Five things to see in April

1. Nicholas Hawksmoor: Architect of the Imagination

Open now until June 17
Royal Academy, Piccadilly, W1 (020 7300 5839; www.royalacademy.org/architecture)
Celebrating 350 years since the birth of Nicholas Hawksmoor (1662–1736), the baroque architect whose London churches include Christ Church, Spitalfields (pictured), and St George’s, Bloomsbury. This exhibition explores his strange influence on architects, artists and writers, such as Charles Dickens, John Piper and Peter Ackroyd.

2. At Home with the World

Open now until September 9
The Geffrye Museum, 136 Kingsland Road, E2 (020 7739 9893; www.geffrye-museum.org.uk)
You can’t miss the giant wooden blue-and-white tea set gracing the Geffrye Museum’s front garden, announcing a new show exploring the stories of familiar British domestic artefacts — except many are not that British when origins are revealed.

Much of modern British furniture is Scandinavian-influenced, of course, and those “wooden ceramics” on the lawn represent the museum’s 300-year-old Ca Mau tea set, and the 18th-century fashion for “taking tea” in Chinese porcelain.

3. Regent Street Windows Project

Nine shop windows in Regent Street, W1, April 16 to May 6
A series of stunning windows for top West End brands, themed around “play and performance”. Watch out for ribbons of neon light creating sports car patterns (by Feix & Merlin); a waterfall of small animals cast in clear resin at Banana Republic, and a cluster of serene origami lanterns at TM Lewin (by Liddicoat & Goldhill).

4. Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair

April 24-29
Battersea Evolution (The Marquee), Battersea Park, SW11 (020 7616 9327; www.decorativefair.com)
A 15ft figure of the Queen, by sculptor (and dealer) Robert Barley, covered luxuriantly in grass and flowers, welcomes visitors to the garden-themed spring/Jubilee edition of this popular fair.

For interiors, find furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles, cushions, antique hardware and pictures, with mirrors and lighting as a speciality. We like this lovely wrought-iron Victorian rocking chair — perfect for a patio.

Tickets cost £10. Print this feature and take it along to gain one free entry.

5. Food & Chairs Shared

Open now until April 13
Viaduct, 1-10 Summers Street, EC1 (020 7278 8456; www.viaduct.co.uk)
Clerkenwell is known for its design showrooms and its good places to eat. Exploring the relationship between design and food is James Mair of design store Viaduct. He has chosen 15 modern classic dining chairs and asked three chefs — Fergus Henderson of St John; Sam Clark of Moro and Michael Belben of gastropub The Eagle to devise a menu for each chair. Delectable and irreverent.