In the wake of last week's London Design Festival, the Dezeen team has selected their 10 favourite products on show at the city-wide event, including a patchwork timber rocking chair and a lampshade made from old sandpaper.

Gem Set by Britney Lee
chosen by Jennifer Hahn, design and environment editor

"Figured woods with striking, irregular grain patterns are often the rarest and most expensive.

"In her Gem Set chair, Royal College of Art graduate Britney Lee achieves the same look using rather more humble means – fallen timber from London's plane trees.

"The disparate pieces of wood are wrapped in sheets of aluminium, employing the same technique used in jewellery making to set gemstones.

"The result is a beautifully packaged metaphor positing that, in this era of rampant deforestation, wood should be seen as equally 'unique, finite and precious as a diamond'."

Act I: The Bed by Studio Charlotte Taylor and Sasa Barnes
chosen by Jane Englefield, design and interiors reporter

"Charlotte Taylor has an undeniable eye for curating enviable objects. This couldn't have been clearer at Soft World, Sharp Edges, her debut LDF show that made me want everything on display, from jeweller Gala Colivet Dennison's tiny silver ashtray on stilts to the first bed created by Taylor's eponymous studio in collaboration with designer Sasa Barnes.

"Created from a duo of mild, rolled stainless steel platforms, the monumental bed features a slit on its side that a removable mirror, television, lamp or side table can slot into.

"Despite their generous weight, the platforms can be stacked to transform the furniture into a daybed. As Clara Finnigan, our social editor, smartly pointed out, the bed's smooth steel surface could also come in handy on London's ever-hotter summer nights when your toes need to cool down."

Cupsan by Blast Studio
chosen by Rima Sabina Aouf, contributing editor

"Board-like biomaterials made from waste can seem like they're a dime a dozen these days, but Blast Studio's Cupsan – made from London's discarded coffee cups – stands out for its beauty, which near-hypnotised me at Material Matters.

"There are a few different finishes, but they are universally matte, tactile and richly textured, and manage to make me think of stone, terrazzo, clay, earth and the covers of composition books all at once.

"Blast Studio has built a solid reputation over years of bespoke commissions and experimental projects, and you can see that expertise reflected in their first product."

Cut-Out by Marcel Breuer for Isokon
chosen by Max Fraser, editorial director

"Created in 1936, this chair is clearly not a new design. However, it never made it into production, having idled in the archive of British furniture manufacturer Isokon. Almost ninety years on, they have finally brought it to the market during LDF.

"Originally designed for its efficient use of sheet plywood, the resulting chair is made up of strong vertical side panels which support a moulded veneer seat and backrest.

"The experimental chair possesses child-like qualities brought about by its thin curving backrest, which adds a playful yet slightly awkward visual quirk. One gets the impression that Breuer had fun with this piece."

Luna Luna Lamp by Jaajr Studio
chosen by Clara Finnigan, social editor

"To me, the Luna Luna Lamp by Jaajr Studio looks like a cheerful swirl of soft serve atop a berry ice lolly. I usually make a beeline for any design piece that reminds me of something sugary, so naturally, this ceramic lamp was a fast favourite.

"Exhibited within the Isola Design showcase, the lamp, according to Jaajr studio, is a "celebration of life's continuous evolution and transformation" symbolised through the spiral pattern wrapped around the shade in cotton fabric.

"The lamp is the first lighting design from Thanapond Sukthana, who set up Jaajr Studio last year in Udon Thani, Thailand, so I look forward to seeing more of their future sweet creations."

The 100 Year Dustpan by Absolute Beginners
chosen by Amy Frearson, editor-at-large

"In an era when few products are truly built to last, one standout LDF launch came with a guarantee to outlast its owner, with a lifespan of at least 100 years.

"The 100 Year Dustpan is the result of a paid workshop programme hosted by social enterprise Absolute Beginners, working with 17 to 21-year-olds to develop and prototype useful everyday objects out of recycled waste materials.

"This year's group went above and beyond, transforming old gas boilers, electric heaters and washing machines into cleverly folded metal dustpans. Each is accompanied by a handmade wooden brush, resulting in an object that will be useful for decades to come."

Rocking chair by Lewis Kemmenoe
chosen by Cajsa Carlson, deputy editor

"I always enjoy it when places that are usually closed to the public open up for the London Design Festival, and this year, an old fire station in Clerkenwell formed one of its more playful and unusual venues.

"In the large space, divided by fire-engine-red pillars, collectible design platform Max Radford Gallery had teamed up with furniture manufacturer Ercol to showcase the Grain Pile exhibition.

"Designer Lewis Kemmenoe's contribution took his signature patchwork style and applied it to perhaps one of the most traditional furniture pieces: the rocking chair. The resulting seat, made from oak and ash, has a beautifully pared-back geometric shape and might be single-handedly making rocking chairs cool again."

Grit Shade 002: Yellow by Marf Summers
chosen by Jennifer Hahn, design and environment editor

"Turning used-up sandpaper into a lampshade this beautiful takes real skill – something that London architect Marf Summers (previously of Herzog & de Meuron) clearly has in spades.

"Each sheet was carefully placed to create a well-balanced patchwork, considering not just the marks and abrasions on the front of the paper but also its printed backing, which is revealed under light.

"The final lampshade, on show as part of 2LG Studio's Green Carnation exhibition, is a love letter to the everyday tools of a designer, even when they have supposedly outlived their usefulness."

The Peepers by Jutta Gössl for Odd Universe
chosen by Amy Frearson, editor-at-large

"This stool is a lesson in how to do a lot with very little. Both lightweight and stackable, this simple stool is made from only a single disc of aluminium.

"Despite its simplicity, the stools have bags of character thanks to a simple design move. Two peepholes punched through the metal – matching the Odd Universe logo – turn these simple cylinders into playful characters."

2025 collection by Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay for Lightmass
chosen by Max Fraser, editorial director

"One year ago, design duo Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay launched Lightmass with lighting pieces that are 'large in volume but minimal in weight'.

"Using additive technology, mesh surface patterns are printed digitally into sheets that are then shaped into voluminous 3D forms through which light is beamed.

"This year, they integrated an LED beam into the lightweight structures, causing each filament of the mesh to glow. At their presentation in Shoreditch's Wax Building, they clustered many of the elegant structures together and programmed the LEDs to constantly change colour. The effect was mesmerising."

London Design Festival took place from 13 to 21 September. See our London Design Festival 2025 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place during the week.