearing the names of India Mahdavi and Martino Gamper has an easy way into my roundups of best design exhibitions isn't a secret. That's why Woven Dreams, the trailblazing designers' co-authored collection for luxury Italian furniture house Bolzan, couldn't not make it into this list of Clerkenwell Design Week must-sees. Housed within Old Sessions House, the event will see two bespoke headboards, one conceived by each, come to life within an otherworldly setting alongside a curated selection of new and classic furniture pieces. While minimal in their silhouette, these pieces capture both Mahdavi and Gamper's flair for uniting poetry and functionality. With the latter attending the event, Woven Dreams makes for inspiring discussions on the matter of design, ritual, and, of course, dreams.

May 20. 10:30am-12pm

Flokk's New Ways Forward in Design

Flokk Showroom, 31 Great Sutton St, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 0NA

Flokk, the European luxury workplace furniture disruptor, takes Clerkenwell Design Week as an opportunity to reflect on the materials around us and the influence they have on the planet through a storytelling-led installation conceptualized by Hunting & Narud. Titled Every. Piece. Counts, the initiative aims to shed light on the sourcing and manufacturing processes at the heart of Flokk designs to raise awareness of viable, and valuable, sustainable practices embraced by the house in the battle against climate change. "Bold, colorful, and immersive", the experience won't simply engage, but also explore "scalable solutions for industrial production, shifting the conversation from individual products to systemic impact".

May 20-22. 12pm-3pm

Alex Chinneck's Uncanny Bending Architecture

Charterhouse Square, Barbican, London EC1M 6AN

I have always been fascinated by public art installations, but coming across British sculptor Alex Chinneck's ones has only reinforced my love of the genre. For Clerkenwell Design Week 2025, a new iteration of his 'rippling building' series, the body of work that earned the artist a reputation as a master of architectural illusion, will be on view at Charterhouse Square throughout the event. Similarly to Chinneck's previously unveiled Margate 'sliding house', a flexible brickwork suspended mid-air on a sea-view road, this new commission will prompt viewers to reconsider the assumptions they infer about the structures around them by imbuing a faux four-story Georgian house with an unusually elastic essence. Having already made waves with his 37-meter inverted electricity pylon during London Design Festival, and wowed the audience with his unzipping building at Milan Design Week, Chinneck is once again pushing the boundaries of craft through an installation incorporating 320 meters of repurposed steel, alongside windows, doors, and bricks, produced in partnerships with leading British brands like Chiltern GRC, Cleveland Steel, Crittall Windows, FabSpeed, and Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC.

May 20-22

Hawkins\Brown's Revival of Beasley's Biscuit Bar

30 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1M 5PG

Anyone who's read my profile on burgeoning culinary artist Imogen Kwok knows how much of an art and food-obsessed lifestyle editor I am, and I couldn't be happier to see this merging of gastronomy and design manifest at Clerkenwell Design Week, too. For the event's 14th edition, architecture hub Hawkins\Brown is playing host to a heartwarming installation, Beasley's Biscuit Bar. Inspired by the legacy of London's first-ever biscuit bar and presented at 30 Clerkenwell Road, its former home, this time-traveling activation will transport people back to the 1940s, when the bar started operating as "a makeshift tea spot in a shopfitter's workshop" only to grow into a cherished local institution. Make your way to its pastel-shaded, Clerkenwell Design Week revival to catch the collaborative practice of designers Carl Clerkin and Alex Hellum, aka Sons of Beasley, up close while savoring your cuppas and Beasley's biscuits. Furnished with the duo's spirited wooden creations, circular designs realized with Plykea offcuts, the rediscovered Clerkenwell hangout speaks to the role that community, craft, and sustainability have played in this London neighborhood in the past, and continue to play to this day.

May 20-22

Elisa Passino's Bert & May Collection

Bert & May Shoreditch Showroom, 11 Calvert Ave, London E2 7JP

If there's a recurring leitmotif bringing all of these Clerkenwell Design Week events closer together, it is their reliance on craftsmanship to inspire, uplift, and entertain. Launching at Bert & May's new Shoreditch Showroom on May 22, Elisa Passino's mosaic-like collection for the brand, Dulce, does all of that and more. Characterized by an emphasis on organic, pastel-shaded colors, this whimsically beautiful cement tile line enchants with its essential forms. "I love the idea that people can identify with the feeling of joyfulness when they enter a space, and I wanted to transmit this through my designs," she said. "My work is all about combining beauty with functionality, and bringing pleasure to the soul is my ultimate goal."

22 May. 9:30am-4pm: Collaboration drop-in with tea and treats. 4pm-9pm: Cocktail party

Looking for more of the best art and design exhibitions? Spring is in full bloom, and so is the British capital's creative scene. From intergenerational artistic dialogues, immersive installations, and experimental furniture displays to Grace Atkinson's all in each, a poetic exploration of "perception, intimacy, function, and form", bringing you mesmerizing textile designs and closing, yes, this Sunday (May 18), there's plenty for you to choose from.

Can objects ever complete us, or rather, is it we that complete them? To what extent does the simple act of using something over and over again, give it meaning, life, or even a sense of purpose? What sort of stories are, or become, trapped in these items? And how can seemingly inanimate things still contribute to helping us grow closer to each other, discover new ways of being together, and engage with the spaces around us? These are only some of the questions that come to mind while observing New Zealand artist and designer Grace Atkinson's deeply textural, abstract textile compositions in all in each — one of the best design exhibitions to visit in London right now.

Open through May 18 at Spazio Leone — the multifunctional platform set up by Italian vintage furniture dealer Gennaro Leone in support of the creative talents of yesterday, today, and tomorrow — the presentation unfolds as a dialogue between Atkinson's works and iconic 20th-century designs from the showroom's ever-changing collection.

Hanging on the gallery's white-washed brick walls, lying atop minimal beds, or otherwise bringing a touch of warmth to the location's bare cement floors, the artist's bold woolen creations not only blend seamlessly with the spirited archival pieces interspersed in the show — including contributions from the likes of Gae Aulenti, Arnaud Bazille, and Pietro Cascella — but spotlighted side by side, they immerse the viewer in a gently soothing dimension of their own.

Based in Paris, in her practice, Atkinson embraces ancient craft techniques she perfects through long-term collaborations with artisans from a variety of countries. It is an artistic approach that allows her to unlock the potential for storytelling and emotional resonance that lies in textiles — a medium whose origins stretch back to the dawn of civilization, and whose pivotal role in the advancement of humankind is undebatable.

The artworks gathered in all in each, for example, were handcrafted "using a traditional technique developed in the 14th century by the Hutsuls; highlanders who have inhabited the Carpathian mountains of Ukraine for centuries, intrinsically bound to the earth through ancient myth, mysticism, and folklore," she explains. "Believed to be samoridny (self-born), and revered for their healing and medicinal properties, these magical pieces are created in direct synergy with nature."

At first glance, Atkinson's patchworky exploration of surface, texture, and scale instinctively reminds me of the enigmatic — albeit divisive — canvases of American abstract painter Mark Rothko; raw swathes of color that raise questions and foster introspection rather than providing straightforward answers. If the absence of any figurative details makes them open-ended and, therefore, universal, the manual labor that went into them is what makes these designs truly timeless.

Composed of virgin wool from the southwestern Ukrainian region, each piece is woven by hand on a wooden loom before being dipped in the mountain river waters to felt the fibers. Let out to dry in the sunshine, "they are hand-brushed on one side to create the soft, fleecy texture. Heavy enough to be a rug, and light enough to be a blanket", these objects speak to our primordial desire for comfort, connection, and touch.

How Did the Idea for "all in each" Come About?

Gennaro Leone: I came across Grace's work while visiting NYC a few years ago. At the time, I had just started getting into textiles, and that April, we put on an exhibition of work by Mariana Chkonia, an artist from Tbilisi. Building on that, we wanted to explore more of the textile world with a similar sensibility to Mariana's work. Very spontaneously, in November 2024, I reached out to Grace about collaborating on a show with us in London.

From the beginning, it's been a truly enjoyable process. Getting to know such a talented artist, whom I can now call a friend, was amazing. With access to a vast inventory of collectible pieces, Grace and I went through the list and selected the ones we felt would best complement her work. We even printed images of these pieces and placed them next to the textiles to see how they would interact.

What's Your Favorite Piece from the Exhibition?

Gennaro: I keep coming back to Furtiva Lagrima p.42, especially because of how it sits with Il Colonnato red Persian travertine table by Mario Bellini. There's something about the pairing that immediately brings to mind a Milanese apartment in the 1950s: elegant but lived-in, with a quiet intensity. It reflects the spirit of the show: letting materials, forms, and histories speak to each other in subtle, unexpected ways.

Where Does the Title "all in each" Stem From?

Grace Atkinson: all in each is a phrase lifted from Knots by Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing, a book that has long resonated with me. In his poetic dialogues, Laing explores the complexities of human relationships, how we loop ourselves and others into patterns of thought and feeling. That idea of entanglement felt like a perfect container for what I was exploring in this show: perception, intimacy, function, and form.

I first used the phrase as the title for a piece of furniture in the exhibition, a modular chair and ottoman set that fits together to create a third sculptural form. It became a way of thinking about how individual elements can hold multiple possibilities when brought into relation, which is, in essence, how I think about interior spaces.

Tell Us About the Collaboration Behind These Pieces.

Grace: I've been working with this group of Ukrainian artisans for the past seven years, approaching the relationship with a slow, deliberate pace to fully understand the nuances of the technique. What drew me in was the material and visual language, and I've deepened my understanding of the technique through ongoing dialogue and experimentation, allowing me to work with it meaningfully.

The weaving technique they use is specific to the Carpathian region, carrying a rich history of local knowledge shaped by the environment, community, and tradition. I hold a deep appreciation for how closely the process is connected to place, the regional wool, the washing in the river, the drying in the sun, and the reliance on, and connection to, the environment.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the challenges surrounding production have grown significantly. I admire the resilience of the people I work with and feel privileged to continue collaborating with them.

How Did You Land on This Color Palette?

Grace: Each batch of wool that is dyed has natural variations depending on the season, the characteristics of the wool, and the weather. There's always an element of unpredictability, which I've learned to work with rather than control. Sometimes I keep the palette simple to highlight the motif, other times I push more complex combinations that create visual tension or a sense of movement.

Every piece is unique, so there's always an element of trusting the alchemy of all these factors coming together. From the beginning, Gen and I had an ongoing exchange about the pieces he was curating and how they could be in dialogue with my work, which I found creatively generative. Tui, sleeping, for example, was designed specifically for Afra & Tobia Scarpa's Vanessa Bed, responding directly to the piece's presence in the space.

What Was It Like to See It All Come Together?

Gennaro: This might be the best show we've done at Spazio Leone so far. Grace's pieces have entered into such a natural dialogue with our collectables, and together they've created a really special room in Hackney. We've had a great response from visitors so far, with many more expected before the show closes on May 18.

all in each is open at Spazio Leone through May 18. Plan your visit

If you'll be New York-based instead this weekend, we have an essential edit of everything you should see, do, and know during New York Design Week 2025.

One of the world's leading capitals of culture year-round, New York transforms into an even more exciting destination come NYCxDesign, its annual festival dedicated to platforming the talents, institutions, and brands that are driving innovation in all things design forward. Launching right after the equally anticipated, global art fairs Frieze (to May 11) and TEFAF New York (to May 13), the event, whose forthcoming edition runs from May 15-21, seeks to make this field both open to and inspiring for everyone through hundreds of events between exhibitions, collection releases, trade shows, talks, and walking tours.

Attracting over 200,000 visitors from across the globe every year, NYCxDesign coincides with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Hosted at the Javits Center and in turn reuniting over 450 design houses, including established and emerging brands, from more than 35 countries, the initiative wants to promote the best-in-class in original and sustainable design. This is to say that, whether exploring the Big Apple on foot, peeking inside its pioneering galleries to interact with the works of local trailblazers, or choosing to gather fresh inspiration from the latest iteration of ICFF, creativity will be everywhere next week.

Haven't made a plan for NYCxDesign 2025 yet? Don't worry, we've done it for you. From the best New York design hotels to stay at in town to the top 11 events to catch during the festival, and a digital map to get around more easily, the Livingetc NYCxDesign 2025 Guide has got you covered (yes, we've reported on the creative community's favorite hangouts around New York City, too).

What to See During NYCxDesign 2025

1. Faye Toogood's Lucid Dream Lands in NYC

Tiwa Select, 86 Walker St floor 5, New York, NY 10013, United States. The Future Perfect, by appointment only. For all queries, contact the team

From her recent collaboration with Poltrona Frau, dubbed by Livingetc as one of the best London Design Festival projects earlier last year, to her fantastical, plastered-in-artworks Camden Town studio and showroom, House of Toogood, everything Faye Toogood touches appears imbued with an agency of its own. Instinctively, the designer's work reminds me of the small, often animal or fantasy creatures-inspired papier-mâché sculptures I used to make and play with as a child. Though, of course, I don't mean to make the two in any way comparable, there is something about her craft that can't be ascribed to the actual world, as Lucid Dream, her latest collection of hand-painted furniture and lighting creations, attests. On view across Tiwa Select gallery and The Future Perfect's New York location, the show clearly comes from the heart — or perhaps from somewhere even deeper.

"I needed to momentarily stop all the plates spinning around me, and focus on the swirl within," she said of the moment that led to the series featured in the exhibition. "Going inside the studio, inside my body, inside my imagination. Taking a line for a walk to reclaim and reconfigure what is my language when all is quiet." Comprising textural paper lanterns, standing lamps, and sconces bearing surreal, handmade motifs, alongside colorful, doodles-covered table sets, coffee tables, floating sculptures, armchair and foot stool sets, and room dividers characterized by Toodgood's signature blown-up volumes, Lucid Dream is where fantasy comes to life to everyone's enjoyment.

To June 21. Plan your visit

2. Artemest Galleria Gets a Fresh Revamp

Artemest Galleria, 518 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011, United States

Ippolita Rostagno's Artemest, whose home-inspired L'Appartamento exhibition format — presenting a domestic environment crafted on the occasion of Milan Design Week by a different roster of world-acclaimed designers each time — has become a staple of our Salone del Mobile guides, has just completed the refurbishment of its West Chelsea outpost. Formerly designed by Samuele Brianza, the newly revamped space, which comes courtesy of American interior designer Nicole Fuller, will be unveiled next week to coincide with this year's NYCxDesign. And if we know Artemest as well as we think, great things are on the way.

Plan your visit.

3. Winkle Ceramic Design Launches at ICFF

Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States

Housed at ICFF's Booth #W851, part of the fair's WANTED presentation, Daniel Shapiro's Winkle Ceramic Design debut collection, Squared, is a testament to the enduring value of craftsmanship. The founder, whose great-grandfather ran the Winkle Terracotta Company in St. Louis in the late 1800s, looks back to look forward with his very own artisanal venture, where storied tradition meets the power of the latest technologies. Opting for cubic shapes over cylindrical ones, Shapiro challenges the norms of sculpture through tetris-like lamps and collectible installations that put a human spin on 3D modeling and printing. From a two-step, tech-assisted initial phase, his designs are then transferred to handmade plaster molds, which he then completes with textural marbling and limewash techniques. What comes out of it are pieces that defy time to embrace the magic of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

May 18-20. Plan your visit.

4. Love House Christens New Outpost

Love House, 179 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002, USA

Jared Heinrich and Aric Yeakey's celebrated design showroom, Love House, is inaugurating a brand new, 4,000-square-foot space with the launch of their first-ever group exhibition, The Family Show. Inviting each of the 60 participating artists and designers to interpret the theme freely, the co-founders have made room for a highly personal, evocative, and tender expression of creativity to unfold. With contributions varying from otherworldly, softly glowing lighting explorations to jewels-encrusted bas-reliefs, futuristic seating, and comforting objects rooted in notions of sharing, quotidianity, and ritualism, the exhibition debunks the understanding of the home and long-term connections as static, monotonous. Instead, through the craft of boundary-pushing talents like Forma Rosa Studio, Paolo Ferrari, Lana Launay, Jan Ernst, and Alberto Essesi, the everyday becomes extraordinary.

To May 31. Get in touch with the gallery for more information.

5. A New Vanguard of Talents Takes ICFF

Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States

What better way to glance at the future of design than through the eyes of its budding practitioners? During New York Design Week 2025, the ICFF brings back the Schools Showcase, a globe-trotting deep dive into the world's most renowned schools of design and the students who bring them to life. The format, which was established in 2022, gathers the most promising talents from each institute to introduce their work to the wider design industry, serving as a bridge between them, studios, brands, and other creative institutions. This year's participating schools include the California College of the Arts, Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseno de Monterrey / CEDIMIED, Istituto Europeo di Design S.B.p.A., Istituto Marangoni, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD), and School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), among others. The event will coincide with the Best of Schools and Students Prize award ceremonies, presented with the support of Haworth.

May 18-20. Plan your visit.

