From armadillo-inspired cabinets to silver vessels and sculptural seating
Berkeley Square—graced as it is with mature plane trees, crimped lawns and elegant terraces, and flanked by some of the capital’s most prestigious galleries, clubs and addresses—feels, to many, like the elegant epicentre of London’s most distinguished neighbourhood. And, for six days each autumn, it becomes the very centre of the collectible design world thanks to PAD London: the UK’s premier boutique fair dedicated exclusively to 20th-century and contemporary decorative arts and objects.
This year will see the fair’s already considerable cultural clout – indeed, its status as a barometer of where the industry is heading, and what might soon be adorning the homes of its most discerning collectors – bolstered by the exceptional spectrum of galleries, designers, collectors and tastemakers, shaping the world of collectible design, set to take part.
Among the pieces likely to attract keen attention at this year’s PAD is the Tall Armadillo Cabinet (2026) by German duo Lukas Wegwerth and Corinna Dehn, presented by Gallery FUMI. The latest iteration of their animal scale-inspired Armadillo series, according to previews, takes the Berlin-based couple’s experimentations in tone, density and pattern to even bolder levels. The pair will continue their London visit with Companions, their first UK solo exhibition at FUMI, which runs from 3rd October to 28th November.
Another phantasmagorical take on nature can be found at the Adrian Sassoon stand, where Japanese artist Junko Mori will unveil new work including Silver Poetry; Tall Haiku (2025). Mori’s intricate metalwork has an almost meditative quality, which will take on further significance for those who go on to take in Beauty in Repetition: an exhibition, also featuring the creative yen of Kate Malone and Hitomi Hosono, examining variation, movement and the mesmerizing beauty of repeated forms.
PAD’s international kudos is evident in the presence of the work of Noe Kuremoto, a ceramic artist celebrated for her playful sculptural takes on functional wares: her Jomon Series (2025) comes to London courtesy of Beirut-based gallery PIK’D, while Seoul’s Gallery LVS & Craft presents Sofa (2026) by Seungjin Yang. The latter South Korean artist’s work takes a quotidian piece of furniture and, using elongated resin balloons, pushes it towards something more sculptural, making it the latest chapter in PAD’s long-running narrative about utility’s relationship with playful art.
That boundary becomes still more blurred with Samuel Ross’s Amnesia or Platelet Apparition? (2021), presented by New York gallery Friedman Benda. The piece, in marble and powder-coated steel, is best considered in tandem with its curious title. Meanwhile Ross—whose work moves fluidly between architecture, industrial design, art and fashion—will also feature in The New Black Aesthetic at London’s Design Museum in November.
Elsewhere, Charles Burnand Gallery will present Artist’s Hand VI (2025) by Niahm Barry, while Booroom Gallery brings KAMEH 6.0 series (2025) by Nikita Erokhin from the UAE. French gallery Theoreme, meanwhile, will show Théophile de Bascher’s Francas—Centrepiece 7 (2025), while new exhibitors include Paris-based Initio Arts & Design (which will present Rebeka Rácz’s The Watcher Coffee Table) and MAY Maylis et Charles Tassin: check out the CHILL Console (2026) – a wonderfully confounding geometric marvel.
For collectors, designers and anyone interested in the increasingly porous territory between art, furniture and craftsmanship, PAD London is surely one of the most rewarding places to take the temperature of the world of beautiful, often bewildering, tangible objects. This year’s edition promises to be the most enticing to date. Visit here for more details.
