London Design Field Trip 2025
Published: 8th Dec 2025 (https://christopherfarrcloth.com/blog/london-design-field-trip-2025/)
Author: Harry Stanford, Marketing Coordinator
A Journey to Remember
In September, we welcomed an exceptional group of North American designers to London for our 2025 Design Field Trip. Now in its third year, our bespoke, ever-changing design itinerary has become something truly rare: an immersive, invitation-only journey into the heart of British design, offering unparalleled access to places seldom seen. As French Novelist Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” That sentiment sits at the centre of this trip. This year felt especially meaningful. Perhaps it was our 25th anniversary milestone. Perhaps it was the group, who bonded immediately. Or perhaps it was the privilege of opening doors to places and people even lifelong Londoners rarely experience.
Among the invited designers was Laura Pierce of Keeler & Co, who joined the group for a week-long London design immersion.
Sunday
Where It All Began
Guests arrived for their week-long stay at the Knightsbridge Hotel, wrapped in Kit Kemp’s unmistakable charm and dressed throughout in Christopher Farr Cloth fabrics. Situated in the chic and bustling Knightsbridge district of Kensington and Chelsea, it proved the perfect home base for the week ahead. We began the trip with a welcome lunch, a private dining experience at one of London’s finest public houses, The Wilton Arms. Afterwards, we continued to Adam’s Antiques Fair at the Royal Horticultural Hall. As London’s oldest antiques fair, with more than 120 exhibitors, it offered a treasure trove of curiosities, trinkets and unexpected delights.
Monday
Prints, Patterns, and a Quarter-Century
It felt only right that the home of colour and pattern began its first full day at Ivo Prints, the third-generation, family-run print house that has produced textiles for us for the past 25 years. Guests explored decades of archive treasures, watched the full print process unfold, and even pulled their own printed aprons to take home. The evening that followed marked one of the most meaningful moments in our company’s history: Christopher Farr Cloth’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. Leading figures from the design world gathered for a dinner that unveiled a limited-edition collection of five chairs and five quilts, each created in collaboration with some of our closest friends in design. View more images
Lili O'Brien screen printing her apron
Screen archives at IVO Prints
Kate Lindsay, Gillian Gillies and Alyson Boyd screen printing their aprons
Finished aprons drying
Tuesday
From Pictograms to Postmodern Design
To celebrate our new collection with the Japanese design studio Nendo, the day began immersed in a world of Japanese craft and visual language at Japan House. An early-access exhibition on the evolution of pictograms offered a fascinating window into minimalism and communication, followed by a calming Furoshiki workshop where guests learned the traditional Japanese art of fabric wrapping.
What followed was a gentle stroll in the late-summer sunshine to The Cosmic House, Charles Jencks’s Grade I listed postmodern experiment. Inside, we moved from one symbolic room to the next, noticing how differently it landed with everyone. Some of us were inspired, others intrigued, and a few charmingly puzzled – exactly the sort of mixed reactions a place like this is meant to spark.
We then hopped back on the coach and made our way to the Christopher Farr Cloth showroom, where Michal Silver introduced Sky Drops by Nendo. Guests gathered with handmade bento boxes in hand to see the collection up close long before its release. Inspired by the ephemeral beauty of rainfall, the collection includes five distinctive textile designs, each capturing a unique atmospheric quality.
To end the day, guests were invited to the Serpentine Gallery for the World of Interiors summer party, one of the most anticipated events of the interiors calendar. It was an easy, joyful way to unwind after a full and inspiring day.
Wednesday
A Confluence of Creative Worlds
We began at the Wallace Collection with a private tour of Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur. Perry’s wit and colour set against the opulence of Hertford House was a combination we could have lingered in for hours.
A short trip to Michal’s studio marked the beginning of our design conversation series. Materialist and past collaborator Kate Blee and our Design Director Nina Luminati opened with an insightful discussion on creative collaboration, its joys, its tensions and the magic that emerges when it works.
This was followed by a talk from Lucy Moore on design legend Christopher Gibbs. Guests loved the glimpse into his bohemian world, shaping everything from 1960s Chelsea to the aesthetic sensibilities of the Rolling Stones. View more images
The afternoon brought sunshine, garden paths and a generous lunch at Anthony Collett's Victorian townhouse in Shepherd’s Bush. Anthony and Michal were joined by Emilio Pimentel-Reid,author of All Things Considered (where their two homes are featured), for a thoughtful conversation about the distinctive design choices that shape their spaces and why they matter. This was followed by a tour of Anthony’s home, including his remarkable sitting room and its extraordinary collection of ceramics. View more images
We ended the day at Beata Heuman’s Hammersmith studio, welcomed with tea and Swedish cakes. Beata, with her signature blend of whimsy and Swedish-meets-English charm, gave a warm and personal talk before guiding us through her inspiring workspace. View more images
Kate Blee explaining her design Gozo
Talk with Beata Heuman at her studio
Moroccan spread at Anthony Collett’s
Anthony in his Hammersmith studio
Thursday
A Very British Day Out
The morning began at Pitzhanger Manor, Sir John Soane’s brilliantly preserved country villa. As the early morning clouds departed, the summer sun poured through arches and domes as we explored the spaces that inspired so much of his later work. View more images
Our afternoon at Syon House was one of the trip’s most memorable moments. Lady Caroline Percy’s warmth, British humour and generosity transformed a grand historic estate into an intimate experience. Guests joined her for tea in the Duke’s Private Sitting Room before exploring one of Britain’s most magnificent interiors. View more images
We started the evening at Tramp, the iconic members’ club that has quietly returned as one of London’s true “if you know, you know” hotspots after Campbell-Rey’s thoughtful revival. Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey joined us to talk through the redesign and how Tramp has reclaimed its position in the city’s nightlife.
Finishing at Fortnum & Mason, guests enjoyed time to browse before gathering in the Duke’s Drawing Room for dinner and wonderfully energetic presentations from jeweller Andrew Prince, known for The Crown and Downton Abbey, and historical dress expert Zack Pinsent.
Friday
A Day Fit for Royalty
Our final morning began at Buckingham Palace’s King’s Gallery , where Senior Curator Kathryn Jones led a private tour of The Edwardians: Age of Elegance. The exhibition revealed a world of exquisite objects, many never before shown to the public, capturing the glamour and refinement of the era.
We then experienced an extraordinary privilege: a private tour of St James’s Palace, one of the oldest and most significant royal residences in the country. Walking through Henry VIII’s Tudor corridors and into Queen Victoria’s Throne Room and the Chapel where King George V married was a quiet, powerful glimpse into royal history, and something we won’t forget anytime soon.
To conclude our trip, we visited Kit Kemp’s flagship Ham Yard Hotel for a private tour led by Minnie Kemp and Craig Markham. It was a perfect final chapter, tinged with that familiar mix of gratitude and melancholy that comes when a wonderful week ends far too quickly.
Thank you to Allyson Boyd, Alex Wilson, Anne Tollett, Rad Tollett, April Lozevski, Phillip Lozevski, Ashley Warren, Ben Deaton, Cathy Austin, Colleen Rosar, Cristina Martin, Emily, Gillian Gillies, Hope Austin, Jenna Conte Olin, Kate Lindsay, Laura Pierce, Leah Steen, Leigh Anne Muse, Lili O'Brien, Max Sinsteden, Nomita Joshi, Romina Tina Fontana, Sarah Rankin, Sarah Scales, Tiffany LeBlanc and Jann Eckert who joined us and made it so special.