6. Light/Lite Illuminates UrbanGlass

UrbanGlass, 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States

An oasis for aspiring and established glassware makers, since 1977 UrbanGlass has been providing a space for people to engage with and try their hand at glass-based art and design. For NYCxDesign 2025, the Agnes Varis Art Center hosts Light/Lite, an intergenerational showcase of artists turning to the medium to advance innovation in lighting design. Among the talents spotlighted are Eidos Glass' Lorin Silverman, whose choreographic, hand-blown glass sculptures are adored by the world's foremost architects, designers, and fellow creatives, 3D-printing trailblazers Evenline, revitalizing tradition through a tech-engineered approach to craftsmanship, and Jamie Harris, whose translucent, ethereal creations immortalize the movement of hot glass into abstract, deeply fascinating compositions.

May 10-June 6. Plan your visit.

7. Emily Thurman Unveils Hundō

IRL Gallery, 86 Walker St #2, New York, NY 10013, United States

When researching shows to include in this roundup of the best NYCxDesign events, I was instantly hooked by the announcement of Emily Thurman's Hundō solo. Scheduled to open at IRL Gallery next week, her debut collection of furniture, lighting, and sculptural pieces blends archaic and contemporary canons into an evocative manifestation of artistry. The works, which will be interspersed with contributions from StudioDanielK, Camille Tan's Atelier Falaise, and Alexis Mazin, rare collectibles sourced by Past Lives' Carly Krieger, and a textile installation by Peter Christensen, are "a meditation on transformation". In molding bronze, cast glass, porcelain, solid oak and cherry, marble, and onyx through pouring, sculpting, and burning, Thurman allows the raw material to express itself in its most elemental state. Standing out for their creaturesque, largely rounded shapes, the series feels like a dialogue between the designer herself and the mediums through which she creates.

May 15-21. Plan your visit.

8. Cuff Studio's New Collection at ICFF Goes Within

Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States

Booth #W1356 at ICFF, part of the fair's WANTED section, will serve as the stage for the latest collection by Wendy Schwartz and Kristi Bender's Cuff Studio. Titled WITHIN, the release, launching with a press preview on May 18 (8-10am), sees the Los Angeles duo look "inward more than ever before," the two explained. Retaining the vibrancy, shapely essence, and wit Cuff Studio is known for, the drop is their boldest yet, with standouts ranging from a wavy, velveting green chaise lounge and a cherry-plum, sculptural revisitation of their signature Block Daybed to a cinematic, cascade-inspired chandelier in glass and rope, and a whimsy coffee table.

May 18-20. Plan your visit.

9. Item: Enso Captures the Beauty of Imperfection

Colbo, 51 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States

It was the stark contrast between softness and roughness, poetry and brutality, I felt while looking at interior designers Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding's joint studio practice, Item: Enso, that drew me toward it. Carved from unpolished metal sheets or textural cuts of pastel-shaded fabric, their creations transform seemingly simple, and sometimes unaesthetic, materials into dramatic furniture and lighting pieces as well as objects you can't help but wonder about their back story. For NYCxDesign 2025, they bring Soft Grounds, their inaugural installation, to the multi-purpose spaces of Colbo. At once fragile and sturdy, the designs on view — "brutalist interpretations of tender ideas" — remind me of nature's resilience; its ability to resist the signs of time, renovate, and transform. Accompanied by Itameshi-style specialties by Alimentari Flaneur and hand-poured drinks by Sake Bar Asoko, Soft Grounds is where the party begins.

May 15-21, launch May 17, from 1pm-close. Plan your visit.

10. Danish Artistry Shines at Carl Hansen & Søn

145 E 57th St, New York, NY 10022, United States

To mark the return of New York Design Week, heritage Danish house Carl Hansen & Søn will be debuting a new collection within the spectacular spaces of its NYC flagship location. Founded by its namesake in Odense, Funen, in 1908, the brand, known for its essentially sophisticated, handcrafted furniture, remains family-owned and is now in its third generation. During NYCxDesign 2025, Carl Hansen & Søn's latest outspring will dialogue with masterpieces from iconic Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Kaare Klint, including the latter's Spherical Bed, and fresh contributions by Børge Mogensen, EOOS, and Anker Bak.

May 15, 6-9pm. Plan your visit.

11. Let Design Show You the Healthy Way of Life

The Vinyl Room at Soho House Meatpacking, 29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014, United States

As part of NYCxDesign 2025 program, Nicholas Berglund, Chief Creative Officer at Life Time, a lifestyle brand built around the creation of thoughtfully designed community spaces conceived to bring health, fitness, and wellness to the forefront, will be giving a talk to address ever-apparent connection between design and physical as well as mental well-being. The concept, which operates across stunningly envisioned, resort-like athletic country clubs, coworking spaces, and residences all around the US, as well as offering guided workout and yoga classes via its namesake app, and IRL events, strives to show how design can help us live our "happiest, healthiest life" — as we recently explored in a piece about Madelynn Ringo's wellness design.

May 20, 7pm. Secure your spot.

FAQs

Where and When Does NYCxDesign Take Place?

When — Also known as New York Design Week, NYCxDesign 2025's official program runs May 15-21 across hundreds of locations across town, though individual projects might inaugurate in the days ahead of its official launch. The event, which recurs annually, is dense with collection launches, design exhibitions, panel discussions, keynotes, parties, and public art activations, including the unveiling of Union Square Partnership's Annual 14th Street Mural Installation.

Where — NYCxDesign 2025 initiatives will take over the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, with curated events coming to Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Chelsea, Dumbo, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Hudson Yards, Long Island City, Lower East Side, Red Hook, SoHo, Upper Madison Avenue, and Williamsburg throughout the course of New York Design Week (and often beyond).

Where to Eat, Drink, and Stay During NYCxDesign?

Our guide to NYCxDesign 2025 will hopefully allow you to get the most out of this week-long celebration of craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation. But knowing where to find the most exciting presentations doesn't take away the need to research where to hang out afterwards. Hit our New York page to take your pick from dozens of restaurants, bars, and stays sure to make your Big Apple sojourn even more unforgettable. And keep an eye on our lifestyle section for more!

Save the Livingetc NYCxDesign 2025 Map

Not in the Big Apple for NYCxDesign but still feel like you want to join in the frenzy? Check out our just-updated curation of the best design exhibitions in London, featuring intergenerational artistic dialogues, immersive installations, experimental furniture displays, and more.

Jewelry, handbags, and scarves are like children. For any collector, the idea of parting with them feels borderline offensive. But the truth is, you’re only one person — and there are only so many accessories you can wear at once. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner have entire Birkin walls — fine for bags, fine for shoes, great for ogling — but what does one do with scarves?

Enter: the cleverest scarf-hanging solution I’ve come across, courtesy of Amazon. It’s by a brand aptly named FramelessArtworks, and it lets your silken treasures live double lives — both art and accessory — without sacrificing function.

Unlike traditional framing (which we’ve all seen, and which renders your scarf essentially useless unless you’re planning to disassemble glass and matting every time you want to wear it), this genius leather strap system secures your scarf to the wall without damage — no slipping, no snagging, no drilling required. Just adhesive hooks, elevated hardware, and instant modern wall decor.

“This is exactly what I suggest to my clients all the time with their unworn Hermès scarves from the 80s and 90s — also some of the iconic Alexander McQueen skull scarves,” says personal fashion stylist Bella Hignett. To her, the practice not only gives the piece the integrity it deserves, “but also [is] a deliberate attempt at a statement piece."

According to Bella, the look is chic in expected places like bedrooms or dressing rooms, but she’s also styled clients’ scarves in more surprising spots — like a bright pink McQueen number hung next to a sitting room bar. Living room art? Why not.

“They are such exquisite designs and can look so stylish and elegant framed on a wall in a bedroom or dressing room,” she adds. It’s a way to honor the accessory without hiding it — and far more interesting than yet another woefully cliché print of a palm tree.

As we know, not all display methods are created equal. I once watched a college roommate dissolve into tears trying to pry her Gucci scarf out of a traditional frame before move-out day. The damage in the wake of this wall art mistake was heartbreaking — creases, snags, a loose thread.

FramelessArtworks solves for all of that: it treats your most delicate pieces with care and gives them the visual gravitas they deserve. You get the best of both worlds — wall-worthy display, and easy access. Just unclip, wear, rehang, and repeat.

With summer on the horizon, odds are you’ll be adding another scarf to the rotation. You’re in Paris, or Capri, or Marrakesh. You spot the one — heart racing at the register, but only for a second. It’s timeless, you remind yourself. Practically a collectible. And now, thanks to this ingenious little display hack, it doubles as home decor.

Suddenly, that Hermès scarf feels like an investment piece with range. Voilà — justification complete. It's basically free...

More Scarf Frames

There's nothing quite like the above system — it's patented. But if, for whatever reason, you're not sold, explore a few scarf-specific display alternatives.

Framed Scarves

Can’t wait or not the DIY type? We’ve sourced beautifully pre-framed designer scarves so you can get the look instantly — just hang and admire.

Scarves are just the beginning. From basketball hoops to platters, explore Livingetc’s five favorite unique things to hang on your walls.

To say that Bethan Laura Wood looks in her element when I visit her Hackney studio on a late-March Friday morning would be a total understatement. It is the first time I meet the Shropshire-born artist and designer in person, having been a fan of her kaleidoscopic creations — an explosive, evocative blend of whimsy and functional design — for a while. Yet, be it because of her impeccably color-matched and instantly recognizable, exuberant outfit or due to my familiarity with her eye-catching practice, watching her step outside of her workshop's glass door to check I am in the right place (it was Friday. I got lost. But that's another story) feels more like reuniting with an old friend than meeting a complete stranger.

When Wood lets me in, it is impossible to abstract her from the dense composition of furniture prototypes, ranging from creaturesque, fluffy snakes and pop tufted rugs to trippy wooden panels and mesmerizing speckled sofas, ottomans, and coffee tables, and the equally striking collection of objects, glassware, and ephemera that consistute her world. Dressed in a white, crisp linen maxi dress styled with two different scarves — a pattern, turquoise one, worn around the neck, and a wide-striped, yellow and orange wool shawl, wrapped around her sholders — matching bangles, huge gold pendant earrings, red stick-on pois for cheeks, and a wide, textural beret on her head, she is the missing piece in the imaginative puzzle that is her work.

As the protagonist of the Design Museum's inaugural PLATFORM exhibition (through January 25, 2026), a new, free-to-access annual display spotlighting a different designer at a time within the four walls of its level 1, and the forthcoming Milan Design Week, where Wood will unveil multiple collaborations, the artist is deep in the trenches of production when we chat. Luckily, the many commitments don't take away her bubbliness, sharpness of thought, and creative enthusiasm, three elements that, also tangible in her ongoing presentation, which marks her debut UK solo show, contribute to making it one of the best design exhibitions in London.

"Are you warm enough? This isn't the toastiest of spaces," the designer asks as I press start on my recording. I nod smilingly, amused by how her dog Wilma, who sits on her lap, looks like the most eager of studio companions. "She assists me by eating chicken near me, and I love that," Wood laughs.

This isn't the first time she has collaborated with the Design Museum. In 2009, the same year in which Wood graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Product Design, the multidisciplinary talent was among the designers in residence called to re-envision the institution's former Shad Thames location through bespoke, site-specific installations. On that occasion, she impressed her shape, color, and texture-led eye onto the museum's café, transforming it through sculptural furniture pieces obtained from a patchwork of laminates.

Since founding her eponymous studio 16 years ago, Wood has forged named collaborations for numerous homeware and fashion brands, including Valextra, Kvadrat, Tory Burch, cc-tapis, Hermes, and Dior, shared the stage with trailblazing artists at Milan's world-leading collectible design gallery NILUFAR, and exhibited anywhere from the V&A and the Swiss Institute in New York to Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art. Her works also belong in the permanent collections of eight acclaimed institutions worldwide, like Lausanne's mudac and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Was she aware that this was what she wanted to do, even as a child? Sort of.

"I've always wanted to be a creative person," Wood tells me, sitting on her spectacular terrazzo revisitation of the iconic Poltronova's Superonda sofa, a further, more scattered and rock-like adaptation of which now serves as a soft seating area in her Design Museum showcase. Having tried her hand at anything from sewing and animatronics-making to jewelry, woodworking, and ceramics between her school and her BA years, she eventually realized that "it was the objects that you use and are present in the everyday, although in unusual ways, that fascinated me most," the artist explains. Instead of choosing a single material as the core of her practice, toward the end of her studies, Wood embraced a "more three-dimensional design direction", starting to produce one-offs or limited-editions that, she says, capture her desire to eternally "move across different types of things".

Looking at the designer's entrancing ouevre, including the 70-something spirited tableware, cabinetry, lighting, and other furniture contributions now gathered in the PLATFORM show, it comes almost instinctive to point at color as their predominant feature. Surprisingly, though, that's not one of the principles Wood sees as intrinsic to her work. "All of my designs are very layered," she says. "Color is something I use a lot in my work, but not all of it is colored. Maybe for some people, I am making hot messes — or lukewarm ones if they don't like them. Still, for me, there is a very strict system of guidelines I rigorously stick to within each body of work to be happy with the end result, one easy rule of thumb being preventing any single reference from becoming over-dominant or obvious, as that blocks viewers from discovering something else in it. That's why many of my forms and shapes aim toward abstraction."

She turns to the three sections in which the Design Museum exhibition is divided, namely Desire, Adornment, and Hyperreality, to break down her production further. "I've always been interested in how we connect to inanimate objects — how we simultaneously seem to understand it and struggle to make sense of it," Wood explains. "This dynamic interplay we have with the items around us, our urge to have them, and the disdain we feel for our desire, are themes I find deeply fascinating."

The designer's inclination toward aesthetic details and ornamentation manifests itself in the painstakingly rendered geometrical shapes that compose her installations, as well as in the surreally realistic, food and nature-inspired subjects that inhabit some of her most captivating creations. From the rainbow foliage of her Wisteria Chandelier (2022) to the bird-shaped motifs of her Flock Stain (2014) porcelain cups, and the delicious-looking Watermelon Stack and Banana Split 'dessert sculptures' part of her London display, Wood's expression seamlessly straddles the otherworldly and the verisimilar. That's the idea behind the Hyperreality portion of the display.

"'Hyperreality' is a term I used to refer to quite a few works that skirt around the dimension between realism, the 'hyperreal', and the fake," she says. For the artist, the section serves as an opportunity to explore how our relationship to the fictitious, which "previously had a very negative connotation", has changed, surveying the continuum between what we deem as natural and what, instead, we think of as man-made. "Considering the way we now live in a very augmented universe of digital and physical exchanges, this is something I find impossible to shy away from," Wood explains.

Despite her awareness of the virtual realm, as far as the goal behind her craft is concerned, the here and now is what matters. "Design is meant to be about a conversation between people and an object, so for me, it was very important to have something that visitors could actually touch, interact, and play with," Wood says, referring to her Terrazzo Quarry, the three-part banquette guests are invited to relax on while enjoying her PLATFORM show, and how "people slide down it, bounce on it, and jump into its center". The greatest test, she laughs when asked about the challenges of creating items that blur the lines between art and design, will be "to see whether that piece is going to survive."

As for the lessons and joys that come with being given a space to share her work with the world, there seem to be many. For starters, "it was great to be part of the free access area in the museum, because it is down to these kinds of institutions to push to make access for people at any stage in their career, as well as for visitors from all backgrounds, however versed in design they might be. Plus, let's be honest, hanging out with Tim Burton downstairs, and Wes Anderson, who will be exhibiting there next, isn't that bad," Wood smiles. Most of the designer's satisfaction, though, appears to stem from the direct exchanges her work facilitates between her and those who have either followed it for a long time or only just come across it.

"I had one wonderful lady come up to me after visiting the PLATFORM display to say how much it helped her understand the way her creative daughter thinks," she recalls. "It is so beautiful when, working alongside the museum curators, you can find a way to not only make things digestible to a wider audience, but also more resonant, personal, and powerful for them."

After all, the emotional power of design is what attracted her to this world in the first place. Now, through her fantastical understanding of craftsmanship, Wood gets to pass that fascination on to someone else. "We live in a kind of present that's circular," the artist says, mentioning how the biggest interior design trends come back time and time again, how she finds herself most attached to and influenced by her parents' 1970s belongings — like "the sludgy green China they received for their wedding, which I have succesfully re-homed from their home" — and will never stop to feel nostalgia for them. That same long-term engagement is what Wood hopes her work will unlock for others in return.

"I want to make things that reward and uplift you the more time you spend with them," she says. "If you buy some of my marquetry work, for example, then when you open its doors, when you use it, you will realize that the laminates all have different characteristics to them. Much in the same way in which, if you rub your hand on this table [touches the coffee table where we are sitting], you will perceive the very subtle differences between its matte, glass, and textured surfaces. It's not about making pieces that also have hidden things in them; it's about conceiving things you can explore and discover through the process of engaging with them."

