WOW!house 2025: A Summer of Design Wonder at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre

Written by Lucy Winters-Underwood, Founder of Lucy Winterwood Luxury Interior Design Studio. Serving St Albans, Harpenden, Hertfordshire & North London.

Each June, the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour transforms into a design-lover’s dream—and 2025 was no exception. The fourth edition of WOW!house was the most impressive yet. The space occupied six hundred square metres of the Design Avenue in Chelsea Harbour Design Centre. Unveiling twenty-two full-sized rooms and outdoor spaces crafted by world-renowned designers and exciting emerging talents. This immersive show house is more than exhibition—it’s a creative journey through narrative, craftsmanship, and inspiring innovation.

A Grand Entrance to WOW!house, by Adam Architecture

An impressive new classical façade greeted visitors—a Georgian-inspired gateway by Adam Architecture, framing the house in symmetry and old-world elegance. And not just a façade by any means, this year a surprise entrance courtyard by Alexander Hoyle of Artorius Faber, blending rustic stonework with lush planting—an ode to timeless English landscaping.

Described as a ‘modern day cabinet of curiosities’, Victoria Davar’s entrance hall for Maison Artefact stunned with a floating bronze chandelier, reclaimed stone flooring, and a sculptural staircase—an opening act that set a dramatic, elegant tone.

Sensory Storytelling through Scent, Jo Malone

Some brands were ‘The Red Thread’ of the immersive experience. The concept of the ‘Red Thread’ (or ‘Röda Tråden’ in Swedish) is rooted in the idea that a single unifying element, be it a colour, material, shape, or pattern runs consistently through an interior space, tying different rooms together. This metaphorical thread creates visual and schematic continuity, making a home feel intentional rather than a collection of disconnected styles. Read more about this in our blog.

One of the most immersive—and unexpectedly powerful—elements of WOW!house 2025 came not from what visitors saw, but from what they smelled. For the second year running, Jo Malone London partnered with the Design Centre to scent the entire WOW!house, turning each room into a multi-sensory experience where fragrance was as important as colour, texture, or light.

This unique collaboration added a layer of storytelling through scent, subtly transforming the atmosphere as guests moved from room to room. From fresh and green to rich and enveloping, the fragrances were thoughtfully chosen to complement each space’s mood and aesthetic.

For example, the entrance hall designed by Victoria Davar of Maison Artefact featured natural stone and sculptural bronze—its scent, curated by Jo Malone London, evoked grounded elegance with earthy notes and quiet drama. In contrast, Nicola Harding’s whimsical powder room was matched with a playful, floral-forward scent that enhanced its theatrical jewel tones.

The presence of Jo Malone London also underscored a growing trend in high-end interiors: curated scent design as part of spatial storytelling. Just as designers commission bespoke lighting or textiles, they are increasingly collaborating on fragrance profiles for homes, hotels, and retail spaces. WOW!house 2025 made this concept real and relatable.

Sensory Storytelling through Colour

Unbeknown to (most) visitors, Benjamin Moore made a bold impact as the first official paint partner of WOW!house, supplying colour across all twenty-two rooms. From the elegant ‘French Macaroon’ on the façade to the most notably and striking ‘Dining Room’ by Peter Mikic.

The dining room offered a groovy immersion into 1970s flamboyance, showcasing hand-painted wall panels and a vibrant bespoke mural. The walls were meticulously painted in ‘Broadway Lights’, a vibrant yellow hue that infuses the space with glamour and warmth.

The dining table bejewelled with semi-precious stones, Lucite dining chairs amongst various vintage treasures all forged together to create an unforgettable retro-inspired space, unified under Benjamin Moore’s expert palette and archival resources.

Signature Room Trends to Watch. The Curators Room honoring female artists

Now as designers, we attend events such as WOW!house to keep on top of trends, and delight in the originality, invention and beauty that unfolds when a designer is given free reign. You’ll find that the rooms are a sensory overload, maximalist and not an inch of space goes without thought. Some key trends we took away:

• Layered Textures: Across spaces, designers leaned into enveloping materials like suedes, velvets, layered rugs, and patinated metals, crafting a sense of comfort and sanctuary.

• Craftsmanship & Narrative Design: Artisanal details were everywhere—from bespoke rugs in the Curator’s Room honouring women creatives, to Arts‑and‑Crafts-inspired woodwork in Chad Dorsey’s drawing room

• Global influences: Outdoor and indoor spaces nodded to Mediterranean courtyards, Andalusian geometry, Moorish patterns, and English rural traditions. Goddard Littlefair’s Andalusian courtyard and Daniel Slowik’s collector-style morning room exemplified this cross-cultural approach.

• Drama in small spaces: Tiny rooms got maximal attention. In Nicola Harding’s powder room, turquoise and ruby taffeta drapes, bold cabinetry, and jewel-toned fabrics packed theatrical flair into a compact space.

• Paint as focal element: Peter Mikic’s dining room glowed, showing how paint shifts entire room moods.

Fit for a Pink Princess, personal favourite at WOW!house

If you know me, you’ll know I have a penchant for pink. And Alessandra Branca’s, Casa Branca Bedroom spoke to me. ‘A fantasy room, warm and escapist’.

Classical beauty, comfortably chic, an inspired sanctuary that blends maximalist elegance with personal warmth. A rose hinted room, wrapped in linen prints. The walls are clad in paisley patterns while the bespoke canopy style four-poster bed is dressed in matching striped curtains, creating a cocooned, dream-like space.

The space is rich with layered texture—from woven rugs and carved wood accents to a sculptural bronze bench—juxtaposed with contemporary pieces like Paolo Moschino’s Draper desk, a travertine console by Francis Sultana, and striking vintage finds including a 17th‑century gilded commode. The result is a carefully curated retreat that feels both luxurious and intimately personal, showcasing Branca’s flair for mixing antiques, artisanal textiles, and modern accents into a harmonious, visually encompassing haven.

Surprise, Stand Out Room, by Kelly Hoppen

True to her roots, Kelly Hoppen, ‘warm, elegant and full of soul’. Perhaps the calmest room we walked into at WOW!house. A space to breathe, to sit and reflect.

Teamed with Visual Comfort & Co. Hoppen’s Living Room reveals her masterful approach to layering light and texture. Curated sculptural fixtures—from the dramatic Canto Grande chandelier to the statement-making Oscar floor lamp—to cast a warm, diffused glow across rich browns, terracotta’s, and natural materials like honed stone and linens.

The neutral palette is subtly punctuated by a single red cushion and vase, proving the impact of a bold, unexpected accent. Together, the tactile upholstery, damask textiles, and layered lighting create a calming, cocoon-like ambience—an intimate yet expansive retreat that exemplifies Hoppen’s signature fusion of architectural clarity and sensory warmth.

See you next year. WOW!house 2026

WOW!house 2025 stands out for its narrative interiors, where every room tells a story through texture, technique, and atmosphere. Themes of comfort, cocooning, craft, and bold colour recurred—trends that will ripple into high-end residential and luxury hospitality design for 2025–2026.

If you’re seeking inspiration for your design work or just love beautiful spaces, draw from the way WOW!house blends sensory engagement (scents, textures, narrative) with high craftsmanship. It reminds us that impactful interiors aren’t just seen—they’re experienced.

If you visited, I’d love to hear which room inspired you most?