Today is the last day of the London Design Festival. There were still a few fun and interesting designs that were not mentioned during the previous days, but here they are.

This Sound Chaser by Yuri Suzuki is a train-styled record player. Pieces of old vinyl records are assembled together to form a new track and can be played again. Of course it still may need to be refined a bit, but the concept does help generate renewed interest in vinyl records. The sounds of vinyl give a nostalgic feeling that no digital recording could ever emulate. Check out the video below.

There was also an abundance of colorful wallpaper this year at each of the exhibits. Anna Hill’s colorful wallpapers as seen below can truly brighten up any room. You may also place customized orders to fit your liking.

This slim square lighting by Lim Hyuntaik features 500 LED lights and aluminum and hi-tech glass. What is attractive about this piece is the soft glow that it gives to set

This washi table by Family Tree is made of the Japanese rice paper “washi” and with an American black walnut frame. Each table is finished entirely by hand in London and costs around £240 (or US$480).

I will definitely be back next year.

Along with Designersblock and 100% Design, Tent London is another headliner event during the London Design Festival. The exhibition is held at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, which is known for its art and fashion student area along with its predominant Bangladeshi community and foods.

The exhibits are divided into a few major areas, but the most important ones are Circa (vintage), Content (contemporary) and Talent Zone (up-and-coming). My personal favorites were actually within the Talent Zone, so here they are:

This “ComplexCity project” by Lee Jang Sub at first sight was simply a complex pattern, perhaps to even represent a tree. Once I stepped closer I realized the designer created artwork out of maps of major cities around the world, starting with the city of his home country, Seoul. The pieces displayed at the show was made of paper, but other materials such as wood and textile are also used to make the wall decor.

The Japanese group Link also exhibited a few pieces of student design from the Tohoku University of Art and Design. The first is this vascular bundle cushion designed by Shinichiro Yamada. The sponge itself is quite weak on its own; however, when they are bundled together like the vascular bundles are in plants, a strong bond is created and a comfortable cushion is the result.

At first glance, the base of this puddle vase looks like it was made with glass or some other clear material; a second look then reveals that the base itself has already been covered in a thin sheet of water in a delicate fashion. A single stem of a flower on top of this vase can last for about a week. The vase is available in acrylic, wood, Japanese lacquer and aluminum.

Last (but certainly not least) is the debut collection by UK-based designer Caroline Swift. Her bone china bowls and tealights are all individually hand-sanded to give it the simple and contemporary look. The bone china spoons also come with delicate detail for a the table setting. These are currently available from her website. See below for details.

Tomorrow: final roundup.

Today is actually the opening of three major events here at the London Design Festival: 100% Design, Designersblock and Tent London. My itinerary today only covers 100% Design and Designersblock. As I have seen most of Designersblock during the press preview yesterday, so my first destination was 100% Design at Earls Court.

One of my favorites is actually this set of Motley oak sofa and armchairs. As those of us in urban spaces live in smaller and smaller spaces these days, there has not been as much (at least to me) furniture to help address the market. The set that you see below is actually great for small spaces, and it doesn’t carry an unreasonable price tag. For the sofa and two armchairs, it’s about £2,500 (or about US$4,500 or so). Designed by Samuel Chan, a UK-based furniture designer and also founder of Channels. His work can be seen at some of the major hotels in London.

Now for something relaxing. This Lomme (stands for Light Over Matter Mind Evolution) bed is from a company of the same name based in the Principality of Liechtenstein. This bed features a true “sleep experience” which includes light, color and sound. The light provides an experience that dims slowly while you sleep and wakes you with a virtual sunrise, while color provides therapy to the experience. There is also a sound system that hooks up to an iPod to provide music in bed.

Just in case you were looking for more, this bed also comes with a foam mattress with a built-in massage system.

Of course, a visit for 100% Design would not be complete without a visit to 100% Futures, where young designers were featured in a separate area of the exhibit hall. There were definitely quite a few innovative ideas, but my personal favorite is probably this in.fold chair by Rupert Mckelvie. This chair can be taken apart and stored flat, and is also two chairs in one when you assemble the chair from one side versus the reverse. Definitely brilliant.

Next up: Tent London.

I was able to get a quick sneak peek into what’s coming up at Designersblock here in London’s Covent Garden Piazza starting tomorrow. I already mentioned Haidee Drew as one to watch, but here are some more, this time from South Korea. In recent years, Korea has transformed itself into a brand for itself, and these designers exhibiting at Designersblock tells exactly that story.

For instance, take a look at this Wine Speaker by Sante Kim. He used the top part of a wine bottle for the acoustics through glass, and coupled with the iron design to give it a new look. It’s not only creative, but also environmentally sound.

This is a simple lighting installation from the design team of Moonjung Kim and Sungsu Kang, collectively YLEM.

This X-ray Light by Wonsuk Cho uses X-ray film and lighting to display a different type of view from a “normal” light bulb. It almost turns lamps inside-out.

The next two are probably the most practical items that we would use. Ever had issues with dangling wires from your headset? This wire button will “organize” the wire for you so that you will never again be bothered by wires.

This I’ve Got Plastic Bags is a rubbish bin and a storage for your plastic bags all in one. Simply store your plastic bags at the bottom, then pull them out as needed. Sounds good to me.

Tomorrow, watch out for more reports from Designersblock and the opening of 100% Design!

I made today a relaxing day before tomorrow’s press events and then the opening of Designersblock, 100% Design and Tent London on Thursday. I headed out to the local grocery store Waitrose to check out the store.

The eco bag above may not look very exciting, but it’s quite simple and practical. UK grocery stores have been promoting the use of reusable bags as part of an effort to reduce plastic bag usage. These are definitely much sturdier than the reusable bags that you see in the US at stores such as Whole Foods or Safeway.

Then there’s the packaging. How do you make a product on the shelf stand out amongst others? This freshly squeezed orange juice literally “screamed” out at me when there were hundreds of other bottles out there. The label itself was definitely bright enough and it caught my attention. It was just as simple as that.

For lunch, I ended up at The Natural Kitchen while walking up Marylebone High Street, the main shopping street in the Marylebone area, just north of Oxford Street. This is definitely a first for me in the area, and it was definitely very charming. I had a great meal at the cafe upstairs, with a Thai spiced sweet potato soup with roasted pine nuts, then a spinach and feta quiche + salad.

The evening was just quite mellow. It is now just past midnight in London, and I have a press event first thing in the morning. So stay tuned. More to come tomorrow from the events.