Her favorite part of it all, though, has been realizing how, "making an object and playing with these visual cues can spark a conversation with somebody who doesn't normally think that they have any opinion on this kind of thing," Wood admits. While doing a tour for the Design Museum years ago, she was talking with a group of people "when one of the gentlemen going round was like, 'I don't think I am bothered by color anywhere, but avocado bathroom suites I just will never understand,'" the designer recalls. "'You see,' I remember telling him, 'I love them, but I love that you don't.' And what I love even more is that you don't need to have any 'sophisticated' reason for liking or disliking something — what counts is that design can get people to talk."

PLATFORM: Bethan Laura Wood is open at the Design Museum, London, through January 25, 2026

Let me set the scene. Natural light pours in through arched windows trimmed with stained glass, staircases are lined with intricately curved railing, and soft but bold colors come to life through floral patterns and natural motifs. This is a house at the height of the Art Nouveau design movement.

Before writing this story, I had some idea of the Art Nouveau movement, but would be pushed to pinpoint where exactly it deviated from what we know about Art Deco interior design. In terms of eras, Art Nouveau actually emerged first, originating in France towards the end of the 19th century and continuing until about 1920. While the design styles certainly overlap, Art Deco dominated a bit later, from around 1925 to 1945.

"The former feels more whimsical and decorative, while the latter conveys confidence through strong lines and luxurious materials," explains Holly Beazley, an interior designer and creative director of Elicyon. Where Art Deco gravitates towards geometric shapes, precision, and opulence, Art Nouveau expresses itself through organic curves, intricate detailing, and a sense of romance.

To understand more about the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, I spoke with interior designers and art history experts, who shared the defining characteristics of each movement, as well as how to bring the style to life in contemporary interiors.

The History of Art Nouveau

Let's start with a brief history. Like many of the great art and design movements, the Art Nouveau interior design style was born out of defiance and rejection of the typical ways of thinking. Lindsey Owen, a fine art and antique appraiser, explains that, "During the end of the 19th century, styles were changing faster than any previous period, largely due to industrialization, mass production, and globalization."

"In art history and design, although not perfectly linear, styles either build upon or react against their predecessors," he continues. "Enter Art Nouveau, a full-blown rebellion against earlier revival styles and the rigid, reason-driven Empire aesthetic. Art Nouveau embraced curvilinear lines, organic forms, asymmetry (which Napoleon would never endorse), and abundant floral motifs drawn from nature."

Essentially, the architects and designers of the time sought well-crafted spaces that reflected quality design and creativity. However, it is interesting to note that Art Nouveau designs varied throughout the regions. For example, Victor Horta, a Belgian architect and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement, was heavily influenced by French architectural theorists, while Antoni Gaudí, a Spanish architect known for his work in Barcelona, leaned more towards neo-Gothic styles, sparking a subsect of Art Nouveau throughout Spain, which is now widely known as Catalan Modernism.

The Characteristics of Art Nouveau

A Bold Yet Soft Color Palette

Nature is one of Art Nouveau's biggest influences and, as such, is at the core of the style's signature calm color palette. Think soft greens and browns, with muted yellows and accents of hushed jewel tones, like deep blues and violet.

Jen Baxter, an interior designer and founder of Baxter Hill Interiors, says, "Some of the great pioneers of the style set lovely color palettes, by using pastels and natural colors with a lot of dusty, earthy tones in their iconic work."

For instance, you may think of Victor Horta's earthy pinks and creamy lemon yellows with rich wood tones in the Hôtel Solvay, Hector Guimard's signature green and yellow palette from Paris' unique Metro signs, or Alphonse Mucha's romantic dusty pinks and oranges in his famous lithographs. If you need inspiration, look to the classics — these are all pivotal iterations of the Art Nouveau color scheme.

Natural Motifs and Curvilinear Shapes

Though color is integral to the Art Nouveau design movement, shape and form really are the most iconic characteristic of the movement. Arched doorways, iron molded into florals and curved shapes, carved wood, stained glass windows or Tiffany glass lamps... the list goes on.

But most famous of all the shapes synonymous with the Art Nouveau style is the whiplash 'S' curves or floral patterns that invoke such strong emotions. Elicyon's Holly Beazley explains, "This style emphasizes craftsmanship, celebrating the beauty of handmade, decorative objects."

How to Incorporate Art Nouveau Into Contemporary Designs

Much like Art Deco has influenced contemporary adaptations like New Deco interiors, Art Nouveau has had a similar influence. “Art Nouveau is experiencing a subtle revival but with a contemporary approach," explains Holly. "The fluidity and softness of the style are being reinterpreted through sculptural furniture, curved silhouettes, and organic materials."

Rather than the ornate excesses of its early 20th-century aesthetic, the modern take leans more into minimalist interior design — simplified floral motifs, delicate metalwork, and a refined palette of earthy tones.

But how would you style Art Nouveau in a contemporary interior? "Commit to the style for a room or set of rooms so that every last detail works together to create a singular concept," suggests Jen. For instance, try pairing a curved sofa in your living room with floral patterned throw pillows or an accent chair in the verdure print.

When it comes to colors, if you don't know where to start, Jen says to "Pick your favorite Mucha poster and adopt the color palette." There is no shame in looking to the masters for inspiration, after all.

To really lean into the style, use curvilinear shapes wherever possible — from the rugs, the coffee tables, and candlestick holders. "This contemporary expression of Art Nouveau continues to emphasize craftsmanship, echoing its heritage while fitting seamlessly into modern interiors," adds Holly.

So, what is the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco? While they emerged around the same time, each decorative movement has its own distinct style and philosophy.

Where one goes straight, the other swerves. Where one is bold and symmetrical, the other is soft and free-flowing. But above all, Art Nouveau is rich with enchanting history and craftsmanship that only gets better as contemporary design continues to shape the classic style.

When I interviewed Emmy-winning design expert Bobby Berk early last year, he was effusive about his collaboration with LeftBank Art. “About 60% of the art in the house” — his Spanish-style California HQ — “is actually from my own collection with LeftBank,” he shared. “It’s a huge favorite because it was personally created.” Fast-forward to today, and that passion remains as strong as ever with the partnership entering its fourth chapter: Reverie — a series that’s bold yet grounded, brimming with personality and character.

The lineup features a blend of mid-century-inspired abstraction, geometric shapes, and delicate linework. "I wanted to create a collection that felt true to my design style, which leans towards modern and organic but could also work in many different spaces," Bobby shares. The palette takes cues from nature, with rich tones of burgundy, mustard, ivory, olive, and deep blue that Bobby describes as “soothing and sophisticated.”

Though technically prints, this wall art is designed to mimic the tactile qualities of original works. “I wanted them to feel like elevated pieces of art,” Bobby explains, “so we added texture, brush strokes, dimension, and folded details." He also notes that many of the pieces come in gallery-style wood floater frames, furthering their bespoke feel.

As with everything Bobby touches, transformation is paramount — and this room-altering art series is no exception. Shop six standout pieces from Reverie below. (Some of which are available to shop at Wayfair.)

“The apartment was in total estate condition,” recalls Simon Babin, Studio Director at BUILTIN Studio. Tucked high within an Art Deco building on Fifth Avenue, the Upper East Side apartment had a functional layout and fantastic views of Central Park. But the interior views? Well, those hadn’t been renovated since the building was constructed in 1948.

That’s not a premise BUILTIN finds terribly intimidating. The NYC architecture and interior design practice, founded by Gary Eisner and Terence Kinee, has a knack for updating outdated apartments. They knew a few simple changes — and plenty of glamorous touches — could transform the space into a modern home that matched the homeowners’ new lifestyle.

“Our clients, Linda and Ben McGrath, are empty nesters who were downsizing from their Park Avenue apartment and searching for a place that matched their energy for cosmopolitan living,” explains Simon. “Which meant finding a place with a stunning city view and the bones to create a layout for flexible entertaining.”

To maximize the space, BUILTIN reworked the layout with major entertainment value, making it flexible for big and small gatherings while framing views over the park. But they also infused the interiors with warmth, creating a palette inspired by lively stones and eye-catching fabrics — all tinged with a touch of Manhattan glamour.

"You enter the home and are immediately greeted with a sense of lightness and warmth," says Simon. He's referring to the main living room, where matte Venetian plaster walls brighten the mood from day to night. Basing the tonal look on Benjamin Moore's 'Muslin' paint, several rounds of mockups resulted in walls that soften the atmosphere, easing guests into the space.

Building connections from room to room, BUILTIN updated the layout with modern openings, all in bespoke trims echoing Art Deco interior design’s stepped lines and clean ornamentation. Taking continuity to the next level, a clever use of textiles deepens a new connection — thanks to a subtle pocket door — between the the primary bedroom and living room.

“Our choice to carry the same drapery throughout really gives an illusion of a larger space continuing beyond the wall,” says Simon says, noting how park-facing windows appear continuous when the pocket door is open. The pattern-on-pattern fabric, Schumacher’s Deco Leaves, nods to the building’s Art Deco history in a neutral colorway, one that ended up influencing much of the home's palette.

"We collectively spent many hours reviewing fabrics together to see what worked and what impact those selections had on the rest of the materials," says Simon, who balanced rich Schumacher patterns with textural Hartman + Forbes fabrics with natural fibers. "In most cases we started with a fabric Linda discovered or responded to and built up from there," he says.

While Linda and Ben's former home was much larger, their new apartment required savvy space-saving without sacrificing on sophistication. “In downsizing, the clients were giving up a formal dining room, but it was still important to them to have a table large enough to host at least six people,” says Simon.

The solution? BUILTIN crafted banquette seating with a gentle curve. “Not only a space saver, but we also designed it to be integrated into the corner to give an intentional feeling of containment and coziness,” says Simon.

Linda was smitten with a particular Woodland Leopard Velvet textile (also made by Schumacher) which BUILTIN used as upholstery on the backrest as well as additional pillows. The material, with a golden colorway and a soft luster, inspired the room's overall palette — like the fabric itself, the space radiates with warm luminance.

New openings also developed the palette in unexpected ways. Making the most of a tricky layout, a new portal into the galley kitchen connects the family and dining area — now something of a focal point with elegant framing, the transition created an opportunity for a dynamic shift in color.

"The kitchen to dining opening became even more exciting as we developed the color story," says Simon, noting how the honeyed glow in the dining area turns into darker tones in the kitchen. "Going bold with the dark green and yellow really highlighted the portal and the shared connection of occupying two spaces as people gather around the peninsula."

With an eye on the view, BUILTIN opted for a simple scheme in Linda and Ben's bedroom. Their former apartment was slightly more ornate — they had a passion for Biedermeier furniture, a streamlined yet classic look from the 19th-century — but keeping the space calm with clean lines and a contemporary palette created a canvas for mixing eras.

"Pieces like the nightstands that they brought over from their last home really help warm the space and do not feel out of place in this context," adds Simon.

Naturally, the bathrooms carved out space for experimentation with stone, which led to many fieldtrips to stoneyards. "We all went in with very little expectation for the species we’d come back with," says Simon. "We were drawn to fun veining and stones with a lot of movement, while remaining [considerate and aware] of the undertones and selecting ones that had an underlying warmth."

With three full modern bathroom ideas to curate, two were designed and designated as private spaces for Ben and Linda to call their own. "This meant two completely different material palettes along with both masculine and feminine design elements," adds Simon.

But of course, the star of the show remains the setting, a visual connection to the cityscape all throughout the home. For two empty nesters — and their dog, too — the once-dated apartment is now fully updated for a new chapter of life in Manhattan.

“We wanted not only guests, but Ben and Linda to feel the excitement of city life,” Simon adds. “And it really does hit you as you are sitting in the living room, enjoying a cocktail, and looking out over the twinkling lights.”

If you love this home, then you'll love this Upper West Side apartment, too.

And for more inspiring design ideas, subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter, and all the latest will be delivered directly to your inbox.

It’s official: Equestrian is in. Thanks to supermodels like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid (who quite literally strode up to fashion week on horseback), the same girls who once swore by Mane N’ Tail shampoo and played pony after school are now the ultimate tastemakers. Horse bits, cognac leather, prep, Americana — suddenly, everyone wants the equestrian aesthetic at home. And I know exactly how to pull it off.

You see, I’ve always been a horse girl — long before it was cool. I’ve spent years immersed in equestrian environments — horse shows, barns, paddock clubs — so trust me when I say I have a handle on this interior trend.

Rule number one: Leather is non-negotiable. From sofas to old saddles slung over railings, leather must toe the line between worn and well-kempt — equal parts polished and unpretentious. Ditto for wood.

The equestrian color palette is a classic one, rooted in warm neutrals, deep navies, hunter greens, and bright whites. These hues, paired with heirloom touches like brass accents, inherited-looking silver sets, and (at least) a few antique horse oil paintings or sculptures seal the deal. And when in doubt, look to The Polo Bar in NYC or the home decor styles of Ralph Lauren more generally — these are your benchmarks.

As what I’d consider the final boss of quiet luxury, equestrian decor has been making its rounds on TikTok in “aesthetic” edits. But is it authentic? Debatable. Take it from a Saddle Club–watching, show-jumping barn rat who’s been sporting horse-bit belts since the age of nine: here’s how to *actually* nail the equestrian look at home.

It has been nearly two months since the latest edition of Art Basel Paris graced the freshly revamped Grand Palais and now the fair is ready to land in the hippest destination of Florida for a new iteration of Art Basel Miami.

Launching with an exclusive vernissage on Thursday, December 5, and officially open to the public December 6-8, Art Basel Miami 2024 will see 286 acclaimed galleries descend to the Sunshine State's Convention Center from 38 different countries (planning on attending? Book your stay at the best Miami hotels before it's too late). Divided into seven thematic sectors — including Meridians, a showcase dedicated to large-scale, immersive artworks, Nova, a fresh look at artworks created within the last three years, and Positions, Art Basel Miami 2024's platform for young galleries and their emerging talents — along with a public program, it will cast light on the latest artistic innovations, the trends, and preoccupations that are currently redefining the creative scene, and right on time for the New Year.

Part of the wider Miami Art Week 2024 calendar, a city-wide, interdisciplinary collection of some 20 satellite fairs, all either already in full swing or opening their doors in the coming days, Art Basel Miami 2024 plays the lead in the city's December cultural extravaganza. To ensure you don't miss out on any of the collateral events or free displays happening around the city, we've curated a selection of must-see installations on show in Miami right now, whether at the boundary-pushing Design Miami, at local museums, or beyond.

1. Josh Aronson's "Florida Boys" at The Catalina Hotel & Beach Club

1732 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States

A hotel isn't your usual Art Basel Miami 2024 destination, not when it comes to unearthing the best installations in town, anyway. Still, Canadian-born, Floridian-based photographer Josh Aronson's first large-scale public art installation, on view at the city's historical Catalina Hotel & Beach Club through December 12, deserves to be added to your Miami Art Week 2024 itinerary.

Part of his recent series Florida Boys, Spring is a translucent fabric print depicting a group of friends bathing at sea. Now floating in front of two-story windows of the iconic hotel, it captures the vibrancy of the Sunshine State like no other artwork, portraying the lightheartedness, warmth, and 'limbo' essence of youth. Also worth a stop is the artist's concurrent group show, Unveiling Power: Examining Influence, open at Green Space Miami through March 2025.

2. Alcova Miami at Miami River Inn

437 SW 2nd St, Miami, FL 33130, United States

As one of the most disruptive, burgeoning realities on the contemporary design scene, nomadic platform Alcova's Milan and Miami appearances are some of the most anticipated events on the art- and interior-savant's agenda. Taking over the Miami River Inn, the city's longest-standing hotel, during Miami Art Week 2024, the Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima-founded curatorial project grants you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of its platformed talents, including emerging and established names. With over 40 exhibitors, the event is hands-down one of the most characteristic initiatives scheduled in tandem with Art Basel Miami 2024, also thanks to the stuck-in-time, tropical location that serves as its host.

Among my personal favorites from the latest Alcova iteration are the ethereally soothing Something Last, a survey of works from artists and designers Cindy Hsu Zell, Devin Wilde, Jialun Xiong, Mary Ratcliffe Studio, Vy Voi Studio, and Xiaoyan Wei, whose emotional creations marry functionality and storytelling; and Ladies and Gentlemen Studio & Daniela Friedman's collaborative Invento Spirit: Collective Experiments in Adaptive Creativity, a physical, playful manifestation of "the Cuban spirit", as embodied by quirky, layered colorful works obtained from repurposed found materials.

Buy your tickets for Alcova Miami.

3. The Future Perfect at Design Miami

Design Miami, Booth Number G16 at 1901 Convention Ctr Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States

If there's one thing that The Future Perfect's presentation at Design Miami shows, it is that, when it comes to creativity, there truly aren't any limits. Inspired by the fair's overarching Blue Sky theme, the David Alhadeff-founded, bicoastal contemporary design gallery invites visitors to step inside a two-part, golden-hued tapestry of creations that bears the signature of over 20 artists and designers, between rising and globally acclaimed talents.

