A More Intimate Frieze Week: PAD London and London Invitational

Every October, London becomes almost impossibly full of art.

Frieze Week brings exhibitions, fairs and special events across the city. After visiting Frieze itself last year, I wanted to experience the week differently this time through two more intimate, design-led fairs that could be explored at a slower pace.

PAD London and London Invitational offered two very different experiences. One was expansive, polished and filled with collectible design; the other unfolded quietly across the rooms of a Mayfair hotel.

I enjoyed them equally, but for entirely different reasons.

PAD London: art, design and the home

Held in Berkeley Square, PAD London brings together historical and contemporary design, decorative art and jewellery inside a purpose-built pavilion.

The fair had an immediate sense of scale. Galleries presented furniture, lighting, sculpture and art as complete environments rather than isolated objects.

This made PAD particularly inspiring from an interiors perspective. The displays demonstrated how different periods, materials and creative disciplines could coexist within one room. They also made it easier to imagine many of the pieces inside a home.

Collectible design that still feels liveable

What stayed with me most was the variety of furniture and interior objects.

A white fringed chair immediately caught my attention. Its silhouette felt soft and familiar, while the long strands gave it movement and an almost couture-like quality.

A dark sculptural cabinet by Erwan Boulloud created the opposite impression. Its irregular metallic lines and architectural form placed it somewhere between functional furniture and art.

It was difficult to choose one favourite. The real pleasure came from the accumulation of ideas: unusual materials, unexpected proportions and carefully composed room settings.

PAD has a definite wow factor, but it is not relevant only to established collectors. It is equally interesting for anyone looking for interior inspiration or considering a distinctive piece for their home.

A different kind of fair

London Invitational offered an entirely different experience.

Instead of entering a large exhibition hall, visitors moved between rooms and suites at The Chancery Rosewood. Each space was occupied by a different gallery, creating the feeling of repeatedly entering a new artistic world.

It was my first visit to London Invitational, and this unusual format was what I enjoyed most.

Art appeared beside beds, above baths, against marble walls and in front of curtained windows. These domestic surroundings made it possible to imagine how a work might exist within a lived-in space rather than only inside a conventional gallery.

Art without the usual distance

The smaller format also encouraged conversation.

There was time to look closely and speak with the people representing the galleries about the artists and works they had brought to London.

The experience felt curated without becoming intimidating. Moving between rooms created a natural rhythm: enter, pause, look, talk, then discover what was waiting behind the next door.

For someone who enjoys contemporary art but does not always want the scale and intensity of a major fair, it offered an appealing alternative.

The Chancery Rosewood as part of the experience

The venue added another layer.

The Chancery Rosewood occupies the former United States Embassy on Grosvenor Square, originally designed by Eero Saarinen. Its monumental architecture has been balanced with warmer interiors, dramatic lighting and an impressive central chandelier.

The hotel did not simply provide rooms for the galleries. Its architecture, materials and service became part of the fair itself.

Afterwards, I stopped at the café for lunch, coffee and something sweet. It was a lovely way to extend the afternoon rather than immediately returning to the pace of Mayfair outside.

The hotel deserves a separate edit of its own. For this visit, however, it provided an unusually memorable setting for contemporary art.

Two fairs, two perspectives

PAD London and London Invitational are difficult to compare directly because their strengths lie in different places.

PAD is larger and more visually spectacular. It offers an exceptional concentration of collectible furniture, decorative art and interior inspiration.

London Invitational is smaller, more intimate and more conversational. Its hotel-room format changes the relationship between the visitor, the gallery and the artwork.

PAD impressed me through the breadth and quality of what was displayed. London Invitational stayed with me because of how it was displayed.

Together, they created a version of Frieze Week that felt manageable without feeling limited.

The Reda Edit

If your priority is collectible design, craftsmanship and interior inspiration, begin with PAD and allow enough time to explore each presentation.

If you are drawn to contemporary art, intimate environments and conversations with galleries, London Invitational offers something genuinely different.

My ideal edit would be to experience both: PAD for its scale and visual impact, followed by London Invitational for a quieter and more personal encounter with art.

London’s biggest cultural weeks do not always need to be experienced through their biggest events. Sometimes, a more selective approach creates the most memorable experience.