London Design Festival 2019: get half-price tickets for three of the capital's biggest design fairs

Enjoy a feast of home design with three stunning shows opening to the public for London Design Festival.

From the best in design, to up-and-coming creators, here are the key things to see and top shows to catch as part of this year's festival.

Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, W14

Giant trade show opens today until Saturday, which is the public day. Tickets are £15 but Homes & Property readers can go for half price — see 100percentdesign.co.uk/evening-standard-offer.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, 100% Design kick-started the London Design Festival 17 years ago. These days it’s in a splendid Edwardian cast-iron and glass-roofed venue.

The entrance feature, Design Fresh, with 30 new designers, is curated by me this year.

Also explore Instagram Interiors. A Finnish Pavilion with a log house taps into Finland’s design heritage.

Highlights: subtly coloured ikats by Ptolemy Mann from Rugmaker of St Albans; Benchmark furniture’s sharp take on traditional woodworking (live on site).

Pit stops: Central bar with DJs is made from old denim fabricated into board by award-winning Benjamin Stanton.

A rooftop bar has three restaurants. Booths serve hot breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, smoothies and more.

Check out: westkensingtondesigndistrict.com. Parked outside is an old Tube carriage furnished with archive-inspired velvets and prints by Kirkby Design.

The nearby Design Museum shows Beazley Designs of the Year. Futuristic Biodesign is in Shepherd’s Bush Market.

26 Hanbury Street, E1

Trade show tomorrow until Friday, public days, Saturday/Sunday. Tickets, £15. Reader offer: two tickets for price of one — visit londondesignfair.co.uk and use code 2-4-1-ES

This sprawling venue screams industrial chic. Find space age, curvaceous furniture by Brooklyn artist Matthew Day Jackson inspired by the moon, and country pavilions crammed with international treasures, such as Bohemian glass, Danish furniture, Majorcan crafts, an Italian loft and a pine “temple” for Swedish design.

Upstairs find moody lighting installation by [d]arc room. The International Craft Pavilion has demos by London creatives Sebastian Cox and Daniel Heath. Christabel Balfour is bringing her loom.

Highlights: Adorno international online design platform shows 100 designers from 10 countries. Floor_Story rugs show new work from John Booth, Sebastian Wrong and 2LG Studio. Annika Reed does wallpapers inspired by Japanese wood blocks.

Pit stops: Ole & Steen Danish café; street food outside, including celebrated Ely’s Yard; Brick Lane curries. Beigel Bake is open 24/7 at 159 Brick Lane, E1.

While you’re there: Brick Lane is a vibrant joy. London Design Festival’s Shoreditch Triangle is all around.

Kings Cross, N1C

Trade and public from tomorrow until Sunday. Tickets £15 — book online to avoid queues and for reader offer half-price tickets, use code DJ500.

A stunning show, Designjunction has returned to King’s Cross from the South Bank. From the Tube, walk towards Regent’s Canal.

See the 10 finalists for the Rado Star Prize for British design, learn tomorrow who is the judges’ winner and cast your vote for the public’s favourite.

Cross the canal into vast Granary Square where the fountains are replaced by pop-ups and food booths.

Opposite, the huge brick grain warehouse is now Central Saint Martins school of art. To its left is Cubitt House, a temporary pavilion packed with British and international brands — trawl them all.

Highlights: Ton from the Czech Republic, with an update on those classic bentwood designs; Very Good & Proper, whose maxim for under-stated furniture is “measure twice, cut once”.

Off the square is The Canopy, a shoppers’ paradise of 60 traders, from one-person brands and designer-makers to big stores. Browse home and fashion accessories, jewellery, technology, ceramics, stationery and textiles.

Harriet Caslin’s pastel porcelain; terracotta at Kobi & Teal; Ruby Creagh’s hand-stitched leather.

While you’re there: explore the new Kings Cross Design District. Watch out for the knitted Bioknit Pavilion by MuDD Architects and Jane Scott, plus interactive sculptures by mental health activist Steuart Padwick and quirky upcycled chairs made from enamelled baths.

Pit stops: find numerous restaurants at kingscross.co.uk/listing-bars-restaurants-kings-cross — but be sure to book ahead. Or snack from the pop-up vans.

And remember... the annual autumn Focus décor fest at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour is open to the public from today until Friday. Entrance is free with free chauffeured transport from Sloane Square.

Check it out at dcch.co.uk/focus-19-the-programme