When London Collects the Future of Design
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ondon, October 2025 – Each autumn, a grand pavilion rises in Berkeley Square, beckoning the world’s design connoisseurs. PAD London’s 17th edition transformed this Mayfair garden into a treasure trove of artful living, presenting 67 international galleries from 20 countries under one roof. From rare Art Deco masterworks to avant-garde contemporary creations. An elegant crowd of collectors, curators, and tastemakers mingled among PAD’s exquisite displays, affirming why this boutique fair has become synonymous with connoisseurship and curatorial flair on the global stage.
Exhibitors Showcase Mastery from Past to Present
This year’s PAD London welcomed an infusion of new talent and global perspective. Eleven galleries debuted, led by bold young dealers bringing fresh narratives to the design world. Notably, Middle Eastern and Cypriot galleries appeared for the first time, underscoring PAD’s expanding international reach. Beirut’s PIK’D gallery, for example, championed intricate ceramics and glass by Lebanese and international designers, while NM Art & Design from Limassol spotlighted organic contemporary pieces that challenge material expectations.
Such newcomers stood alongside established dealers in a harmonious dialogue between eras and styles, true to PAD’s spirit of blending heritage with innovation.
Across the fair, vignettes of past-meets-present abounded. Paris-based Sceners Gallery – a first-time exhibitor – drew acclaim (and later, a top prize) for its stand juxtaposing historical and contemporary treasures. Visitors marveled at the tête-à-tête between a 1900 Carlo Bugatti console and a 1960s Jean Degottex abstract painting, one of many “unprecedented dialogues” the gallery created between design and art. Nearby, France’s venerable Maison RINCK partnered with The Guild of Saint Luke to stage a magnificent Art Deco revival: eight original 1931 furnishings by Eugène Rinck, impeccably restored, faced off against newly crafted reinterpretations that served as “decadent counterparts” to the vintage pieces. Such displays embodied PAD’s core ethos – staging imaginative conversations across periods – and offered collectors the chance to acquire iconic classics alongside contemporary gems in one setting.
Sustainable Innovation and Cross-Cultural Craftsmanship Shine
PAD 2025 demonstrated a keen awareness of design’s global and ethical dimensions. Sustainability emerged as a subtle yet powerful theme. Amsterdam’s Rademakers Gallery, for instance, dedicated part of its booth to designers famed for eco-conscious ingenuity – from Joana Schneider’s textural tapestries woven out of discarded fishing rope to Simone Post’s dreamy creations forged from everyday waste. These inventive works proved that luxury design can champion reuse and responsible craftsmanship without losing an ounce of sophistication. Likewise, London’s Charles Burnand Gallery underscored its commitment to fine craft using sustainable materials and production techniques, a value echoed by many exhibitors integrating recycled woods, reclaimed metals, and low-impact processes into their pieces.
Cross-cultural craftsmanship was another leitmotif, with galleries celebrating diverse artisanal traditions. Milan’s Nilufar Gallery enthralled visitors with a new collection by Delhi-based designer Vikram Goyal, in which “cultural heritage and contemporary sensibilities merge” through sophisticated artisanal work.
Mumbai’s Æ quō Gallery continued its East-West collaboration, showcasing sculptural furniture that fuses two ancient Indian metal-casting techniques (lost-wax and sand-casting) in modern forms. These presentations exemplified how designers around the world are bridging heritage techniques with modern design language. Even in the realm of jewelry, cross-cultural narratives sparkled: Fernando Jorge, one of two high-jewellery exhibitors, unveiled signature pieces blending the sensual warmth of his native Brazil with the edgy refinement of British style. Such mixtures of materials, methods, and motifs from different cultures lent PAD a distinctly cosmopolitan polish.
The 2025 Prize Winners
PAD London’s prestigious juried prizes shone a spotlight on superlative presentations. This year’s Booth Prize went to Sceners Gallery, the young Parisian upstart whose stand enchanted jurors with its harmonious blend of periods and styles – a remarkable achievement for a first-time participant. The Contemporary Design Prize was awarded to a singular piece: Faye Toogood’s “Maquette 208 / Paper Chair” (2020), a sculptural white armchair that only appears to be paper mâché but is in fact cast in aluminum. Presented by Friedman Benda, Toogood’s imaginative seat and her overall curated environment captured the jury’s imagination, epitomizing the fair’s ethos of functional art.
Meanwhile, the Historical Design Prize recognized an extraordinary find at Laffanour – Galerie Downtown (Paris): an ensemble of rosewood wall paneling by modernist architect Pierre Chareau (c.1924), originally from a Parisian apartment. This rare architectural gem, forming the heart of Laffanour’s booth, demonstrated how historical design can be presented with as much drama and relevance as contemporary works.
The winners were selected by a jury of luminaries from the worlds of design, art, and fashion – chaired by Tim Marlow of the Design Museum – and for the first time in PAD’s history, laureates received a bespoke trophy (designed by artist Timothy van Oorschot) to mark the occasion. These accolades, coveted within the design community, not only celebrate individual excellence but also signal broader trends: Sceners’ win underlines the allure of cross-period curation, Toogood’s victory highlights the power of visionary design-thinking, and the Chareau paneling’s honor reaffirms the value of preserving and contextualizing design heritage.
A Pillar of Global Design Culture
In its 17th iteration, PAD London has firmly established itself as more than just a marketplace – it is a cultural institution in the global luxury design landscape. Founded in 2007 by Patrick Perrin, PAD remains the UK’s only fair devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. Over the years it has become “a byword for connoisseurship, exquisite taste and curatorial flair,” where disciplines and eras mingle to create “eclectic, unique and striking interiors”. The refined setting of PAD – from its black carpeted aisles to the champagne-sipping clientele – is designed to inspire everyone from private collectors and museum curators to interior designers and style arbiters. Here, design is presented not merely as decor or commodity, but as art with a rich provenance and a forward-looking narrative.
PAD’s significance extends beyond the six-day fair. By championing sustainable innovation and cross-cultural exchange, it influences what collectors value and what creators aspire to. Each October, as London’s art world converges for Frieze Week, PAD London stands as an essential complement – a reminder that design, too, is an art form central to our cultural heritage and our future. In an era when the line between art and design continues to blur, PAD remains a pillar of design heritage and future-making, a place where the past is treasured, the present celebrated, and the future of design quietly, beautifully shaped.
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