Every September, the capital bursts into life with London Design Festival, nine days of pure creativity sweeping across the city. From must-visit exhibitions to playful pop-ups, it’s the moment the city shows off its design edge. And we at Roundhouse love it. So many of the ideas born here don’t just wow for a week – they ripple into our homes, shaping how we live and, of course, how we design kitchens. For us, this is where inspiration meets real life, feeding directly into the bespoke kitchens we create.

Our top highlights from London Design Festival 2025

This year the focus was firmly on the environmental impact of design and the role of materials in shaping a more responsible future. As British manufacturers who are constantly seeking new ways to reduce our eco impact, this is a subject that’s very close to our hearts. At Space House in Holborn, Material Matters gathered a who’s-who of innovators, and it was bursting with interesting sustainable alternatives we could really see working in the kitchen. Highlights include FILIE Materials’ faux leather, made from recycled film from old car windscreens (perfect for bar stools and banquettes), Jacob Marks’ cabinet handles made from pine resin and Low Carbon Industrial’s Elenite solid surface crafted from post-industrial waste, including walnut shell, walnut dust, and bamboo fibre.

Wood took a star turn too, with designers across LDF re-tinting, patch-working and texturing timber, from Tabitha Isobel x Dom Callaghan’s beautifully crafted furniture made from London Plane timber destined for the chipper, to Trouble Studio’s simple, yet sculptural OH dining table. As bespoke furnituremakers, it was great to see the emergence of a richer, more crafted approach, with wood celebrated for its warmth, unique grain patterns and responsible reuse, which all aligns perfectly with Roundhouse’s design ethos.

Lighting, meanwhile, went sculptural and story-led while sticking with the sustainable narrative. Lee Broom’s Beacon at the Southbank Centre was an impressive Brutalist spectacle, which you can still catch. The stacking recycled-glass lamps are choreographed to Big Ben’s hourly chime, pulsing in tempo when the bell strikes. Crucially, the installation was designed for components to be repurposed after de-installation in February 2026, which perfectly sums up the festival’s drive to promote design that is both responsible and inspiring.

Well-being quietly underpinned the tech narrative during LDF and reinforced the move towards hidden tech, one of our top kitchen trends 2025. One great example was Tala’s immersive “Sunset Room” in Shoreditch, which showcased Wake, a circadian-friendly light designed with Thomas Heatherwick that showed how lighting tech is moving past simple “smart” switches towards creating restorative, mood-boosting moments.

One of our design team’s biggest takeaways from London Design Festival 2025 was just how confidently brands are using bold colour, and not just as a finishing touch. It wasn’t about one ‘it’ shade, but more about turning the volume up on tone across the board. Moroso’s pop-up collaboration with Designers Guild on the Kings Road, for instance, gave classic furniture shapes a fresh energy with vibrant, patterned fabrics, while Floor Story’s Allotment rugs by surface designer Gill Thorpe embraced vintage motifs in fearless colour palettes that really brought them to life.

What do this year’s LDF trends mean for kitchen design?

For kitchen designers London homeowners rely on, the implications are clear – sustainable materials are driving the mood. Expect an upswing in timber with character and heritage that celebrate grain, paired with composite surfaces chosen as much for their responsible provenance as pattern. Cork, faux leather, low-carbon composites, bioplastics and the reworking of wood destined for waste are all moving from concept to reality, and it’s an exciting time to be sourcing for sustainable kitchen projects. We also noted a distinct emphasis on surfaces that demand to be touched. In our bespoke kitchens, fluted-timbers, brushed lacquers and hand-worked patinas are all giving cabinetry an architectural presence and tactile appeal.

Lighting is set to become the quiet hero. Layered schemes that blend architectural washes with flexible task and dawn/dusk scenes will make daily routines smoother and more efficient. Festival pieces like Beacon and Wake may not be literal templates for the kitchen, but they steer us toward sustainable fixtures, recyclable glass, and circadian-aware controls integrated invisibly into our cabinetry and shadow lines.

And, finally, designers are moving beyond safe neutrals. In the kitchen, it’s time to embrace hues that draw in the eye and shape the mood.

Roundhouse locations in the design capital

LDF25 once again demonstrated what makes London so special – the festival’s buzz sets the tone for the months ahead, and we’re proud to call London home to four inspiring Roundhouse showrooms. Pop along to Wigmore Street, Fulham, Richmond orClapham to see the latest materials, finishes and lighting concepts up close, and chat about how this year’s LDF trends could work for your next kitchen.

Frequently Asked Questions – London Design Festival Trends

What were the standout London Design Festival 2025 trends influencing London kitchen design?

Sustainability led the conversation, alongside crafted timber, sculptural/story-led lighting and confident, city-wide use of bold colour. These directions are already informing bespoke London kitchens with responsibly sourced materials and tactile, characterful finishes.

Which sustainable materials from LDF25 translate directly into bespoke kitchens?

Material innovation was spotlighted at Material Matters (Space House, Holborn): FILIE Materials’ faux leather made from recycled car windscreen film, Jacob Marks’ pine-resin cabinet handles and Low Carbon Industrial’s Elenite solid surface using post-industrial waste (walnut shell, walnut dust, bamboo fibre). In kitchens, expect cork, faux leather, low-carbon composites, bioplastics and reworked timber to move from concept to specification, alongside fluted timbers, brushed lacquers and hand-worked patinas.

How will LDF25 lighting trends shape kitchen schemes in London homes?

Lighting becomes the “quiet hero”: layered architectural washes, flexible task light and dawn/dusk scenes, with sustainable fixtures and recyclable glass. Lee Broom’s Beacon at the Southbank Centre (stacked recycled-glass lamps synced to Big Ben and designed for post-installation repurposing) and Tala’s circadian-friendly Wake (shown in the “Sunset Room” in Shoreditch) point toward circadian-aware controls integrated discreetly into cabinetry and shadow lines.

Where can I experience these LDF25-inspired kitchen materials and finishes in London?

Roundhouse’s four London showrooms; Wigmore Street, Fulham, Richmond and Clapham, showcase the latest materials, finishes and lighting concepts, with designers on hand to discuss how LDF25 trends can work in your next bespoke kitchen.