Standing out for their uplifting, imaginative atmosphere, the pieces on display in the first half of the showcase, including Chris Wolston's creature-like, amusing Silos TouchMe armchairs, covered in his signature 'Nalgona' hands, and a vibrantly decorated coffee table from the same series, bespoke sculptural lighting by Lindsey Adelman, and Sophie Lou Jacobsen's timelessly elegant glasswork, probe the breadth of expression of today's design landscape. Meanwhile, the second side of the booth platforms the extraordinary artisanry of New Delhi-based artist Vikram Goyal. In his Design Miami US debut, the trained engineer presents his intricately decorated furniture and decorative pieces, informed by ancient Indian and Persian heritage and nature, with the epic Garden of Life as his standout.

Book your tickets for Design Miami.

4. The Art of Matchmaking at Art Basel Miami, Jungle Plaza

3801 NE 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33137, United States

Ever since I first came across them, I have been obsessing over Milan-based visual artist Alex Valentina's surreal digital artworks, which appear to belong to a dimension of their own. On the occasion of Art Basel Miami 2024, he is taking his moving, striking visions to the Sunshine State's design capital for The Art of Matchmaking, an immersive art installation co-organized by Highsnobiety and Bumble.

Having had his work exhibited on Times Square's iconic neon banners earlier this year, Valentina is now bringing his whimsical artistry to the Miami Design District's Jungle Plaza, where it will be on view through December 8. Curious, engaging, and hypnotizing, his jelly-like, fantastical worlds are the perfect antidote to the hardness of everyday life.

5. Objective Gallery at Design Miami

Design Miami, Booth Number G19 at 1901 Convention Ctr Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States

My admiration for Sam Klemick's exaggeratedly voluminous, comforting furniture is tangible in the profile I wrote on her work as part of our emerging designers series in August, but her participation at this year's Design Miami only confirms that she is a name every industry insider and interior aficionado should have on their radars. Part of Objective Gallery's collective group show at the fair, All design is contemporary, if it's alive, new iterations of her grounded Bell Chair, obtained from upcycled lumber she sourced from local construction sites in LA, offer a glimpse into her one-of-a-kind practice of "carved wood upholstery", and her peace-aiding understanding of functional design.

Klemick's fanciful pieces share the spotlight with contributions by Jeff Martin, Charlotte Kingsnorth, Luke Malane, Jack Simonds, Tor Rothschild Neria, James Shaw, Justin Cao, Michael Oates, and Liu Xi: rising international artists who, despite working with different mediums, share an interest in responsible production practices, and a desire to infuse their meticulously crafted masterpieces with a life of their own.

6. Meridians Sector at Art Basel Miami 2024

Art Basel Miami 2024, Meridians Sector at 1901 Convention Ctr Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States

One of my favorite sectors at Art Basel Miami 2024, the Yasmil Raymond-curated Meridians takes contemporary art to unprecedented heights by redirecting the focus onto artists working at larger-than-life scale.

Weaving together some truly impressive sculptural, textile, painting, and installation pieces by 18 international personalities, including legendary American sculptor Alice Aycock, Peruvian photographer Roberto Huarcaya, and Chinese artist Jinshi Zhu, for a total of 20 represented galleries, this section of the fair is one to get lost into. Colossal tapestries, floor-to-ceiling, towering paper lanterns, wall-large murals, and much more will absorb viewers in reflections on identity, heritage, and the climate crisis, while celebrating the boundless power of creative expression.

7. Cecilia Vicuña's "Quipu Gut" at Pérez Art Museum Miami

1103 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132, United States

After enchanting the public of London's Tate Modern with her Turbine Hall installation in the fall of 2022, Chilean poet and artist Cecilia Vicuña has installed her poignant large-scale knotted structures at Pérez Art Museum Miami for Quipu Gut, her ongoing solo exhibition (through August 10). Drawing from the ancient Andean communication technology known as quipu ("knot" in Quechua), a practice that relies on knotted strings to archive information, made illegal by the Spanish during the colonization of South America, the celebrated artist has given life to 50, thirty-three-foot-long strands of blood-red unspun wool, which she charged with reflections on the forgotten histories of persecuted people, Indigenous weaving practices, ritual, and environmental activism. The result is a poetical, floating masterpiece that encourages us to scratch beneath the surface of things — be that society's power structures, the climate crisis, or forgotten traditions.

Book your tickets for Quipu Gut.

8. Memphis Miami at Miami Design District

88 NE 39th St, Miami, FL 33137, USA

If you've stumbled upon my roundup of the best Miami concept stores, you probably know how much of a Memphis Milano fan I am at this point. Luckily for those who share my appreciation for the bold 1980s design movement, and who happen to be in town this week, Milan-based magazine and curatorial platform Capsule is rekindling the celebrated phenomenon with an eye-catching new exhibition, Memphis Miami. Produced in collaboration with online design marketplace Basic.Space, the showcase sees the cult Italian brand Memphis Milano and American artist Katherine Bernhardt come together at the Miami Design District for an exclusive event filled with color and joyful, high-end craftsmanship.

For the occasion, Bernhardt is debuting a brand new, limited edition series of rugs, each imbued with the same "pop-surrealist" essence of Memphis Milano's signature pieces. Merging references to the iconic designs of the movement's founder, Italian pioneer Ettore Sottsass, with locally inspired details, such as the "bubblegum" backdrop of the show — an ode to Miami's Arquitectonica-designed Pink House — Memphis Miami is the perfect opportunity to either revive your admiration for the groundbreaking design style or fall in love with it for the first time. Juxtaposed with Bernhardt's subversive artworks and freshly produced rugs are some of Memphis Milano most celebrated pieces, including the Carlton bookshelf and Tahiti lamp by Sottsass, the Flamingo coffee table and Riviera chair by Michele De Lucchi, as well as glass and porcelain objects designed by Marco Zanini, Martine Bedin, and Nathalie Du Pasquier.

With all items available to purchase on-site and online via Basic.Space, Memphis Miami also offers you the occasion to make them your own. Running in tandem with this presentation, a new body of whimsical paintings by Bernhardt, informed by Memphis style, will be unveiled at Art Basel Miami 2024 as part of David Zwirner Gallery's booth at the fair.

If you think art and design inspiration are exclusively confined to the walls of local galleries, museums, and showrooms, our curated edits of the best Miami restaurants and the best Miami cafés are about to prove you wrong. Stop to recharge at any of our featured destinations and indulge in the luxury of a multisensory culinary experience.

Keen to take a piece of the city home with you after your trip comes to an end? Take a pick from our selection of the best furniture stores in Miami, where collector-worthy finds await.

Following VIP preview days on October 16 and 17, Art Basel Paris 2024 is ready to stage its public return to the French capital for a third edition, where it is expected to welcome some 40,000 international visitors between today and Sunday, October 20. Leaving its original moniker, Paris+, behind to become an integral extension of Art Basel's global network of art fairs, this year's event gathers 194 galleries from 42 countries, including 51 newcomers, in a multidisciplinary exploration of contemporary and modern creative landscapes.

Hosted within the breathtaking, freshly revamped Grand Palais, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées landmark built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and designated a historic monument in 2000, Art Basel Paris 2024 will feature three sections: the Galeries, dedicated to affirmed art institutions; Emergence, platforming rising talents; and Premise, presenting nine curatorial projects that take a revisionist approach to the historical art canon, integrating voices who have been previously excluded from, or overlooked within, the dominant aesthetic discourse.

Serving you the perfect occasion to savor the multisensory journey of design-forward décor and moreish flavors that are the most beautiful Paris restaurants, and to unveil the many hidden trails making the City of Light an endless discovery, the showcase boasts a dense program of public events co-authored by leading art names such as Petit Palais and Centre Pompidou. Capturing the converging of art, fashion, design, and lifestyle that's reshaping today's creative scene, Art Basel Paris 2024 also lends its stage to the launch of numerous product-based artist collaborations — catch three projects we'd love you to see below.

1. Frank Gehry's Monumental Fish Sculptures, Marking the Launch of Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry Limited-Edition Handbag Collection

To celebrate the unveiling of the Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry Limited-Edition Handbag Collection, the latest in a series of collaborations between the Canadian-American architecture and design disruptor and the storied French Maison, the brand has turned their Art Basel Paris 2024 presentation into a theater for Gehry's surreally otherworldly, colossal fish sculptures and whimsical accessories. The mind behind the post-industrial masterpiece of craft that is Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum — a 24,000-square-meter, undulating structure that appears to have been cast in a utopian future — Gehry is known for having breathed movement, playfulness, and sheer imagination into the architectural world, birthing landmarks whose contortedly awe-inspiring silhouettes look straight out of a dream. Marking 10 years from the inauguration of the designer's gravity-defying, ship-inspired building for the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the launch of this new collection and accompanying exhibition at Art Basel Paris 2024 solidifies the long-term bond between two pioneering forces of contemporary culture in a tangible manifestation of their creative genius.

Floating mid-air under an equally striking, arched wooden sculpture, the centerpiece of the presentation — a 4.5-meter-long sculpture of a fish — fills passersby with a sense of wonder. Simultaneously, Gehry's artistic process is fragmented into a curated selection of architectural studies, models, and drawings the artist conceived for the Parisian house. On display alongside these fascinating studio materials are fanciful trunks, handbags, and Murano glass perfume bottle designs co-authored by Gehry and Louis Vuitton and juxtaposed with their preparatory sketches. Finally, and most importantly, a handful of pieces from the Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry Limited-Edition Handbag Collection, also on view and carrying direct references to some of the architect's most famous buildings, will grant visitors the opportunity to confront themselves with his ever-evolving, revolutionary contribution to the field, immersing viewers in a three-dimensional journey.

Grand Palais. October 18-20. Find more information at artbasel.com

2. The Art Basel Edition by Guerlain, Making Julie Beaufils' Art Sprayable and Collectible

With origins stretching back to 3,300 BC, perfumery is one of the world's longest-standing arts, but Guerlain's Art Basel Edition, a 2,000-bottle run of the label's coveted Œillet Pourpre fragrance, produced by Art Basel Paris and exclusively available via the Art Basel Shop, elevates its tradition to brand new heights. As the world's first perfume of this kind, packaged in a collector-worth flask and box designed by painter Julie Beaufils, enriched with one of her evocative, abstract canvases, the Art Basel Edition by Guerlain embodies the narrowing of the gap between the creative and lifestyle industries, and the refreshing dose of inspiration that stems from their encounter.

Priced €390 for 100ml and gender-neutral, the fragrance makes the perfect souvenir for every Art Basel Paris 2024 visitor keen to revive the fair's buzzy atmosphere and memories past its three-day run.

Coincidentally, Guerlain, one of the earliest partners to support the show since its debut edition in 2022, will also be hosting Good Morning Korea, Au pays du matin calme, a new contemporary art exhibition curated by Hervé Mikaeloff and celebrating the plethora of perspectives represented by multigenerational South Korean creatives. Looking at the country's soil through their unique perspectives, it reveals a complex tapestry of stories that conjure urgent environmental and societal challenges — all accompanied by an absorbing olfactory journey courtesy of the Parisian perfumery legend.

The Art Basel Edition launches on October 18 and is available exclusively at the Art Basel Shop. Find more information at artbasel.com

Good Morning Korea, Au pays du matin calme is open at La Maison Guerlain, Paris, through November 12. Find more information at artbasel.com

3. The Art Basel Shop Debuts in Paris, with "playable Tom Wesselmann and wearable Claire Fontaine"

Following the success of its Basel debut last June, the Art Basel Shop is making its Paris debut during the third edition of the fair, promising to bring a tastemaker-approved mixture of one-of-a-kind art, fashion, design, and publishing products to the City of Light. The brainchild of acclaimed Parisian store Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman, who oversaw its conception, this exclusive retail point will allow visitors to shop limited-edition items and collectibles by trailblazing labels such as Guerlain, Uniqlo, and Paris Saint-Germain. Long story short, whether you are looking to take home a new, trendy tote bag, hoodie, or T-shirt, or grab a copy of your favorite artist books and zines, at the Art Basel Shop you'll have options to spare.

Reinterpreting Art 6’75, the heritage logo of Art Basel's sixth edition catalog, as a bespoke streetwear and accessories line, the AB by Art Basel capsule collection is as timeless and iconic as poignantly nostalgic. But it doesn't end there: the AB by Artist drop, realized in partnership with Paris-based artist collective Claire Fontaine — coiner of the Foreigners Everywhere expression adopted by Venice Biennale director Adriano Pedrosa as the title of the 60th International Art Exhibition — offers a thought-provoking look at today's identity, belonging, and environment dilemmas in the form of exclusive, wearable products with a fun twist. Other notable personalities, like French artist Nina Childress and Italian-French singer and actress Dalida, or American Pop Art artist Tom Wesselmann, are referenced too, as their aura and artworks are brought to life in other custom pieces from the collection.

The Art Basel Shop is open at Art Basel Paris 2024 through October 20. Find more information at artbasel.com

The internet is going crazy for miniature framed portraits. The charming trend uses vintage-style paintings or prints to decorate spaces, and it's a great way to inject plenty of personality and charm into your space. Think of it as minimum input with maximum reward. Their petite size means that anybody can find space for them, and they invite guests to peer closer and get lost in this miniature world on your walls. The miniature wall art trend has also given way to artwork in more unexpected spots. From above the toilet to inside the fridge, here's where mini art is finding its place around the home.

A landscape or portrait in a gilded frame has timeless appeal, but right now, the smaller they are the better. But why the sudden urge to downscale our living room wall art ideas? "I believe its growing appeal comes from the sheer spectacle these tiny creations provide," Etsy's trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson says. "I particularly love that it evokes a sense of wonder and awe at the skill of creating such intricate work on a small scale. The time and focus to create something on that scale is no mean feat."

Landscape artist Coleman Senecal says the trend captures the hearts of home decor lovers for its element of “surprise and beauty” in a space. “It draws the viewer in to observe it close up and see all the little details,” she says. "People are also living in smaller spaces than ever before, but as a whole, they still want to be surrounded by beautiful things, so tiny art is what fits best."

The movement of miniature vintage style art is also the home design community’s affront to sterile modern homes. "Antique and vintage elements provide a more eclectic style,” says Karolina Wierzbicka, Head of Design at August. “They bring a bit of history or the addition of a specific design style.” Karolina also suggests that they are a great way to work with negative space in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. She says they can create “a sense of balance” and that allows the rest of the space to breathe.

Coleman agrees, noting the "lived-in" appeal of vintage frames or paintings. "A gorgeous scrolled vintage frame that has a few chips or a worn-out edge gives a feeling of collected-ness, being passed down from generation to generation, and a sense of time," she says. "These elements can ground and warm up a space that would otherwise feel cold or ‘cookie cutter’."

How to Incorporate Tiny Paintings in Your Space

You don't need to be a fine art collector to embrace this whimsical look. The style has strong ties to thrifting, but it can also be a great way to expand your art collection by browsing artists' works. “Find a tiny vintage frame on Etsy, at a thrift store, or estate sale, and reach out to your favorite artist about purchasing a fine art print that will fit in the frame," says Coleman. "It will be a fraction of the cost of an original, but if the artist makes high-quality giclee prints, you won't be able to tell the difference.”

While a single tiny portrait makes a great statement on an otherwise empty wall, they can also be grouped together for a gallery wall idea, or used in more unexpected places around the home. Plenty of designers are incorporating small portraits into kitchens, for example, but leaning them up on the countertop. Or, for a more innovative idea, you could even consider turning them into a fridge display by adding some simple magnets, like these from Amazon, to the back of your frame.

Coleman notes that it's this element of “surprise” that makes the tiny art trend so popular. “Adding a miniature framed landscape to an empty spot in a gallery wall is the obvious place to showcase tiny art in your decor, but you could also hang the miniature in an unexpected spot like a powder room, the end of a hallway, or a small slice of wall that is otherwise empty space," she says. "Miniatures are also fabulous for propping on side tables, shelves, or mantels.”

Ready to add some character and charm to that dull nook of your home? Let a miniature framed painting be the answer.

As summer winds down, those dreamy sojourns we spent months anticipating are now slowly becoming part of our past. Milan, Mykonos — those beautiful destinations are fading into memory. Maybe you were savvy enough to bring back a little piece of your own, but unless you had the foresight (and fortitude) to ship it home between sips of sun-soaked midday wines, that fabulous vintage mid-century Italian chair was probably too big to cram into your suitcase.

Thankfully, Los Angeles-based furniture and home decor store Olive Ateliers importsts the essence of our summer travels straight to our living rooms, curating a treasure trove of global homeware gems. Or as brand founders Ben Knox, Kendall Knox, and Laura Sotelo put it, “objects with old souls”.

With a buzzworthy, streetwear-eque “drop” approach — blink and you’ll miss it — Olive Ateliers has cultivated a devoted, design-obsessed following of over 550k on Instagram. Among them are some notable names; celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid, and Sofia Richie Grange, along with design heavyweights Jeremiah Brent and Jake Arnold, have all made Olive Ateliers their go-to playground for unique home treasures.

“We are always hunting for objects that carry a rich history, ‘objects with old souls,’” says Laura. “Our passion for these pieces allows us to source from remarkable countries, from France to Indonesia,” and each region has its own story to tell. She shares a recent find as an example: “Our French container just arrived, and in it, we were lucky to source a handful of beautiful baskets from a basket weaver who has dedicated his life to restoring and weaving baskets in northern France. It is these stories and craftsmen that draw us to the objects and inspire us to share them with our community.”

So, what exactly gives an object its “soul”? It could be its age — the majority of the atelier’s offerings are vintage or antique — but according to Laura, the “soul” of furniture or decor is born from both its history and craftsmanship. Who made it, and what has it seen? “The stories and experiences it holds, along with the skill and passion of the artisans who created it, infuse the piece with unique character and depth.” Even a small chip or imperfection can add to this charm. “Every bump and bruise adds value and wisdom, in our opinion.”

Inside the atelier, you’ll find natural, airy materials like linen and chanvre mingling with pieces that look like they’ve lived a thousand lives. The trio of curators behind Olive Ateliers are drawn to this kind of organically lived-in nostalgia, always in pursuit of a tranquil, inspiring environment that, as Kendall puts it, “heroicizes charismatic objects and furnishings.”

But choosing the “right” piece isn’t just about looks. “Developing a curator’s eye involves understanding what makes an item special and learning about its story,” says Laura. It’s a tactic she and her co-founders call 'curious living' — approaching objects, in many ways, as if they were people. Digging deeper fosters “a stronger connection to the pieces and evokes a sense of nostalgia,” she muses. And it’s something we can all practice as we shop.

Taking a page from the Olive Ateliers book, I did just that as I delved into their worldly collection. Every item has its charm, but these 12 pieces carry a hint of summer’s warmth.

One of the most important things in home decor is making sure that it reflects your taste, your interests, and your values. You should always gravitate to decor that reaffirms who you are and what matters to you, and hanging art in your home is one of the best ways to do just that.

Choosing the right art is one thing, but knowing how to hang a picture properly is another. From finding the right height to balancing it within the perfect frame, curating a home full of expressive wall art can be a headache, but we're pleased to say you can put the Tylenol away. That's because we've asked experts for the common mistakes to avoid when hanging art, alongside some tips on how to fix them. Follow these rules and your art is sure to have maximum impact.

1. Choosing the Wrong Size 

Unless you're commissioning a personal piece, finding art that perfectly fits your space can be difficult, be it living room wall art ideas or a stairway gallery wall. "One of the most common mistakes is that people often don't know how to choose the proper size of art for a wall," says Cliff Fong, LA based interior designer and founder of Matt Blacke Inc. “Choosing the size of the wall or the size of the painting appropriately for the wall size is kind of key in making sure that you've got something that feels truly aesthetic and balanced.”

As a general rule, he recommends that you measure out the wall and select art that is no less than two-thirds the width or height of the wall. However, that rule isn’t set in stone — Cliff encourages a more fluid approach to art placement in the context of the entire space and says that honoring negative space in homes for lovers of monastic or minimalist design can be really impactful.

“Sometimes, you know, a painting or a piece of art has so much presence that if it did fill a wall, it could feel overwhelming,” he says. “It can be amazing if there's a big beautiful wall and a disproportionately small painting on it, because it forces your eye. It draws you in versus standing in a room and looking at, you know, something the size of Guernica on a big wall. It's something different.”

If you’re stuck with a piece of art that’s too small but also doesn’t carry much presence, don’t make a trip to the donation point just yet. Cliff advises finding some similar-sized pieces to organize into a salon-style gallery wall idea instead.

2. Too Much or Not Enough Art

On the topic of gallery walls, another difficult question when hanging art is how much is too much in one space. A common mistake many of us make is creating a gallery wall that feels inharmonious, making you feel either overwhelmed or underwhelmed. Other times it can feel too cohesive, giving the space an inauthentic or sterile feel.

Before you buy into all the latest wall art trends, it may be worth assessing the purpose of the pieces you’re looking to hang. “A lot of times you just hang art for a decorative purpose or to communicate something about color, or contrast or mood but it also has the potential to have some personal meaning,” Cliff says.

To avoid missing the mark, he suggests taking time to assess how they work together so that you don’t accidentally make the pieces compete for attention or minimize their overall purpose. “I imagine if you have a small Picasso on a big wall then you probably don't want to hang a whole bunch of other paintings around it," he says. "You just want to see that Picasso.”

Annica Wallin, Executive Creative Director at wall art brand Desenio, adds that it sometimes helps to look at the bigger picture (quite literally). “Thinking of the gallery wall as one large picture can help you envisage each piece as part of a whole, to ensure all of the images work well together," she notes. "Including a range of sizes will help to make the wall more visually appealing.”

3. Getting "Hung up" on Positioning

There is something naturally pleasing to us about symmetry, patterns, and centering, however, homes have to balance the practical with the beautiful. Evenly spaced-out art isn’t always possible to do and light switches, thermostats, and other fixtures that contractors may have placed in the home can prove costly to relocate.

Luckily for your wallet, art placement doesn’t need to look geometrically perfect, and letting the quest for uniformity go can help create a more organic feel. Cliff suggests looking beyond rectilineal canvas art and trying to incorporate irregular shapes which are still very satisfying to look at when placed off-center.

Even in the case of uninhibited walls, not paying too much attention to the distance between art can give the space a more “lived-in" feel, which is especially helpful when hosting. Perfectly placed and curated art can transport any guest to a museum, but the grandeur risks reading as intimidating. Slightly off spacing helps guests to feel that they can be themselves in your space — who doesn’t want that?

If you're really worried about where your pictures should go or how high you should hang art above furniture, Annica does have a golden rule instead of relying on guesswork. “Applying the ‘57-inch rule’ is an excellent standard to follow when positioning wall art, as it’s commonly known as the most accurate height for hanging prints from the floor," she explains. “Simply measure 57-inches from the floor and make a mark on the wall in the middle of where the frame will be. The rule is designed to ensure the framed print is aligned to meet the eyeline of the average person." Annica

Whether you’re starting from a clean slate or have an art collection that you’re eager to reshuffle, avoiding these common mistakes will help you create the perfect environment for comfort and conversation.

With over 200 museums and countless commercial and independent galleries to choose from, making the most of the Big Smoke's cultural offering requires equal amounts of discerning, open-mindedness, and dedication. That's understandable: even as a culture editor, I find myself feeling overwhelmed by the ever-expanding density of its year-round artistic program, and often end up missing out on many great exhibitions in London as a result. To ensure the number of creative showcases on view in the city doesn't push you away, but, rather, brings you closer to the pioneering workshop of innovation that is its community, every season I am narrowing down all local happenings to the 12 best exhibitions in London across art, architecture, public installations, and design.

How do I pick the best cultural events in the British capital? In short, with an eye toward meaning. In a historical moment where multiple global challenges seem to converge, from climate change and migration to the resurgence of conflicts, I want my curation of the best exhibitions in London to hold a mirror up to the complexity of our times — engaging viewers through both skillfully crafted artworks and complex conversations that can favor new ways of being together, conceiving our time on Earth, and preserving the planet for generations to come.

As temperatures lower and we prepare to face the return of the colder months after the summer, making time to experience rising and established talents' exhibitions in London firsthand can imbue you with the dose of creativity, inspiration, and escapism you need to get in the right mindset and move ahead. Gathering the most thought-provoking showcases in town in one place, this interdisciplinary roundup of design and art shows in London will help you put the right names on the map. Don't waste your time complaining about the weather: from the latest outsprings of burgeoning young galleries to anticipated solo presentations by some of the world's leading creative talents, these are the great exhibitions in London you should be queuing up for as the creative scene awakens right now.

Kavitha Balasingham: Love Island. ALICE BLACK

A Goldsmiths graduate, Kavitha Balasingham is making herself a name through whimsical, colorful installations that examine the intersection (and contradictions) of the human and the technological worlds. Following recent group presentations at Turner Contemporary, Palmer Gallery, and Bow Arts, the London-based artist lands at ALICE BLACK with Love Island, a slightly humorous, quirky study into "communication across time and space — through cartoon physics, science fiction, and everyday digital exchanges". Though not much information is currently available on the artworks set to be in the show, based on Balasingham's previous exhibitions, we can expect shape-shifting creatures, Y2K aesthetics aplenty, and room for awe. The result of a research trip to Sri Lanka, where she delved into themes such as "telecommunication, diaspora, and the strange intimacy of a place once imagined but unknown", the creations gathered in Love Island capture the dualistic essence of the digital realm — this mixture of hyperconnectedness and alienation — through transforming shapes informed by our in-between state.

September 10-October 18. ALICE BLACK, 7 Windmill St, London W1T 2JD. Plan your visit

The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House. Tate Modern

The more I familiarize myself with contemporary and legendary Korean artists, the more I realize many of them have embraced the space of the home as their leitmotif. Born in Seoul in 1962 and now based in London, Do Ho Suh is no exception, though this doesn't make his immersive, textile-based architectural installations in any way less exceptional themselves. In The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House, the multidisciplinary talent brings some of his most spectacular three-dimensional creations to Tate Modern, and equally captivating sculptures, videos, and drawings. Through his see-through domestic spaces, Do Ho Suh creates an opportunity for everyone to ponder what it actually means to exist and move through a physical environment, infusing the gallery rooms with a slightly nostalgic, technocolored aura. Since leaving his homeland to pursue his studies in the US, the artist has put down roots anywhere from New York and Providence to Berlin before taking permanent residence in London. Here, his places of affection are either revived or invented from scratch in a mazy exploration of identity, belonging, and what it means to inhabit.

To October 19. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Book your tickets

Don't Look Back. UNIT

There is something to UNIT's latest group exhibition, Don't Look Back, that instantly reminds me of my childhood and early teens. And no, it is not just that it borrows from the irreverent creative scene of the 1990s and first Noughties. It is the prevailing of substance (read: almost deliberately unpolished looks) over form (read: divulgation of filler and Instagram filter culture) that, imbuing each of the painting, sculpture, performance, and installation pieces brought together under this forthcoming showcase, allows its artworks to break through the noise. In it, we find the sweat building up over a late night out at a crowded club, the advent of the internet and the digitalization of porn, and more conceptual, abstract contributions dissecting the meaning of identity, domesticity, consumer culture, and more. Curated by Beth Greenacre and Sigrid Kirk, Don't Look Back isn't about merely reminiscing. Instead, the two spotlighted the queer and female voices who, back in those decades, were often overlooked alongside "broader expressions of individuality" into a multi-room, gig-inspired concept that pays homage to the daring creative investigations of those years and their enduring legacy on the present day.

September 24-October 26. UNIT, 23-24 Margaret St, London W1W 8RU. Plan your visit

Riccardo Dalisi. Spazio Leone

A collaboration between Spazio Leone's founder, vintage dealer Gennaro Leone, and Sicilian designer Oscar Piccolo, the newest exhibition of the Hackney showroom unearths the genius of one of the most fascinating design minds of 20th-century Italy: Compasso d'Oro winner and theorist of "poor" architecture Riccardo Dalisi. In the first-ever UK show dedicated to his work, accompanied by the release of a new book, the two retrace his decades-long career, delving into his archives to transform the East London space into a "dreamlike landscape" across large-scale sculptures, sketches, and video works. After relocating from his native southern Italian city of Potenza to Naples, where he completed his training, in the 1950s, Dalisi became one of the key protagonists of the Global Tools counter-school of architecture and design alongside Memphis Group pioneer Ettore Sottsass. Known for his commitment to supporting underprivileged Neapolitan children through collaborative, creative initiatives he dedicated himself to throughout his life, in his Wizard of Oz-like, animated moka pot explorations, the architect sewed the gap between reality and magic, performance and functional design. Spazio Leone's Riccardo Dalisi restages the poetry that served as the beating heart of his democratic practice.

September 26-October 26. Spazio Leone, Lower Clapton, Hackney Downs Studios, 17 Amhurst Terrace, Lower Clapton, London E8 2BT. Plan your visit

Lawrence Lek: Life Before Automation. Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art

Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, the university's multi-story exhibition space, is ready to transform into a futuristic utopia on the occasion of German-born, London-based artist Lawrence Lek's largest UK institutional show, Life Before Automation. Through his chosen mediums of film, installation, video games, and sound, and their interaction, Lek has given life to immersive dimensions where today's race for AI and global anxieties have collided into a reality of their own, as haunting as visually spectacular. The artist, who describes his practice as "worldbuilding for non-humans", seeks to expose the paradoxes of machine learning and the inverted power dynamics that, today, shape the relationship between humans and the algorithm. The traditionally heartfelt concept of coming-of-age cinema is reinvented in the film Geomancer (2017), which narrates a "superintelligent satellite's aspiration to become an artist". His ongoing collaboration with writer and musician Kode9, titled Nøtel (2018–), dives into the potential of "fully automated luxury" by allowing visitors to step into VR hotel rooms conceived by world-leading architects. While in NOX (2023), the attention turns to disobeying machines, or what happens when human prompts are no longer enough to control AI.

September 26-December 14. Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, St James's, London SE14 6AD. Plan your visit

Yto Barrada: Thrill, Fill and Spill. South London Gallery

Taken at face value, Franco-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada's multidisciplinary oeuvre, encompassing photography, film, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and publishing, may catch your attention for its vibrant, intricately patterned essence — the lines and hues of her creations an ode to the heritage of her native land. Still, it is not as easy as it seems. In Thrill, Fill and Spill, her new solo exhibition, which opens at South London Gallery on September 26, like in the rest of her work, Barrada embraces abstraction and color as a way of relating to the spaces, stories, and boundaries around her, keeping Tangier, the city where she grew up, at the heart of it all. Inspired by the world of gardening and a gardener's mnemonic, which, she explains, describes "a focal plant (thriller), companions (fillers), and those that overflow (spillers)," with this presentation, the artist invites us to reflect on colonial connotations of dyeing and plant cultivation; their ties to commerce, women's labor, ecological fragility, and oral transmission. She does so through towering, nature-inspired sculptures like Tangier Island Wall, a perforated architectural surface cast from interwoven crab traps, the animated Acrobatic Formations, or totemic creations molded in response to Moroccan human pyramids, and the mesmerizing, pastel-hued grids, Land of Black Gold.

September 26-January 11, 2026. South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Rd, London SE5 8UH. Plan your visit

Sonia Gomes: É preciso não ter medo de criar. Pace

It isn't a coincidence that many of the most evocative artworks I have come across recently at Art Basel 2025, Frieze, and beyond are made of intricately woven cuts of cloth, often displayed as an aperture on canvas. There is something rather primordial about textile art, its origins stretching back to the dawn of civilization. And it is the mysteriousness trapped in these fabric creations that makes São Paulo-based artist Sonia Gomes's own textile experimentation so absorbing when observed up close. Still, her practice, which also spans painting, sculpture, and video, entails so much more. Standing out for their twisting, shape-shifting forms, each of the artist's creations embodies a desire to test the limits of her chosen mediums; to have them morph, find new shapes, and evolve. Drawing from her upbringing in the textile hub of Caetanópolis, southeastern Brazil, Gomes taps into natural fibers and second-hand textiles to simultaneously connect with her roots and engage with the visual heritage of the Afro-diasporic experience. Recasting discarded or humble materials into floating sculptures that appear imbued with a life of their own, she reminds us of the power of objects to carry stories, to act as a window into distant, often forgotten, worlds.

October 14-November 15. Pace, 5 Hanover Square, London W1S 1HQ. Plan your visit

Cristina Iglesias: The Shore. Hauser & Wirth

Recently, I have grown more and more fascinated with the work of Es Devlin, Lita Albuquerque, and Louise Bourgeois — artists whose practice captures the (colossal) scope of women's art, its ability to exemplify a connection to the land, and render the nuances and contradictions of everyday life through performance, sound, and a (sometimes, quite literally) boundary-pushing approach to art. That's what made me curious about Cristina Iglesias's forthcoming show at Hauser & Wirth, The Shore, her debut exhibition with the gallery since joining its stellar roster of talents. The Spanish artist, who spent nearly half a century perfecting the textural, immersive essence of her large-scale environments, is expected to bring three new bronze sculptures to Savile Row. Informed by her interest in architecture, literature, psychology, and mechanics, Iglesias's site-specific works straddle the continuum between the natural and the artificial, incorporating glass, steel, and bronze, as well as water and sound, into absorbing installations that raise questions about the places we inhabit, their primordial state, and where we belong.

October 14-December 20. Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ET. Plan your visit

Val Lee: The Presence of Solitude. Southbank Centre

Taiwanese artist Val Lee (李奧森)'s The Presence of Solitude is an enigmatic retelling of isolation, intimacy, and hope. Through a blend of costume design, film, and photography, the exhibition, marking her first solo show in the UK, presents the audience with multiple masked-up characters whose concealed sight or state of alienation serves as a metaphor for Taiwan's political repression and her fascination with 'non-places' respectively. Both in Valley in the Minibus (2024) and The Sorrowful Football Team (2025), two of the audiovisual works that will be on display, it is a sense of ambiguity to prevail; as if, even more than what's being narrated in the film, it were what she is not telling us that she'd like us to see. Here, personal and collective memory morph and become one, as Val Lee's anonymous figure comes to embody everyone and, at the same time, no one. As she puts it, in The Presence of Solitude, "form, time, and relation can stay in flux", and so stay viewers, too.

