Brompton Design District at LDF 2017

South Kensington Estates has been celebrating and promoting the area’s connection to design through their founding of the Brompton Design District in 2006, championing a pioneering curated programme alongside exhibitions by its internationally renowned retail tenants. The district continues to build its relationship with the design world, this year welcoming yet another iconic brand – Molteni – for its first Brompton Design District participation.  

Here we list the special exhibits that will run at Brompton’s retail stores for London Design Festival 2017:

B&B Italia will launch its partnership with Arclinea, the kitchen designer company, to the UK market.  Also to be revealed for the first time in the UK, with a new look for the company’s Brompton Road store, will be: Piero Lissoni’s debut Collection; new designs by Antonio Citterio, Mario Bellini, Naoto Fukasawa and Monica Armani; and the 20th anniversary edition of the iconic Charles seating system.

Boffi’s Brompton Road showroom will hold the UK launch for the Cove Kitchen by Zaha Hadid Design. Recently launched to critical acclaim at the 2017 Milan Design Week.  Following its successful UK launch within the Boffi showrooms, De Padova showcases the 2017 collections from Milan and presents recently acquired Danish furniture startup MA/U Studio.

For its 90th anniversary Cassina presents the monograph This Will Be The Place, curated by Felix Burrichter and edited by Rizzoli. The book, which explores contemporary social behaviour and its possible impact on the future of interiors.  For London Design Festival 2017, a selection of photos will be exhibited at the Cassina London Showroom, alongside the 2017 Collection. Cassina Art Director Patricia Urquiola and designer Konstantin Grcic, a contributor to the book, will hold a talk mediated by Tony Chambers, Editor-in-Chief of Wallpaper*, on Thursday 21 September at 5pm.

Everyone is welcome to the Private View at The Conran Shop in Chelsea this September. Rather than a one-night spectacular, It’s Nice That and The Conran Shop will run a month-long soirée in the windows of the store where everything may not be quite what it seems. At The Conran Shop this September something has gone awry…  Come and decipher the aftermath of an evening that started as a glittering occasion and took a lurch towards the unexpected – a playful installation combining products, set design, storytelling and chaos that questions what a memorable event really might be.

At Mint Lina Kanafani curates an exhibition that explores collectible design, showcasing imaginative work that challenges traditional techniques and craftsmanship by over 60 international designers, both new and established, alongside recent UK graduates. There will be a special focus on designers who use new technologies in lighting.

Dartington Crystal (celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year) is partnering with Divertimenti (who celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2013) to create a special milestone event for their Brompton Road flagship store for the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 20th September.

Harrods has created the ‘House of Design’ exhibition, a scaled-down Knightsbridge neighbourhood, made up of tiny townhouses. The miniature townhouses have been created by brands stocked across Harrods’ Second and Third Floors, and each showcases a material or area of expertise. The exhibition will be held in-store from Wednesday 13th to Wednesday 27th September.

The Kartell Flagship store will present its latest products and host a special exhibition in tribute to the 50th anniversary of Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s iconic Componibili.  Among the Special Editions made for this anniversary and signed by important international designers such as Ron Arad, Mario Bellini, Piero Lissoni, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola, there will also be new, original interpretations of the Componibili by British furniture designers, fashion designers and artists.

Poltrona Frau will launch a limited edition collection of its iconic Vanity Fair armchair in three different sizes: the Standard, the Baby and the Mini versions. The Baby and the Mini will be upholstered in a special, playful, geometric pattern created by the children of Tolentino, where the company is headquartered, for the children of Favara, a Sicilian town which has been transformed from a run-down village into a cultural hub by the art charity FARM Cultural Park.

Sé’s flagship showroom on Fulham Road will become home to a curatorial showcase: ‘Sé Savoir Faire’, a celebration of French craftsmanship, art and design. Sé will blend pieces from across its three collections with works from inspiring French artists and craftsmen who share the brand’s signature qualities of timelessness, craftsmanship and curvaceousness. La Manufacture Cogolin, Sé’s exclusive new partner, will present new rugs;  ANOTHERVIEW.

Skandium will officially launch its new retail concept, the ‘Skandium Townhouse,’ cementing its presence as the foremost destination for Scandinavian design in the UK. The pioneering retail vision will see a four-storey house at 31 Thurloe Place, transformed into a brand-new design destination.

Fashion meets design with an exclusive collaboration for Wallpaper* Handmade between Smallbone of Devizes and fashion designer Paul Helbers. The result is a bespoke oxidised Oak wardrobe combining custom finishes with a crafted mix of materials. See Smallbone of Devizes’s master craftsmen at work with an immersive ‘Meet the Maker’ experience at the showroom on Thursday 21st September.

Brompton Talks, download the Brompton Design District_LDF Talks Programme for full information and booking details.

Tuesday 19th September

4:00 – 5:00pm.  Design Chameleon, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL

Wednesday 20th September 

1.15 – 2.15pm.  Community Collective: The Fogo Island Story, The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Level 4, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL

4.30 – 6.00pm. Design Connections – Global Perspectives on Design (by invitation only) First Floor, The Hour Glass, 279-283 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY

4.15pm-4.45pm.  Heroic Failures, LDF Desk, Main Entrance, V&A, Cromwell Rd, SW7 2RL, Free, drop-in

Thursday 21st September 

12.15 – 1.15pm.  In Focus: New Czech Glass and Ceramics, LDF Desk, Main Entrance, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL, Free, drop-in

2:30 – 3:45pm.  Models for Social Design: Community Economics, First Floor, The Hour Glass, 279-283 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY

3.30 – 4.00pm.  Poltrona Frau for Favara, Poltrona Frau Showroom, 147-153C Fulham Rd, London SW3 6SN

4.00 – 4.30pm.  The Future of Design and Architecture, Poltrona Frau Showroom, 147-153 Fulham Road, SW3 6SN

5.00pm.  This will be the Place, Cassina London Showroom, 238 – 242 Brompton Rd, London SW3 2BB

Friday 22nd September 

1:30-2:30pm.  Townhouse Takeover: Peter Pilotto in conversation, 3 Cromwell Place, SW7 2JN, Free, drop-in

4.15 – 5.15pm.  Objects of Refinement, LDF Desk, Main Entrance, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL, Free, drop-in

4.30 – 5.30pm. Models for Social Design: Designer’s Perspectives, First Floor, The Hour Glass, 279-283 Brompton Road, SW3 2DY

5.15 – 6.15pm.  [ b r e a d ] Medieval and Renaissance, Room 64b, The Simon Sainsbury Gallery, Level 2, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL