lighting

100% Norway turned nine this year, making it only a year younger than the London Design Festival itself. To celebrate, it moved to a shiny new venue, Dray Walk Gallery, just around the corner from Tent. The light-filled space was a perfect backdrop for the cool understated Scandinavian design. It was designed by Amy Hunting and Oscar Narud; described by curator Henrietta Thompson as "two of the most innovative and capable young Norwegian designers in London."

A small section of 100% Design was dedicated to Emerging Brands. Here are my top five...

If there was a "man of the match" for the London Design Festival, I think David Irwin would be it - his name just seemed to pop up everywhere. He had his own stand within 100% Design's Emerging Designers section and his products also featured on Deadgood's stand and on the Designers In Residence stand at designjunction. Everywhere I turned - there he was, and with good reason. His products are gorgeous!

Helsinki-based designer Erkko Aarti came up with a way to beat the long, dark months that last throughout the winter in Finland. It's called LYHTY - a tent-like space that can be placed in public spaces or even somewhere in your house. The structure has light built into the frame to make the inside (and the outside) glow.

All eyes were on 100% Design at this year's London Design Festival. Under new ownership and with a new director, the hype had begun months previously and continued right up to the moment we entered the rather spectacular entrance, designed by London agency Shaw + Skirm. In its 18th year, this predominantly trade show seems to have found its feet again. Here are our top picks from the Interiors Section.

designjunction was one of the most exciting shows of London Design Festival. The venue alone was enough to look forward to. Built in the 1960s by the Ministry of Works as a Royal Mail Sorting Office, it became largest in the UK in the 90s before closing down. Since then it has been used for everything from an illegal rave in October 2010, to an Alexander McQueen fashion show earlier this year. The design had a lot to live up to. Luckily it didn't disappoint.

With queues around the block for the opening night party, designersblock was set to be hit from the beginning. And, it didn't disappoint. Known for their use of interesting spaces (they were in the Familoe Building last year), this year's venue was the Southbank Centre's Festival Village - a space that's never been open to the public before; it's usually used as a green room for performing artists.

During Helsinki Design Week, I visited Habitare 2012, a furniture and design fair that drew about 57,000 people over the five days it was open. There was such great work on display including a large amount of student designs and work by Finnish designers.

The V&A was bursting at the seams with installations for London Design Festival 2012. Here are three of the best - nendo's Mimicry Chairs, Bench Years from Established & Sons and Ice Angel by Dominic Harris.

UTREM LUX is the name of a sustainable design project by Degross Design & Innovation that takes old glass bottles and reuses them to make lamps.

Vancouver-based designer Greg Papove has created a collection of furniture that was inspired by your everyday socks and the stories they have to tell. Socks + Furniture is a coffee table, floor lamp, and sofa that challenge one to take a second look at the mundane and not to overlook the simple things in life.

Diogo Frias designed this ultra-thin Silhouette lamp that reminds me of Magritte...