October 7-January 11, 2026. Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. Plan your visit

PLATFORM: Bethan Laura Wood. Design Museum

Unveiled as part of PLATFORM, a new exhibition series presented by the Design Museum, Bethan Laura Wood steps inside the richly layered, saturated world of the multidisciplinary artist and designer, absorbing visitors in a trail of some 70 maximalist sculptures, textiles, and furniture creations. A living example of how art and functional design are growing more intertwined than ever, Wood's creature-like homeware shows there are no rules that can't be broken in today's world, and that quirkiness and craftmanship can be a winning binomial. Mesmerizing, provocative, and amusing, this ongoing presentation invites us to ponder the meaning of objects in an increasingly digital society, disrupting our view of femininity, ornamentation, and reality as a whole by encouraging us to "look beyond the surface".

To January 25, 2026. Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG. Plan your visit

Design and Disability. Victoria & Albert Museum

Traditionally, the design industry isn't famed for its hugely diverse pool of talents, nor is it known for ensuring that individuals with disabilities can benefit as much from the scene's careful mix of aesthetics and functionality as everyone else (though collaborations like last year's Michael Graves Design x Pottery Barn collection are a welcome exception to the rule). In Design and Disability, an ongoing group showcase on view at London's Victoria & Albert Museum through February 15, this premise is turned on its head. Reuniting some 170 creations across fashion, art, photography, architecture, and technology from disabled, deaf, and neurodivergent artists and communities, the exhibition celebrates their unique contribution to design history and wider contemporary culture. Vibrant, immersive, and highly interactive, the installation of Design and Disability is, in itself, thoroughly inclusive, while the show's three thematic sections — Visibility, Tools, and Living — offer insights into both the everyday routine of its protagonists as they provide a glimpse into their artistic minds.

To February 15, 2026. Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. Book your tickets

Encounters: Giacometti. Barbican Centre

A great win for contemporary women creatives, Encounters: Giacometti, the Barbican Centre's new ongoing group exhibition, puts the haunting sculptural oeuvre of the legendary 20th-century Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman, and printmaker in dialogue with that of Pakistani-American artist Huma Bhabha (May), Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum (Septemer), and American artist Lynda Benglis (February 2026) in one of 2025's top art exhibitions in London. Uniting these seemingly unrelated talents is the skillfulness with which they charge their chosen mediums with an essence of their own, molding them into shape to give life to figures, objects, and environments that feel at once familiar and alienating, comforting and deeply disturbing. Informed by Giacometti's fragilely beautiful production, which echoed the horror and humour, the hopelessness and faith at the heart of both world wars, their contributions to Encounters lift the veil on issues surrounding our right to exist, the consequences of global conflicts, and the relief we can find in artistic expression.

To May 24, 2026. Barbican Centre, Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS. Plan your visit

FAQs

How Do We Pick the Best Design and Art Exhibitions in London?

I have said it before and I say it again: our curation of the best design and art exhibitions in London wants to engage viewers through all senses while simultaneously stimulating their intellect. Each of the entries listed above stood out to me for its protagonists' masterful use of mediums as varied as photography, painting, installation, and video as well as public art, but that wasn't enough for them to be included in it. Instead, this edit of the best London exhibitions presents you with some of the most provocative creatives of our times, inviting reflection on themes as radically different as womanhood, conflict, migration, belonging, climate change, and the home.

What is the Coolest Museum in London?

Taking turns as the hosts of some of the best art exhibitions in London are world-leading institutions like Tate, which has two different location, one focused on modern and contemporary art (Tate Modern), and one platforming more ancient artistic investigations (Tate Britain); the Victoria & Albert Museum, your go-to destination for all things crafts and design, and its recently unveiled sibling institution and collection facility, the V&A East Storehouse; the Design Museum, which competes with the latter on furniture, product, and interiors authority; and the National Gallery, housing works from evergreen masters like Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Titian, and Vincent van Gogh.

Taken note of the best design and art exhibitions in London to visit this autumn and beyond yet? Great, because we've just got started. Whether you're looking for the top eateries fusing a love of food with an eye for dazzling decor or searching for the latest interiors and hospitality openings to bookmark ahead of your forthcoming escapes, our lifestyle section will fill you in on the hippest culture, restaurant, and travel destinations — and all in one click. Look out for our guide to London Design Festival 2025, too, as that's incoming.

Still after travel tips, even now that summer gives way to the colder part of the year? Trust our community of tastemakers from across the globe to point you in the right direction in our recurring insider guide series, Hidden Trails.

More often a not, there is a wall in every room that is begging for a beautifully framed piece of art. My tendency is to go oversized and centered with my wall art, really driving the focal point of the room. But I'm noticing more and more designers flipping this idea on its head and it's got me rethinking everything I thought about framing and positioning wall art.

Instead of the classic look that dominates that main bedroom wall or living room chimney breast, minimalists in particular are going for undersize frames that are hung off center. The result is subversive yet simple, making a feature of the wall without overwhelming the space. It also draws attention to the color and texture of the wall and the rest of the decor in the room - which in a minimalist scheme is either carefully considered or nonexistent.

It is a clean, minimal aesthetic that feels styled and simple - but is it easy to replicate at home? And are there any drawbacks? I asked the interior designers to find out more about this interior design trend.

What kind of room does this minimalist wall art trend suit?

The oversized, off-center look works for a minimalist scheme, and in particular, works well on a chimney breast. Where our eyes are accustomed to seeing large living room wall art, or even TVs, going small makes a statement and draws the eye. This is how designer Emily Brown of Emily Lauren Interiors has dressed this minimalist living room and fireplace.

'We love placing undersized art off-centered,' says Emily. 'The asymmetrical position adds charm and a unique, unexpected quality.' However, it's about more than just copying and pasting the look, as with most minimalist trends, it's about how it makes a room feel.'

'The size also creates an unanticipated pause, drawing you in closer to view the piece, inviting a moment of reflection,' says Emily. In this sense, framing and positioning wall art in this way is helpful to create a calming feel and turn your room into a place of sanctuary. Where large wall art might detract from the relaxing feel of a room with its bold presence, smaller frames feel intimate and cozy.

It's not just limited to living rooms, it's also a great tactic to employ when decorating bedrooms. The off-center, undersized wall art looks above a bed or bedside table too.

Are there any tricks to styling?

So how do you go about picking the perfect wall art to emulate this particular look? When going minimalist, it's more about shapes and texture instead of overtly detailed and artistic paintings. Remember that it's all about going simple and soothing with minimalism so choose a graphic pattern, linoprints or geometric shapes, and when in doubt, keep your colors muted. Black, dark browns, an inky blue and white might be a good palette to take your cues from.

In minimalist homes, I've also seen framed swatches of fabric or patterns carved from the movement of thick paint or even plaster. Going for textured art can look beautiful in a minimalist living room that must rely so much on texture to provide that necessary depth.

Don't forget that the frame is just as important. When going for wall art on this scale, the frame takes up a lot of the minimal space on offer. I like a chunky dark wood, or for a bit more glitz, a chunky gilded frame can look dramatic. But think about how your chosen frame works with your print.

If you want to recreate the look to bring a minimalist feel, avoid anything colorful and keep to those natural materials. In this example by Ursino Interiors, the look is all about the shape of the frames. The designers have also used a cluster of pieces to create interest through shape and pattern.

‘This particular wall was an opportunity to add a whimsical touch to an otherwise tailored room,’ explains Maureen Ursino from Ursino Interiors. ‘Knowing that a petite contemporary sconce sits center above a symmetrical sideboard, we opted to hang a grouping of small antique Florentine gilded mirrors to add visual interest and an unexpected bit of asymmetry.’

Think about the rest of the scheme too and how it works with the art you've selected. For that calming aesthetic, think limewash paint or micro cement walls that bring that texture and minimalist color.

Are there any drawbacks to this minimalist style?

This look might not be for everyone, however, and there are a few drawbacks. There are a few things to consider if you're thinking about going for this look. If your room is already busy and decor-filled - it might end up looking a little odd. Really, it's important to note that this look is only really for minimalist rooms that are sparse in decor and with a muted color palette.

You might also get bored of the look easily. A way to get the best of both worlds in the case of a living room mantelpiece, for example, might be to lean a larger piece of wall art against the chimney breast wall, with a smaller framed piece in front over one of the corners. I like this casual aesthetic and it mixes the two styles in a harmonious way.

3 pieces of minimalist wall art to try now

The second I saw images of this home it put a smile on my face. Art is a wonderful medium to help curate unique interiors that have true character, but here, art is not just an accessory. In this home, art is a main character that is present wherever you look, almost as if you were finding yourself in a modern gallery. 

However, the space is far removed from the pure white, harsh light brightness of a modern museum. Instead, the the modern home's decor consist of a warm palette of neutrals paired with natural materials and textures allowing for the art to stand out and breathe, while also creating an inviting, homely atmosphere around it. It’s the art that brings color to the space, while the rest of the decor grounds it. 

The home was designed for a creative duo, art lovers and collectors, who have seen their selection become a driving force behind the renovation of their property. Here, we take a closer look at their bright, light, and art-filled space. 

A bright, art-filled home full of character 

This unique art-filled Californian home is the brainchild of award-winning architecture and interior design studio Electric Bowery. Typical of the practice, it blends warmth, comfort, and a nod to its area’s unique personality. The homeowners, both creatives in the tech start-up world, are avid art collectors, whose collection was a vital part of this home transformation. 

The property, in close proximity to the hub of tech companies and film studios in Downtown Culver City, has been redecorated to feel much brighter and was infused with pops of color from pieces of fine art by the likes of Picasso, Damien Hirst, Retna, Shepard Fairey, Kaws, and Banksy. 

'We worked with the client’s incredible art collection as a starting point that inspired both color palette and form in the interior design decisions,' explains Daniella Gohari, design director at Electric Bowery. 'For example, in the dining room, the graphic black & white piece with shimmering highlights by Retna inspired a more geometric selection for the chandelier over the dining table.'

With such artworks to display, the right lighting was an important factor. While the lighting design from the likes of Lindsey Adelman, Apparatus, and Rich Brilliant Willing brings a more contemporary touch to the project and complements the curation of the fine art collection as sculptures in their own right, it doesn’t take away any of the coziness of the space. 

Displayed on a background of warm whites and natural materials and textures, the wall art and lights don’t feel overwhelming at all - they complement each other and complete the rooms for a relaxed, retreat-like vibe. 'The living spaces are designed with soothing color palettes to serve as the subtle backdrop for some of the more vibrant colors in the art pieces,' explains Daniella.

A design that creates a comfortable retreat feel 

Any space designed to feel like a retreat will find itself amongst beautiful surroundings. This home is nestled in the charmingly green and sun-filled hillside of the Blair Hills Neighbourhood, with spectacular views of downtown LA. Inside, a classic Californian aesthetic complements the vast display of artwork. 

Light walnut wood ceilings are balanced by polished warm grey concrete floors. The interior design flows from a mid-century aesthetic, with warm, hand-hewn touches in the millwork and furniture selections. Off-white tones and textures of linen, leather, and stone add depth and interest to this neutral scheme without competing for attention and keeping an atmosphere of quiet luxury. To complete the retreat feel, a sun-drenched pool deck overlooks the beautiful city views. 

The recipe for this home’s success is the delicately balanced mix of a warm color palette, natural textures and materials that add depth and a sensory feel to the space, carefully chosen lighting, and a unique curation of artworks that add pops of color and make this home truly characterful and special.  

'In close collaboration with the homeowners, we worked to create an art plan in which the pieces spoke to one another and worked in harmony, both in terms of scale and palette,' Daniella tells us. 'Some of the most visually striking pieces were selected in the main living spaces while more conceptual pieces were located in quieter rooms within the house.'

Recreate the look of this art-filled home with these buys 

Even compared to negotiating a layout or creating a balanced palette in a scheme, figuring out how to coordinate wall art in a room can be one of the trickiest tasks of interior design. No one wants a ready-made gallery wall that lacks personality and style – but if you have a well-curated collection of artwork that doesn't necessarily have a thread that ties it all together, making these pieces work together in one space can be a challenge.

Whether you're browsing for living room wall decor ideas or just want to know how to style your favorite pieces together, we've chatted to interior designers to get their advice on curating a cohesive look.

Why should you coordinate your wall art?

Of course, any scheme should look like it's been created with some thought, but can an art collection feel too matchy-matchy – or too disordered? The designers we spoke to agreed that there's a balance to strike here to achieve a wall art display that feels curated, but still has personality.

'I like to think that artworks that are paired in the same room have a “conversation” with each other,' says Liz Lidgett, a Des Moines-based art gallery owner. 'I am never worried about matching my artwork because, just as with two different people, the conversation becomes more interesting when there are differences. When I am curating, however, I like to have a common thread – maybe it’s a similar color, energy or style that's carried throughout.'

The best coordinated wall art will take time to achieve, too, says California-based interior designer Pat Del Gavio. 'An art collection should take a long time to curate: when art feels too put together, it can be a result of buying art all at once that is all similar,' she says. 'Working with a gallery that showcases art with your style is a great place to start: they can guide you to other artists and help create a beautiful collection.'

'Personally, I love to have a variety of styles and mediums of art in a room,' adds Ashley Macuga, principal designer of Californian practice Collected Interiors. 'I think that an abstract painting gets more attention if it is balanced by photography or vice versa. A vintage piece of art can feel new again when placed adjacent to a more modern piece. Some of the greatest museums in the world celebrate all genres of art – and so can your home.'

How to coordinate wall art in a room

First things first: there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to coordinating artwork, says Los Angeles-based interior designer Victoria Holly. However, 'Our rule of thumb is to stick to at least one common ground to keep the look cohesive – frame finish and style, art medium, art colors, or art style.' Here are our designers' top tips on tying your pieces together.

1. Curate by color

Coordinating your wall art by deciding on a palette is one of the easiest ways to start your scheme. 'A color palette is a good place to start,' says Toronto interior designer Gillian Gillies. 'For example, a past client had several pieces with sentimental value that had been in different rooms in her old home. We reimagined them together and all looked amazing. Several have a gorgeous hit of salmon pink and so all work well even if the content and sizes are quite varied.'

'At a minimum the artwork in a room should speak to one of the colors in a room,' agrees Sarah Kruse of Storie Designs. 'Even if it's just a pop of color pulled in from small accent pieces – a throw, pillows, or a sculpture – there should be some connection with the art and the space it resides in.'

Even in a colorful living room, a limited palette for your art can help pieces visually relate to each other, says New York-based designer Rebecca Robertson. 'One of our favorites is what we call a “color neutral” palette,' she adds. 'It has a strong base of creams, tans, and browns, but also includes cinnamon and army green.'

2. Work within a theme

Pieces with disparate colors can coordinate if they're united by a theme. 'I always like to keep a theme in mind when creating a scheme for a client – something to lead the direction of the room,' says London-based interior designer Natalia Miyar. 'It can be something as simple as calm colors or something splashy like pop art, but as long as you lead your design with that in mind, the final look will be cohesive and edited.'

'I do love a subtle theme as well,' says Liz Lidgett. 'I had clients who collected artwork that had the number two represented in various ways (two canvases, two objects in the pieces, etc.) and then when they had their first child they started collection artwork with number three represented. The best collections are naturally cohesive because it’s artwork that was special to that particular client. The client becomes the tie that binds it all together.'

3. Mix and match frames

Whether or not the art itself feels coordinated, the choosing a picture frame can make all the difference in creating a united scheme. 'Cohesive framing can really elevate a room,' says Liz Lidgett. '“Intentional” is the word I love to use — I want a collection to feel like someone thought about it and coordinating frame can help you achieve that. I try to stick to around three styles. Lately, I have been seeing a trend in patterned or painted matts and I think that can be a fun way to help coordinate as well.'

You can use the same frames for every piece – it all depends on the room, the artwork, and what you feel works best. 'There are projects where I prefer uniform framing and there are others where an eclectic group of frames works best,' adds Natalia Miyar. 'I love to source beautiful frames both new and vintage. Layers can be added through the framing and really help finalize a designed space.'

4. Play with scale

Experimenting with size and scale can help provide a point of difference for artwork united in theme or color, making a scheme feel far more interesting and layered. 'I love having different scaled art; groupings and large canvases, framed art, and just pulled canvases,’ says Susan Spath, principal designer at Kern & Co.

Using scale also draws on a key element of interior design: working with the white space in between pieces. 'It is important to consider how each piece works in concert and mixing size, scale and mediums is crucial,' adds Santa Monica-based designer Sarah Rosenhaus. 'It’s OK to mix different styles of art in the same space as long as each piece has its own space. Negative space with art is just as critical as groupings: many pieces are more striking when hung solo.'

How to position coordinating wall art within a room

Of course, where you place your wall art can have a huge bearing on how coordinated pieces feel. 'Clever positioning can take your art coordination to new heights,' says Lina Galvao of Cos Cob, Connecticut studio Curated Nest. 'Use a bold piece as the main attraction, surround it with complementary works, arrange pieces symmetrically on opposite walls or around a center point, and thoughtfully place artwork to guide the viewer's eye, creating a sense of connection.'

