The London Design Festival has started with Shoreditch Design Week (SDW) leading the charge this year. If you’re someone who follows contemporary design, Shoreditch is your place to be right now. Running from September 15 to September 20, 2026, the event unites more than 60 showrooms, exhibitions, galleries, studios, installations and talks across the Shoreditch district.
Bringing new design ideas across East London, the district will host hundreds of installations throughout the week, turning the neighborhood into a large design trail. Here is a definitive preview of what SDW is bringing to the table, and what you can expect on the ground.
Four Major Exhibitions and Design Ideas
Building on an 18-year legacy of the long-established Shoreditch Design Triangle, Shoreditch Design Week is a rebranded entry with an expanded lineup. It features four main exhibition venues running the first three days from September 15 to September 17.
In addition to new expansions, the event is returning its favorites, including Design at Work and House of ICONS. After last year’s success, organizers decided to bring them back to the same locations.
House of ICONS
One of the main exhibitions is House of ICONS, which returns to take over Shoreditch Town Hall with a focus on residential and hospitality interiors. The event brings together various interior styles, ranging from Nordic minimalism to vibrant, maximalist spaces. Isola Design will also return with a larger presence to give its creators more visibility.
Throughout the exhibitions, you can explore diverse showcases from featured studios like Atelier Arunika, known for collectible and sculptural furniture, and Mateusz Wappa Design & Research, which reflects the relationship between humanity and nature through sculptural and functional art.
Design at Work
It is curated by OnOffice. Instead of looking only at the workplace, it dives deep into workplace design to explore how design can affect comfort, wellbeing, and efficiency. The event takes place in Protein Studios, exhibiting interior and design companies like Altro, Amblspace, Applelec Interiors, and Shapesound. Besides, this year it also includes Neuroplaces, described as the UK’s first B2B exhibition and conference focused on neuro-inclusive and accessible design solutions.
ND Selects
Curated and showcased by New Designers, it is dedicated to young businesses and emerging designers. It mostly focuses on products that are roughly one to five years old. One of the exhibitors, Kirti Jalan Design Studio, exhibits its Dreamer Chair that allows your imagination to run wild.
Material Matters
Material innovation remains a key theme across the wider program. This exhibition is making its Shoreditch debut this year at Unlocked. It started as a podcast in 2019 and is now a leading international platform for material intelligence across architecture and design. Its arrival adds another layer to the event, especially if you’re curious about how new materials are changing the way products and spaces are made.
It features pioneering circular design innovations like Carbon Cell’s compostable foam, a digital material library, Architextures, E Blast Studio’s 3D-printed biomass, alongside sustainable showcases by Bo Gyeom Kim and much more.
What can You Expect on the Ground?
Exhibitions are only part of it because during the Shoreditch Design Week, the entire district becomes a platform for design. Across the program, you’ll find product launches, installations, workshops, talks, and tours. More than 60 showrooms, galleries, and creative spaces are involved, including rug design and craftsmanship studios like Christopher Farr, Floor Story, Holte Studio, and Nakagawa.
This year, the program also features internationally recognized furniture designers and studios, from Jasper Morrison, known for its simple work, to Bethan Laura Wood, renowned for its maximalist aesthetics. Lozi Designs is launching its new Modular Bedroom Collection, while other events explore materials, lighting, craft and the future of design.
Rather than being one exhibition that you visit and leave, Shoreditch Design Week offers you a long design walk through the neighborhood. You can move between exhibitions, studios, and showrooms and see how different designers are approaching furniture, lighting, materials, interiors, and even the way we experience workplaces.
The Shoreditch Design Week exhibitions start September 15 through September 17, while the wider Shoreditch programs will continue until September 20, 2026. Admission is free, although you’ll need a visitor badge to access the exhibitions.