Go Inside the 2026 WOW!house in London
On view at Design Center, Chelsea Harbour through July 2, the immersive showcase brings together leading interior designers, artisans, and brands to create richly imagined rooms and gardens
Fresh off the excitement of the Chelsea Flower Show and the unveiling of this year’s Serpentine Pavilion, London has welcomed the fifth edition of WOW!house. Open through July 2 at Design Center, Chelsea Harbour, the immersive showhouse brings together leading interior designers, artisans, and brands to create a series of richly imagined rooms and gardens. “Celebrating five years of WOW!house, and every year the designers get more ambitious, the build gets more complex, and they deliver with aplomb,” says Claire German, CEO of the Design Center, Chelsea Harbour, and founder of WOW!house. “This structure is purpose-built in five days, and inside there’s a true sense of wonder, the joy of discovery, and a love for craftsmanship and design.”
Discover the standout moments below:
A new addition this year is the Garden Folly room and facade by Studio Enass and Darren Price of Adam Architecture. The charming tented canopy invites visitors into an intimate respite evoking an enchanted island with whiffs of faraway lands. “I wanted to create a space which combines the two worlds, how I grew up in Northeast Africa and here,” says Enass Mahmoud. “Red is the color of cultural celebration with a step into a different world.”
Few rooms announce their presence with greater confidence than the Entrance Hall by Francis Sultana. Conceived as the renowned designer’s contemporary take on the great British entrance hall, the space layers museum-worthy antiques with contemporary art and richly hued paintings. “This is my first time doing WOW!house, and I was very pleased to accept the invitation,” says Sultana. “I wanted my room to feel very British—the elegance of English architecture and a great backdrop to show how I see my decorating today. Contemporary and historic design together.”
The Lalique Bar by Elicyon is a journey of true discovery. Charu Gandhi, founder and director of Elicyon, envisioned a sequence of intimate encounters that invite visitors to stay a while. “I wanted to share Lalique within contemporary architecture, so you have a room within a room, with moments of Lalique,” says Gandhi.
The Salon by Young Huh and Benjamin Moore embraces color with the utmost exuberance. Conceived as a gallery-like setting for a collector who delights in entertaining, the room draws on Huh’s Korean heritage while weaving in references to international modernism. “I wanted to tell the story of Minhwa, which is Korean folk art,” says Huh. “I was looking at the colors and realized it pairs well with modernism: Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Piet Mondrian. The story of Minhwa modernism.”
A more subdued palette emerges in the Morning Room by Sara Cosgrove for Phillip Jeffries, which pairs celadon and cream with delicate notes of lilac. Conceived as a retreat from the crowd, the room celebrates craftsmanship through woven wall coverings, richly textured surfaces, and finely considered details. “The concept was to create a bit of fantasy,” Cosgrove says. “I was thinking of a time pre-technology, and I wanted a space to pause, take a breath, and think. The opposite of sensory overload.”
The Courtyard by garden designer Richard Miles, created in collaboration with Munder Skiles, introduces a verdant interlude within the house. Envisioned as both a room and a garden, the space centers on a fountain surrounded by lush plantings and woven textures that encourage visitors to soak it all in. “Munder Skiles has wonderful furniture. I’m even using their product as art on the walls,” Miles says. “Muted colors, timeless elegance, just a refresh and to calm things down from the other rooms.” Particularly charming are the wicker willow planters created by an artist whose work he has long admired.
Among the most layered interiors at is The Parlour by Martin Kemp Design, an obscure but talented studio making its first WOW!house appearance. Suspended panels partially veil the room, revealing carefully considered vignettes as visitors move through the space. “The furniture has been arranged in this circular fashion for conversation and different groupings,” Kemp says. “A little bit theatrical, intriguing, and not conventional.” Throughout, 18th-century paintings hang alongside contemporary works—and two paintings from his late parents.
The Withdrawing Room by designer Sean Symington Design, created with Zardi & Zardi, embraces the rich decorative tradition of the English country house through a transatlantic lens. Antique furnishings, art, objets, and layers of patterned textiles fill the room, creating an atmosphere that evokes a lively gathering among seasoned collectors. Despite its abundance, every element appears carefully chosen and thoughtfully placed. Not cluttered but layered, not crowded, but considered and just plain lovely. “I wanted it to be livable and a home, not a showroom,” says Symington, who lives and works in the Cotswolds. “An elevated English country aesthetic.”
The Schumacher Dining Room by Galerie Creative Mind Max Rollitt draws visitors into a richly detailed vision of an 18th-century dining room. Candlelight and soft illumination casts a warm glow across antiques, bespoke furnishings, and decorative objects sourced from the interior designer and antiques dealer’s own collection of bespoke pieces, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and occasion. “I think the biggest challenge was creating a dining room people want to sit in,” Rollitt says. “A special place to revel in its beauty.” Don’t miss the dog bed under the console, either.
Despite the classic English weather patterns, pure delight is palpable in the Garden Terrace by Fettle Design with Perennials and Sutherland. Lush greenery, sculptural elements, and outdoor furnishings conjure an alfresco atmosphere suited to long afternoons spent outdoors, while a striking canopy in limoncello-hued check fabric stretches overhead rippling with light reflected off glittering glass spheres. “We broadly took inspiration from Perennials,” explains Andy Goodwin of Fettle Design. “Italian-inspired, fresh summer colorways. This is evocative of our work as interior designers.”
The WOW!house is on view until July 2 2026.