Aside from creating a gallery wall (more on that later), there are other ways to display living room wall art that feel interesting and even a little out of the box. 'I think it’s all about the room and your style,' says Liz Lidgett. 'You can go for large art or you can artfully play with negative space. I am a true believer in learning the rules so you can break them. It’s fun to think outside of the box on art placement like on a window frame or above a door. If you have an art buying obsession, like me, it’s also handy to look to these unusual spots as you start to run out of wall space!'

If you prefer a more traditional approach to displaying wall art, you can use the height of your pieces to create coordination, says Rebecca Robertson. 'The mistake we see the most often is artwork hung way too high,' she explains. '57”-60” from the floor to the center of the piece is ideal – it’s a rule of thumb we learned from galleries and museums and is based on the standard eye height of the average person. If you hang your pieces at the same height, you can create a datum (or horizon line) that remains consistent to make the space feel naturally more considered.'

Though many gallery walls ideas feel a little overworked by now, they can still play an important part in a scheme – and are particularly handy if you have a larger collection. They can also help with the positioning of other art: the opposite wall might be a good place for a larger standalone piece, for example.

'A gallery wall is largely about trial and error, but there are a few rules of thumb,' says Sarah Kruse. 'I would suggest having no more than three types of frames for the same gallery wall, and keep the same distance between all the pieces of art, usually somewhere between 1"-2". Try to alternate large pieces with small ones, and mix and match the pieces that have different frames throughout. Ultimately, you want to think about balance – two small pieces can balance one large, or two large pieces on the ends with smaller pieces in the middle can create simple symmetry.'

'When a gallery wall is placed above a piece of furniture, it's helpful to use its height and color as a reference point for starting,' says Gillian Gillies. 'You want some connection in color between what is on the wall and what is anchoring it; you also want your eye to be guided to where it's supposed to be led. You need a blend of starring roles and understudies: some pieces are simply there as fillers and not as statements. A mix of photography, oil, and watercolors all blend beautifully, as does a mix of frames.'

When moving to this apartment in Kyiv, its new art business owner only brought a few pieces of furniture and a vintage rug with him to set the tone for his new home. After 10 years of living in Copenhagen, the client, an American art collector and founder of WT Art Foundation bought the apartment and requested the help of architect Yevheniia Dubrovska to make this into a comfortable modern home where he could work, entertain and spend some moments of peace. 

'It was important to me to make this interior feel like it might have existed 20 years ago,' says Yevheniia. 'Without all the gloss, we were able to bring about the novelty, coziness, and emotional balance into the space. I used traditional, earthy materials as the background and enriched the space with expressive accents like splashes of color, stucco work, moldings, and arches.'

This is how it turned out. 

Kitchen 

The house is divided into two zones: the public zone comprises a living room, kitchen, home office, guest room, and laundry, and the private zone has the main bedroom, and a bathroom.

Drenched in muted tones and complemented with natural materials, the modern kitchen is truly the heart of the home. 

'The client's wish was to use local materials in this house,' says Yevheniia. 'That is how Ukrainian granite appeared on the kitchen tabletop and the window sills. The wooden parquet is also local.'

What also sets this space, and the rest of the home apart is the high ceilings, sophisticated storage systems, and radial shapes, all without any unnecessary visual noise. 

Simple timber cabinets conceal plenty of storage, which allows for an uncluttered, minimalist kitchen. 'The crown moldings are specially designed for this space, but they resemble the original moldings that used to be a feature in this old building,' says Yevheniia. 

The kitchen leads to a a guest bedroom and a compact home office through a door made according to the designer's sketches. 

Living room

The beautiful crown molding continues into the elegant living room setup. The space is punctuated with oversized artworks, juxtaposed with long, comfortable sofas that encourage naps, and are large enough to fit several people while socializing. 

'We chose larger-than-life artworks as they fit visually into this double-height room,' says Yevheniia. 'The size and colors inject an impressive accent into the space.'

The living room furniture pieces, along with the others in the house are light in visuals, while the decor is bold, large, and emotive. 'I like to work with roomy interiors, create elements that are large scale, and design with bold strokes,' says Yevheniia.

Guest bedroom

The guest bedroom is a calm, relaxed space featuring toned-down hues and a low bed – a major feature in this house. The headboard is made in MDF and painted over. 

Simple yet elegant lighting pieces dot the space, and the wooden flooring underlines the cozy interior scheme.

'All the artworks present in the rooms were brought to the apartment by the client,' says Yevheniia. 'In fact, you can find and purchase them in WT art Foundation where he presents artists from all over the world.'

Guest bathroom

A fluted glass door leads into the compact yet functional guest bathroom. This is yet another space where simplicity and high style reign. Dark tones wall tiles are juxtaposed with the shower area, showing functional separations within the space.

The small bathroom flooring is in herringbone oak parquet, laid by a local Ukrainian workshop, while the ceramic tiles in the shower are by Marazzi.

Hallway

The narrow hallway, full of personality, connects from the living room and leads into the more private sections of the home; the main bedroom and bathroom. 

'The blue hallway links the common and the private areas,' says Yevheniia. 'While passing it, you feel an energetic boost. Also, the blue color emphasizes the arch shape of the door. The other bright accents along the wall are contemporary art. The entire apartment's walls are covered with works from young artists spanning the globe.'

Main bedroom

The  apartment's modern bedroom is a wood-dominated, warm, and cozy room, with a low bed, and a compact seating section. A large Persian rug covers the sleeping area, almost zoning it.  All lighting pieces were sourced from local retailers in Kyiv. Plenty of sunshine enters the room via several windows but modulated by blinds. 

'We tried almost ten variations of beds with different heights for this space,' says Yevheniia. 'And then we finally zeroed in on this space as it suited the room's dimensions and was loved by the client as well.'

Right behind the bed is a large, customized solid wood bedroom storage unit, that acts as a partition between the bedroom and the bathroom. The unit in wood complements the natural tones and materiality of the sleeping space, and even the flooring in the master bathroom.

The unit is multifunctional as it holds wardrobes and plenty of drawers and storage niches, with doors that almost merge into the design. The large unit ensures that the room remains clutter-free and easy to use. 

Main bathroom

'The master bathroom is minimalistic and almost sterile,' says Yevheniia. 'It resembles a pure marble cube. It has a big window that brings in daylight with a clever addition of a movable mirror on the rail that can cover the window and create privacy during long showers.'

'In terms of materiality, we chose to juxtapose marble and wood as it is a classic combination that looks beautiful and elegant,' says Yevheniia.

The room has wet and dry areas, with the bathing area built on a platform, ensuring the rest of the bathroom remains dry and moisture-free. 

All in all, the home is a picture of tranquillity and peace. 'This was a charming project to work on,' says Yevheniia. 'Apart from the fact that the client wanted to move into his new apartment as fast as possible, with tight deadlines, we didn't face any challenge working on it.'

More projects by Yevheniia Dubrovska.

Deciding whether you should custom frame your art comes down to a number of factors, including price and how much protection the piece requires.If the artwork is delicate, an atypical size, or worth a lot to you - whether in monetary or sentimental value - then custom framing should be considered.

It's also a great way to really elevate a piece to a statement focal point, especially when part of a gallery wall.

'Choosing a custom or bespoke frame for your art is an easy way to update a piece,' says Katie Lion, Senior Interior Designer at Kitesgrove. 'Whether the existing frame looks tired, or doesn’t quite work with the rest of your space, custom framing allows you to personalize artwork to uniquely suit your tastes and the space the artwork will be situated in.'

How to decide if you should custom frame your artwork

1. Seek advice from a professional framer

'A frame can make or break a picture, so I would only ever use an experienced framer who has lots of samples to hand and can show you – as much as possible – how the end result will look,' says interior designer Irene Gunter founder of Gunter & Co. 'It also never hurts to do your own research. Look for inspirational ways that other pieces have been framed. Take note of colors, proportion and scale. Be open to new ideas.'

Irene adds: 'Think beyond the basic mount and frame; you could have a gold or fabric trim between the picture and the mount, for example, or you could even have a stepped mount in different colors. The options are endless, and your framer will be able to to talk you through them all.'

2. Consider if the artwork is delicate or expensive

When it comes to how to choose a picture frame, custom framing is a worthy investment if your artwork is an original or was particularly pricey. Or if it's delicate in any way.

Artwork can be prone to fading or sun damage, so it's good idea to consider UV protection glass to prevent this from happening.

Irene Gunter says: 'If you have precious or delicate pictures, particularly if they’re in danger of fading in a sunny room, be sure to discuss UV protection glass with your framer.'

3. Due to where the artwork will be hung

Is you artwork going in a dark, cocooning snug or a bright, airy room filled with sunlight? If your piece is going to be in direct light, it may need that extra layer of UV protection glass.

You may also want to consider investing in non-glare, museum-quality glass if your piece is going to be in a naturally light room so you can fully appreciate it.

'We often specify low-reflection glass,' says Irene Gunter. 'This minimizes the light reflected from the glass and stops the artwork from looking like a giant mirror. Low-reflection glass can get pricey, so it's a good idea to know where you're going to hang the piece to decide whether it's worth splashing out.'

4. The size of the piece

If you intend to invest in a super-sized statement piece of art don't forget to consider the fact that it will likely need to be custom framed as shop-bought frames generally come in standard sizes only.

It's a good idea to check online before you buy to make sure standard framing fits your piece if you are not keen to splurge on custom framing.

5. Remember that custom framing is an art in itself

Custom framing is an artisanal process that requires skilled craftsmen to carry out the job. This means that it is not usually cheap. 

However, do remember that framing is an art itself, and it's well worth the investment if you have an expensive or delicate piece that needs protecting to ensure it lasts for years to come.

Custom framing can also transform an artwork, with savvy style choices helping to enhance and bring a piece to life even further.

Cat Dal, of Cat Dal Interiors, says: 'There are so many fantastic new shapes/textures/finishes on frames these days, they can be just as much a feature as the art itself.  Recently we used vintage woven rattan frames on some watercolor postcards from Singapore, and placed them in a vertical row above one another in a bathroom - this helped cement the scene and atmosphere for the room.'

Is custom framing necessary?

'Custom framing can elevate what could be a very ordinary print into something extraordinary,' says Irene Gunter. 'Obviously, these kinds of frames don’t come cheap, so depending on your budget, perhaps it’s not a solution for every piece of art. However, it’s certainly worth the investment for hero pieces.'

How do I choose the right art frame?

Artwork frames can come in variety of textures, finishes and colors, which means they can be as bold or pared-back as you wish.

Try mixing styles for an interesting pairing. Kitesgrove's Kate Lion says: 'Juxtaposing a modern frame with traditional artwork or vice versa can create an intriguing contrast, and it is always important to ensure that the two complement each other so that the quality of both the artwork and frame isn’t compromised.' 

She adds: 'For larger pieces we prefer to use a more simple frame, bringing the artwork to the forefront and allowing the artwork to be the focus.'

Irene Gunter advises speaking to your framer about getting creative. She says: 'People typically gravitate towards standard colors for their frames, even though there are millions of other options. This is where an experienced framer will come into their own. They will be able to advise you on color and get the exact shade you want.

'And, remember, you don’t have to restrict yourself to one color. For example, the front of the frame could be silver while the edges are white or green. It pays to be creative. The end result will look truly unique.'

And Cat Dal says: 'For areas requiring a little playful touch, or a punch of color, we recommend a glossy wavy frame or bobbin frame to take the artwork to the next level.

'We always take advice from professional framers, in terms of concerns about sunlight glass suitability, so I recommend spending time at your local framers describing your space and ambitions for the art.

'For large scale pieces I recommend a large mount, and the frame itself matching the wall color, so the art commands the attention.'

Wall art trends tend not to be a flash in the pan in the way that some interior design trends are – art is often, after all, a significant investment. However, there are still moods and mediums that feel of the moment when it comes to art, as with any part of our home. From textured tapestries, interesting ways of displaying, to an abstract use of color, these trends can take many forms. 

Art is a great way to lift your interiors and bring a touch of color, texture, or personality to your home. It can give a contrasting or complementary pop of color to complete a decorating scheme, and really give a flavor of personality of the homeowners. 'Do you have art?' is always my first question when designing interiors,' says designer Amy Lau. 'Then it’s about building the design around the art to hand and building a story.'

Designer Natalia Miyar too uses art in her schemes as a great way of adding color. 'Living surrounded by both color and art is very important to me,' she says, 'as both can make a strong statement in your home.' For the latest interior design trends in the world of art, we've spoke to the designers who use art in all its forms as a fundamental element of their schemes.

What are the latest wall art trends?

As interiors continues to embrace color, with a move from beiges and greys to jewel-tones and warm, monochromatic schemes, so to will artwork, finds designer, Natalia Miyar. 'Although a neutral wall is wonderful for art, the juxtaposition of a bold artwork against a wall is incredibly effective,' she says. In terms of specific colors, Natalia is drawn to pink. 'It's always been one of my preferred colors to use, I use pink as a neutral, it's so much more interesting than beige or taupe. 

Natalia also finds architectural and abstract styles of art a big part of her recent designs. 'I love the architectural style of Cuban artist Gustavo Acosta, whose artwork I have hanging above my sofa. I also discovered a Los Angeles-based artist called Hiejin Yoo a couple of years ago, whose work I absolutely love and we actually ended up using one of her pieces in an apartment I designed in Battersea Power Station. Her work is defined by abstracted pops of color and bold layered marks.' 

1. Vintage neon signs

Neon signs and brightly lit artwork have been around since the 60s, originally used as a form of advertisements, with fluorescent lighting typically clad on the outside of buildings or factories across the world. For those mid-century or 70s inspired interiors, neon is just the ticket to adding a bit of character and retro charm to a scheme. It has been around for a while, but goes in and out of interiors fashion. At the moment, when approached cautiously and tastefully, it's definitely seeing a resurgence. 

'Neon is such a fun way to create visual interest with a literal pop of color,' explains designer Molly Torres Portnof of Date Interiors, who designed this artistic space in her own home. 

'It's true that it's been popular for some time, but it's seen a boom due to the pandemic and most recently, TikTok. This neon sign in this space was custom made seven years ago, designed for my husband, brought to life by the talented Endeavour Neon team. My husband is a big fan of neon, and I knew it would bring an energy to our home.' 

2. Textured tapestries

Texture, fabrics, wall hangings and tapestries are also having a moment in the spotlight. While they may usually be associated with the more traditional interior look, from the likes of the late Robert Kime, tapestries are giving a different look altogether in a modern setting. 

'Lately, we have been collecting a lot of textiles: patchwork, old Asian textiles, tapestries, and it is our current personal preference for decorating the home,' explains Pablo López Navarro of Casa Josephine.

In this project, the design house opted for textiles as a central theme in the decoration, the impact being warmth, coziness and depth. It is an apartment in central Madrid for a young aeronautical engineer who wanted an elegant sleek chrome and mirror 1970s look. For a unique bedroom wall art idea, the designers chose a Flemish tapestry from the 1600s designed by Jacob Jordaens, who worked with Rubens. This fragment shows Odysseus and Nausicaa, from Homer’s Odyssey.

'It is a combination of the texture, the fact that they are hand made and the fact that they have not been in fashion in residential decoration for a long time what makes tapestries an interesting form of wall art at the moment,' says Pablo.

'We used to see them in country palaces or cottages and in very traditional styles. We wanted to show in this project that tapestries do mix well with modern pieces.'

3. Line drawn frescos

Why not banish the framing altogether and use your wall as a blank canvas for a beautiful and interesting fresco? The artist, Florence Bamberger was commissioned for this tasteful wall mural by art and interior curator, Joséphine Fossey Office. Line drawings are a popular style of art - simple and minimalist, they give an effortless sense of style to a room, and look great in the form of a mural.

'The mural evokes the surroundings of the house - the Alpilles mountains, the village of Les Baux de Provence, the staircases and arcades, the quarry of rocks just nearby, the terracotta of the baked earth of the region, but also the environment of the house: the umbrella pine shadow in the beautiful garden and the chosen furniture.

'Graphically, I wanted to express the lightness of Jean Cocteau's line drawings, who was strongly inspired by the region.'

'I think Fresco line drawings are a way to have a unique artwork in your home. The art becomes architectural. Interior becomes truly artistic, graphic, unique.

4. Abstract and colorful

Going for abstract and color is all the rage in the art world, with big, block color prints lightening up a scheme in an instant. For Celine Erlam from Indie & Co, this trend is deep-rooted in psychology, and how our wall art makes us feel. 

'We tend to choose art based on the emotional reaction we get from it and the colors within it. Currently, clients are looking for colors to be uplifted,' she explains. 

Going for the colorful look isn't just about going random though, think carefully about how color and shape match your room, or build a scheme around the colors in the wall art. 'They need to either work with the color scheme or purposely stand out and create a point of interest,' advises Celine.

This design is from San Francisco-based design firm, ABD STUDIO.

