As we approach the new year you may be starting to consider some new design resolutions. Whether you’re seeking renovation inspiration or small space soft furnishings, design exhibitions and industry events can be fertile ground for new ideas.

At Open Volume Studio, we’ve collated 7 of the best design events opening next year to add to your 2025 calendar.

Difficult Site: Architecture Against the Odds

Current - Spring 2025, RIBA Architecture Gallery, 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD

Difficult Site: Architecture Against the Odds. Image Source: Riba

At the studio, we relish a design challenge and have often found solutions to design difficulties where others have been unsuccessful, from solving planning difficulties to transforming extensions. In this exhibition, RIBA explores in their words “remarkable feats of architectural achievement in the face of tricky terrain, awkward urban plots, challenging remodels, and more.” A celebration of innovation and creativity through the work of some of the world’s leading architects.

Surface Design Show

4 – 6 February 2025, Business Design Centre, N1 0HQ

Surface Design Show. Image Source: Commercial Interiors UK

Materials, pattern, texture, and colour are vital to our work at Open Volume. The Surface Design Show is the UK’s only design event dedicated to surface material innovation. The 2025 edition promises to showcase new materials, technologies, and design trends that can be used in residential and commercial spaces. With over 180 exhibitors, there are plenty of opportunities to source inspiration and spot trends. This year’s theme is ‘Creative Conscience.’

Clerkenwell Design Week

20 – 22 May 2025, Clerkenwell

Baux Exhibition. Image Source: Clerkenwell Design Week

Open Volume Studio is proud of our location in Clerkenwell, a hub for design where there are more creative businesses per square mile than anywhere else on the globe. In 2025, Clerkenwell Design Week will return with over 15 exhibition venues, more than 600 showroom events, plenty of showstopping installations and timely design talks. We can’t wait to join the party!

London Design Biennale

5 – 29 June 2025, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA

Somerset House. Image Source: London Design Biennale

London Design Biennale takes place in the historic heart of the capital, Somerset House. Established in 2016, the three-week-long programme of exhibitions and events takes a global view, exploring the role of design on an international scale. The next edition will see Dr Samuel Ross MBE as Artistic Director. The theme will be ‘Surface Reflections.’

The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2025

June – August 2025, The Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG

The Ralph Saltzman Prize, 2023. Image Source: Beam Lighting Design

The Ralph Saltzman Prize is awarded each year by the Design Museum. Established designers are given the opportunity to nominate a new designer from the world of product design. The winner, chosen by a panel of experts, receives a £10,000 prize and a chance to exhibit their work at the Design Museum. As a studio that fosters innovation, we cannot wait to see the new talent on display.

London Design Festival

13 – 21 September 2025, Sites across London

London Design Festival 2023. Medusa by Sou Fujimoto & Tin Drum, 2022. Image Source: Aesthetica

Founded over 20 years ago the London Design Festival is a city-wide cultural event that celebrates creativity and innovation in design. Held across various iconic locations in London it is a chance to explore the capital through the lens of design. The diverse programme features installations, exhibitions, and talks showcasing groundbreaking work from both emerging and established designers. The festival transforms the city into a vibrant hub of inspiration, attracting design enthusiasts and professionals from around the world.        

PAD London

14-19 October 2025, Berkeley Square, W1J 6EN

PAD London. Image Source: Bond Street

The only fair in the UK exclusively dedicated to 20th-century and contemporary design, PAD London is a must-see for design enthusiasts and tastemakers. Bringing together international galleries specialising in rare and collectable works of art and design in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square, PAD is a must-see for gathering interior design inspiration. Some of our favourite picks from the 2024 edition included Brazilian modernist furniture and sculptural lighting.

Whether you’re an industry insider, a commercial developer or an interior design enthusiast, beautiful design is essential to the value of any project, big or small. Make 2025 a year of inspiration and exploration. London promises to be a hub for design innovation, ideas and creativity.