Designers now have a defined, curated channel to trial limited editions and prototypes, Collate Lobby announced with its first drop, and the platform will hold exclusive sales rights for at least three years. The initiative, launched by recruitment agency Collate Form during London Design Festival, debuted as a fictional 1930s‑inspired hotel suite and adjoining foyer staged at Yorkton Workshops, the studio base of Pearson Lloyd.
The installation fills a reception, lounge and bedroom with more than 40 objects from over 30 designers, makers and studios, leaning into art‑deco references and material experiments. Collate Lobby says most pieces were created specially for this rollout, giving contributors a short, focused sales window and a route for successful items to join a core collection.
Named highlights include a polished metal mirror by Jaclyn Pappalardo, a chainmail partition screen by Edward John Milton, and Matthew Coules’s Vega lounge chair. Smaller pieces range from Alexander Shayle’s lacquered resin lamp and Thomas Wheller’s cast bronze table lighter to silk scarves by Les Keepers and espresso cups by Maison S Sommet. Textile, ceramic and metal work by Andrew Pierce Scott, Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir and Stine Keinicke also populate the rooms.
Several contributions combine traditional craft with high‑finish detailing: Josh Page’s Acid floor lamp pairs a carved teak‑veneer plywood base with a poplin shade and a blue embroidered seam; Charlie Humble Thomas’s Fred lamps set blown‑glass shades against polished British marble; Odd Universe supplied tetris‑like aluminium side tables. The show emphasises finish as much as form, shaping how pieces will be presented to buyers.
Founder James Garis framed Lobby as an intermediary between brand and retailer, a place where designers can experiment within a curated context. He said, "I've met so many amazing, talented designers and makers over the years, but they have nowhere to funnel their work through in any sort of a controlled sense." He added, "So many people in the industry get screwed over by brands, but we're trying to be as fair as possible."
For the inaugural drop Garis asked contributors to design an object that could belong in a Parisian, boudoir‑like hotel and collaborated on final development. All objects are available to order from Lobby, which holds exclusive rights for a minimum of three years, and items that perform well in sales will be folded into Lobby’s core offering. The exhibition runs at Yorkton Workshops in Hackney from 12 to 20 September as part of London Design Festival.