5. Go colorful to brighten an otherwise subdued palette

If you are going for a neutral color scheme, wall art trends dictate that you should balance and contrast a paired backspace with a jolt of color, as seen in this design from Maed Quin, where a Damien Hurst piece brings a white room to life. 

'Colorful art is the perfect complement to restrained interiors,' says Mead Quin. 'When keeping the interior palette neutral and timeless, one can enjoy expression through their selection of and investment in art. Whether a renowned artist, or someone who is emerging, the blank canvas walls leave it open to all possibilities of personal meaning and expression through art.'

6. Establishing your own collection

More and more, wall art trends are all about establishing your own art collection, and not conforming to big name pieces that you might have seen in galleries. Instead, think about what speaks to you, don't shy away from picking more affordable art from charity shops and trinket or antique stores - if it's something you like, don't worry that it won't match your interiors and display it confidently. It's about telling your story, where you've been, why you own a specific piece, and confidently telling the world that this is your style. 

This is the colorful NYC apartment of Kati Curtis of Kati Curtis Design, who advocates this approach when it comes to art. 

'I don’t necessarily have the budget our clients do for collecting art, so all these pieces are ones I’ve collected over the years, and that have meaning to me,' she explains. 

'Some are from artists whose studios I’ve visited, and others are pieces I’ve picked up through art dealer friends and antique stores. I chose my own art for diversity and what speaks to me aesthetically, not necessarily what’s going to match my décor, as that changes over time, and I tend to move art around from room to room.'

7. Go for ceramic wall art

Tastefully hanging ceramics, plates and bowls is precarious business but is a popular look, bringing a touch of a rustic farmhouse aesthetic without going too twee, and giving texture, seen in the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Montecito home, where blue and white ceramic plates lined the walls in perfect unison. It's an achievable look in your home too. You may already have a few plates with pretty designs that are wasted on shelves, unseen and forgotten about, so give them a new lease of life on the walls. 

'The plates on wall trend is all about bringing back memories of traditional decoration, but keeping it modern,' says Pablo López Navarro of Casa Josephine.

'They transmit a feeling of casualness, of relaxation and of local crafts. The look is relaxed, light and effortless -which is what we like to see now in our homes.'

'We picked those plates because they are local (Mediterranean) and colorful. We love handmade ceramics.'

8. Tongue in cheek wall art

Ultimately, wall art trends are currently all about pieces that are a bit tongue-in-cheek and playful, playing to the wider trend for kitsch, 60s/70s-style furniture, and ultimately providing people with pieces that are humorous and uplifting.

This design is by Studio HÁM, using the iconic Campbell's Soup Andy Warhol look but subverted and full of color for a fun kitchen interior.

'Art has always been a passion,' explains Tom Cox of HÁM interiors. 'I started out buying wooden signs and vintage fishing trophies which has evolved into sourcing art with my sister Kate for our shop. We source works by collectible artists to mix with antique finds like duck decoys and old shop signs. 

'We like how this mix of different styles and mediums along with shelves displaying intriguing decorative pieces gives a look that is elegant and eclectic.'

How to frame your wall art in a modern way

The trend for mismatched framing of your favorite art pieces is showing no signs of slowing down. Bringing character, and allowing each of your pieces to truly stand out, frames in all shapes, sizes and colors add real interest. It also demonstrates a true understanding of your art - and you can have fun picking out pops of color that you might want to highlight with the frame. 'The frame is almost an extension to the art itself,' says Kit Kemp.

'Be adventurous with your choice of frames,' encourages Natascha Dartnall, founder and creative director of ND Studios. 'Mixing different frames it will give each piece its own identity. 

Also think about the white space between the frame and the image. Sometimes, the white of the mount can take away from the painting. Sometimes, it may require a lot of white spacing to draw more attention to the subject matter - or simply to fit the frame you have to hand. 'By framing a piece of art with a mount, you will have enough white space to allow the pieces to breathe and avoid an overly cluttered display.' This example is from Studio HÁM.

Creativity is king when designing for kids' room, and the right wall decor ideas can truly help curate a space that is fun, playful, and inspiring. Of course, it has its challenges. Finding a style that will suit your child's room for as long as possible is tricky, but wall decor is an easy-to-change way to embrace whimsical design while they're still young. 

Experiment with fun wall art, paints, wallpapers, to even wall storage to enhance the kid's room. Take a look at these amazingly designed spaces, and get cracking.

10 kids room wall decor ideas you can steal

1. Add a fun, patterned wallpaper to induce color

In the kid's bedroom, wallpaper can do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to introducing fun. Choose a wallpaper that appeals to them, and don't be afraid of large motifs and bright hues. While designing a kid's room, choose one wall to decorate with a bold design, or go all-in with a wallpapered room, like this design by interior design brand Run for the Hills. 

'In this kid's room we installed a full wallpaper, and turned a boxy room into a real adventure,' says Anna Burles, founder of Run For The Hills. 'For a twist, we could have used wallpaper just ‘above’ a dado, or we could have had a higher picture rail to contain the feature. Initially, we intended to just use the wall behind the beds as the feature wall, to really ‘zone’ the headboards (also because it was the first view as you walk into the room). And to have a coordinating paint shade on the other walls and cool fabric for the curtains. But then we decided to maximize it up and do all walls and it looked fab.'

2. Try a wall mural

Sure, the walls can play dress-up with kids' artworks and drawings but to give the room a more dramatic look, try a wall mural .

To keep it stylish, avoid passing fads like designs based on your child's favorite characters or toys, and look to modern wall decor with a playful edge. This forest mural used by interior designer Benni Amadi is a great example of how a mural can be used to elevate a room's design and add some magic. 

'Along with the raised platform bed, this mural evokes the feeling of teetering among the branches of an enchanted forest,' Benni explains. 

3. Add two tone paints for a dynamic look

Create an eye-catching bedroom accent wall with two colors for instant contrast and architectural interest - a modern way to add dimension to a room.

If you're planning on painting the room yourself, first determine the height of your paint line, measuring from the ceiling down. Once you've decided how you want to divide the colors on the wall, tape it off using painter's tape and a level, and start painting. If you're struggling to line up the paint, use an existing feature in the room, like the door frame, chair rail, or fireplace mantel as a guide. 

In this design, while the two colors on the wall look dynamic, the green locker cabinet adds a wonderful color block. The same hues are reflected in the bedspread, creating a charming scape.

4. Bring in a large decorative headboard

If you're not looking to install wall decor pieces or add nails to the walls of your rental, then a great way to add design drama to a kid or teenager's bedroom is with a large headboard. The bed is the most important piece of furniture in a bedroom, so deserves the most attention. One way to make a statement, and in the process create a fun accent wall, is to choose a tall or interestingly-shaped headboard. 

To make sitting up in bed comfortable for the young ones, you could choose from tufted panels, leather designs, or suede, to silk headboards. 

'The brief for this home was to create spaces that were on-trend yet timeless, soft and pretty but not too feminine,' says Emma Gurner, founder of Folds Inside. 'There is a play with shapes and graphic lines, for example, the bespoke circular headboard (made by Jo Ray of Beautifully Made Things) and the architectural prints.'

5. Use the walls to personalize a shared bedroom

If your children are sharing rooms, the chances are they're constantly fighting over space, storage, and "their side of the room". While it may be difficult to eke out entirely different spaces for both in the bedroom, one way to let them personalize it is by allowing them to use the walls as their canvas. 

From hanging name plates, and their favorite posters or choice of artwork, they can create clear separation in the room. 

'We opted to go with more mature furniture pieces in this space so there is a solid foundation in the room as the kids continue to get older,' says Lindye Galloway, founder, and chief creative officer, at Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop of this shared room design. 'The youthful spirit is kept in the room through playful sheets and colorful flag decor. Both of these are easy to change, making it the perfect space for teens as their interests begin to shift.'

6. Use the walls to display colorful books

Make the kid's toy storage or bookshelves into an accent piece in the room. Displaying your kids' favorite books alongside interesting curios will not only bring personality to your home, but it will also surely bring a smile to their faces.

Choose floating shelves that not only offer storage but also double as a display unit. This will teach the kids that there's a place for everything and that every time they finish reading a paperback, it needs to go back up on the shelf. 

Add a little table below, like in this image, to create a reading corner. Make this space full of fun and wonder. Perhaps even add a toy basket so they know that all the fun needs to be concentrated in only one section of the room. 

7. Add artworks to fill up the wall

An obvious place to display kids' artwork is in their rooms. You could try different techniques for display, perhaps a pegboard, clothespins that attach pictures to twine for an inexpensive solution, or a photo rail. If the child's bedroom opens up to a hallway, you could create a casual gallery wall to showcase their latest work. 

8. Try this fun idea for displaying toys 

While thinking of how differently you can use elements in the kids room, one way to add an interesting touch to the walls is by displaying action figures or toys. Consider a fun kids room paint idea, and add a small ledge to keep all the toys.

This can be fun for the kids as their favorite figurines are always at arms length, should they wish to have a little playtime in bed before sleeping. Also, by keeping all these figures out, you can ensure that they don't get lost or are broken inside the depths of toy storage cabinets or containers.

9. Or even a fun swing 

Extra seating, a perching place with books, or simply a place to hide from the home's commotion, a swing, or a hanging chair in the bedroom can make time at home so much fun. 

Hanging chairs are relatively easy to set up as all you need is a sturdy beam or fixture attached to the ceiling from where the chains or ropes are hung. 

From cane, and wood, to cotton hammocks or ropes, choose organic materials for the bedroom swing.

10. Don't forget the fifth wall

A painted ceiling provides the perfect opportunity to draw the eye upward, especially helpful when the room has small dimensions. Color on the so-called 'fifth wall' can do wonders – most of all, create the perfect distraction, making you forget the square footage of the room and concentrate on its vertical gains. 

This is also a great way to spark children's imagination as they go to bed, and look up to notice the ceiling. Consider a galaxy design or a woodland scene, ensuring a fun time during the day and a good night's sleep full of fascinating dreams. 

'Our inspiration for this space was inspired by an idealized campsite in a magical forest,' says Mark Lavender, principal designer of M. Lavender Interiors. 'We used a Persian rug and large cushions like Aladdin or Ali Baba for the floor surrounded by a forest and topped off with the mural on the ceiling of a starry night with comets etc. The light fixture acted as the moon for space. This created a dreamy space for our client’s daughter.'

What should I put up on the playroom walls?

You can experiment with several fun ideas when it comes to playroom walls. From paints, wallpapers, and murals to, artworks or even brightly-painted storage units, the possibilities are unlimited.

A great piece of kids' bedroom advice is to ensure that the room is one they can grow up in. This means, making the room's design malleable or changeable so that when they get older, they can change up the interiors the way they like.  One great alternative to paint or wallpaper, for instance, is decals. They are simply stuck on the walls and can be removed when needed.

Same way, use pegboards or rails to suspend things from walls so the displays can be changed over time. A chalkboard paint means that whatever is written, painted, or drawn can be wiped clean, every day if needed.

It's easy to get stuck for bedroom wall art ideas. That space over your headboard is tailor-made for displaying a beautiful frame or wall-hanging, but deciding on exactly what it should be is the challenge. What size should it be? Where should it be positioned? What style of art? These are all questions that are worth asking and that, if you find the right answer toe, will make sure that your wall art heightens your bedroom's style, not diminish it. 

After all, some bedroom wall decor ideas are more pedestrian than others. Really your choice of art should serve to enhance the rest of your scheme. If you're looking for something more unusual and exciting to use as a frame of reference for your own design, here we've curated a micro gallery of ideas for designers who use bedroom walls as a canvas to experiment with art. 

Bedroom wall art ideas from interior designers 

So what makes for good subject matter for bedroom wall art? 'Bedrooms should feel like a retreat,' says Kelsey McGregor, founder and principal of the Kelsey Leigh Design Co. 'I tend to choose art that evokes a feeling of rest, whether that be abstract landscapes, or textured/neutral paintings.'

Rest is, of course, an abstract that different people experience in different ways, but it's a good place to start, if a restful bedroom is something you're looking for. 

1. Choose calm, but interesting pieces 

Calm doesn't have to mean boring of course, rather just that it sets a tone for a space that's meant to be for sleep. Think about colors in artwork the same as you would calming paint colors for bedrooms, and look for pieces that have a stillness about them, over those that make you feel a sense of energy.  

In this bedroom design by Los Angeles and London-based design studio Stelly Selway, a contrasting duo of wall art adds a focal point to the room, but doesn't feel intrusive. 'The large scale art we commissioned for this primary bedroom by Carla Cascales was calming, serene and tonal, we wanted it to feel like the room was enveloped in warmth,' explains interior designer and cofounder Tanya Selway. 'Carla is an emerging painter from Barcelona and our clients were interested in investing in a piece that would become part of their collection.'

2. Think beyond frames and canvases 

There's a world outside of two-dimensional wall art, and above a bed is a great place to get creative. Wall hangings and other items put on display can bring texture and form to a bedroom that a frame often just can't. 

Take this bedroom design by Jessica Gersten Interiors as an example, where a chain-link style net has been used to decorate over the bed. 'In the primary junior bedroom, I wanted something sculptural and with form, not a framed piece,' explains principal designer Jessica Gersten. 'This is a beach home so I wanted something airy and open at the same time.' 

This wall art has a tactile quality to it that complements this neutral bedroom, adding interest and a contrasting tone that adds some impact to the room, without overwhelming it. 

Another off-beat idea is with bedroom wall panel ideas. Wall moldings, or thin wooden slats when arranged aesthetically in the room can double as art and make a room come alive.

3. Think creatively about hanging art 

'Your bedroom should feel as unique as you are,' says interior designer Cortney Bishop, and this design, though a set in the designer's studio, is full of unusual ideas. An oversized pegboard creates a base from which a decorative wall hanging sits proudly, a lo-fi contrast to the rich textures of the fabrics from Cortney's textile brand Harwood House. 

While this pegboard styling might not be for everyone, consider how hanging wall art  over a bed might sit alongside other wall paneling ideas, murals and wallpaper or paint effects, working together towards a creative display for your bedroom walls. 

4. Go off center for a more interesting look 

The natural placement for a piece of art is straight down the middle of the bed, creating a symmetrical look. Yet, when you do something a little bit unexpected with something like placing art asymmetrically in a bedroom, that's where the real magic can happen. 

'When a room has a strong sense of symmetry because of the architectural elements, it is casual gestures like unconventional furniture or art placement that give a space personality,' explains David Lucas, creative director of Lucas Interior.

'We love to explore ways of doing things that are unexpected in our work and that feel slightly subdued. This move shouldn’t define the space but rather draw your attention to it in a way that you might not have considered before,' he explains.

5. Remember art doesn't always have to be the focal point 

It's easy to think that art over a bed is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of creating a focal point, but art doesn't always need to be the main attraction of a space. It can be put to use just as well creating background texture, complementing and enhancing other elements of the design, such as modern bedroom furniture. 

Take this design by Kelsey Leigh Design Co, as an example. 'A four poster bed needs to remain the statement piece so we usually choose a smaller horizontal art piece or two to three smaller pieces.,' explains principal designer Kelsey McGregor. 'Our goal is for the art to compliment the bed, not overwhelm the space.' 

6. Experiment with scale

Getting scale right is one of the trickiest parts of choosing art for bedroom walls. In modern interior design, it's safe to say that bigger is usually seen as better when it comes to wall art, but there's a charming confidence in spaces where small pieces of art are used successfully. 

'Using smaller pieces on a large wall is interesting as it draws the viewer in, and is unexpected and delightful,' extols Tanya Selway, cofounder of Stelly Selway. 'In bedrooms we will add small artworks above the headboard in a linear line, or a lone piece above a console with some vertical accessories.' 

But what is the key to making small art feel appropriately sized for the space? 'Go for bright frames and bold subject colours in the small pieces of art,' Tanya suggests. 'Make them loud and significant and then ground the artwork with furniture – the line of a mantle or a chair underneath so it doesn't appear to be floating.'

7. Choose an artistic headboard 

What about a headboard idea that doubles art as an artistic focal point for the space? In the design of this Los Angeles home, interior designer Davide Casaroli used a piece of raw-edged walnut to bring interest to the bedroom.

'My idea was to design a space that was sophisticated and calming,' he explains. 'The natural wood board is our "headboard", and  the focus point of the bed wall in the room.'

'This walnut element is not quite furniture, not quite art, it's like sleeping under nature. The balance and the harmony of the colors are our keys here,' Davide says. 

How do you choose wall art for a bedroom?

Other than considering art that reflects the atmosphere you want to create, there's no hard and fast rules for choosing art. 'Art trends are so varied and subjective, so depending on the project and client, their histories or points of reference we will look for art that speaks their language,' explains Tanya Selway. 

'Some clients come to us with strong collections we have to build around,' explains designer Kenneth Brown, 'others have never purchased original art before and we get to educate them on the importance of building a collection.' 

'It's important to us to showcase artists that are making their mark on the world in a beautiful way, and I guess that is a trend we really lean into as a design studio,' echoes Tanya.