July 2026 in London is packed with design events, from flea markets to exhibitions and new boutique openings. The month highlights both emerging talent and established institutions, offering something for every aesthete.
New Designers 2026
New Designers runs from July 1 to 4 at the Business Design Centre in N1, with entry from £6.95. This year’s showcase features over 2,500 graduates from across the UK, from Plymouth to Dundee. The format has been shortened, with all design disciplines — including architecture, furniture, textiles, and ceramics — presented side by side. A talks programme covers practical themes like transitioning from education to professional practice and demystifying the business side of illustration. The event is open to the public and attracts industry insiders, talent-spotters, and design-curious teens.
Alfies Antiques Market 50th Birthday
Alfies Antiques Market on Church Street, NW8, the capital’s largest indoor antiques market, celebrates its 50th birthday on July 9. Founded by Bennie Gray, who bought the former department store and named it after his father, the market is home to 100 dealers, some of whom have been there since 1976. Festivities run from 5 to 8 pm.
Supernatural Tendencies at Fitzrovia Chapel
Artist Charlotte Colbert transforms the Fitzrovia Chapel into an immersive installation titled Supernatural Tendencies, exploring mystical and alternative spiritual practices that have become mainstream. Visitors can enter a world of wishing wells, folklore, and ritual set in Byzantine-inspired surrounds. The exhibition is free and runs from July 1 to 9.
New Design Boutiques and Showrooms
For luxury hardware, Armac Martin has opened a new flagship at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. The brand, revered by interior designers and architects, offers handles, pulls, and bolts in various metals, all made in Birmingham at its family-run factory.
Studio Duggan hosts Showroom Sessions on the first Thursday of every month from 3 to 4:30 pm at Trove on Golborne Road. Founder Tiffany Duggan or a team member offers informal drop-in advice on paint colours and fabrics. The boutique features the brand’s own furniture and soft furnishings.
Flea Markets and Vintage Shopping
Vintage Market So Last Century returns to Abbey Mills, Wimbledon on July 4 and Beckenham Place Mansion on July 19. The Giant London Flea at the Olympic Park takes place July 12, while Hackney Flea Market on Stoke Newington Church Street runs July 18-19. The Big Kensington Vintage Flea Market is at Phillimore Walk on July 25, and the Walthamstow outpost at Big Penny Social follows on July 26. For furniture, the Leadenhall Flea is also on July 26.
New Design Books
100 21st-Century Buildings (Batsford, £40) chronicles the greatest buildings of the past 25 years, with contributions from historians and architectural critics. Published by the Twentieth Century Society, it includes deep dives on the Shard and V&A East. City, Coast & Country (Thames & Hudson, £45) showcases Australian interior designer Adelaide Bragg’s work, organized thematically by colour, spanning projects from a clifftop coastal retreat to an elegant city residence.
Paper Flatpack Decor
Piet Design from Holland offers sculptural paper tulips, forget-me-nots, and anemones made from coloured card, from £10 at Raj Tent Club. Octaevo, a Mediterranean design studio, specializes in paper vases with colourful, graphic designs that function as small artworks, from £9.
Out of Town: Petalon Farm Day and Arthouse Glasgow
Petalon, a regenerative flower farm in Cornwall, hosts a Farm Day on July 18. Attendees handpick stems, learn to craft arrangements, tour the farm, and enjoy lunch (£245, petalon.co.uk). In Scotland, Arthouse Glasgow, a 76-bedroom hotel in a 19th-century townhouse, has just opened with interiors by award-winning A-nrd.
