What to look out for at this year’s events.

Sure to put the words “site-specific installation” on all our lips, the 15th incarnation of the London Design Festival takes over various sites across the city next week. A vivid programme of local talent, international showcases and attention-grabbing art pieces will spring up across nine design “districts”, from Bankside to Brixton and Chelsea to Clerkenwell as designers jostle for public attention and weighty contracts showing their latest work.

Beyond the buzz, the festival also serves as a barometer for the British design scene, which has a global reputation for its quirk, character and creativity (if not always its turnover). Ahead of the week-long event – complete with pop-ups, parties and immersive playgrounds – we asked three London designers with exciting new projects what we can expect from their shows.

Renowned for his sophisticated lighting and high-profile parties, Mr Lee Broom celebrates his 10th anniversary at LDF by putting on a retrospective with a twist. His On Reflection exhibition sees his studio’s most memorable designs – including the Carousel and Fulcrum pendants – receive a moody makeover in an all-black palette. “Every year, we dramatically transform the showroom and it’s something that people now look forward to,” he says on his reputation for the extraordinary. “This year, we’ve done something experiential and dark and you’re not sure exactly what’s happening until you’re inside the space, which has a modernist feel, with Art Deco and Bauhaus influences.”

Sure to draw a crowd when the doors open, _On Reflection _is one of LDF’s highest profile exhibitions but according to Mr Broom there’s plenty more going on across the city. “Every year, LDF has gained momentum as more people engage with design,” he says. “Much like Open House or Frieze, it’s no longer not just for industry. Shoreditch is full of younger designers all in one place and I really like the Brompton district and how they use the architecture at the V&A Museum – as a visitor I like to be transported a little bit.”

95 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY

leebroom.com

One of British design’s brightest new talents – in all respects – is Mr Yinka Ilori. The London-born designer is also one of the busiest over LDF, with several installations and events showcasing a bold aesthetic inspired by his West African heritage. “I grew up going to Nigerian parties, which are always full of colour and positive people,” he says of his influences. “I want to bring a sense of life to my work and I find happiness in colour.” And so it shows with both his collaboration with Restoration Station – a social enterprise bringing new life to old furniture – and an interactive installation called “Estate Playground”. “I grew up on a London estate that had plenty of negative press but the playground was a safe space that we shared with people from everywhere, including Ghana, Turkey, Somalia,” he says. “No one cared about race or colour there; you just wanted to play. I wanted to use that idea and bring fun back to design.” For Mr Ilori – who also leads a debate on culture and collaboration during LDF – it’s London’s blend of nationalities and languages that makes its design scene so buoyant, adding that the city “encourages, welcomes and inspires new ideas”.

Restoration Station: 118 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JN

Estate Playground: 6 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3ET

yinkailori.com

Having recently returned to the fold at Established & Sons – the beloved British design brand he helped found back in 2005 – Mr Sebastian Wrong is hoping to make an impact at LDF with the company’s first new products after several dormant years and the launch of a new showroom. The design director played a major role pioneering what he calls the brand’s “freestyle British approach to design” and anticipation is high for its rebirth. “A lot of people have great memories about the products and the stories – it had an edge and freshness,” he says of Established & Sons’ heritage and he’s now looking to the future, building up to a new collection that will fully launch at Salone del Mobile in Milan next year. “My focus now is to create a highly relevant range of products that says we’re back.” And although the world has changed since he was last at the helm, Mr Wrong says a new design sense is emerging. “There’s plenty of uncertainty right now, but this allows us to be a little more cautious and austere,” he says. “Different disciplines of creativity are starting to work together more and the key thing for design is what’s relevant, useable and more than just an indulgence.”

**7 Tilney Court, EC1V 9BQ

establishedandsons.com **

London Design Festival runs 16-24 September

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