Header: PANGEA by Valentina Riccardi and Clotilde de K, courtesy of Lisbon Design Week 2026
From 27 to 31 May 2026, Lisbon Design Week returns for its fourth edition. Over five days, the programme will spread across more than 80 locations in 11 neighbourhoods, including exhibitions, studios, shops, galleries, workshops and private spaces. LDW26 has grown in size this year, with new participants and venues joining the programme. The event continues to focus on contemporary design, craft and cultural exchanges, with a wider presence in areas such as Graça and Anjos.
A collaborative and eclectic edition
The 2026 edition brings together studios, designers, brands and makers through shared exhibitions, installations and new projects. The arrival of new participants also brings fresh perspectives to the programme, reflecting the eclectic and ever-evolving identity of Lisbon Design Week. While there is no single official theme this year, this year’s edition is shaped by inclusiveness and exchange, with a broad view of Portuguese design today, from traditional craft and heritage to more experimental and contemporary work.
The handmade at the centre
The handmade is again a major part of the programme, led by the main exhibition, Design Feito à Mão, at Arquivo Aires Mateus. The exhibition starts with the jar, one of the oldest objects made by human cultures, and looks at how craft is being used in contemporary design. Curated by André Matos, Vasco Águas and Astrid Suzano, it brings together artisans, designers and makers working with different materials and methods. Across the exhibition, the hand remains part of how each object is made, shaped and understood.
Design looking forward: technology and new materials
Alongside this focus on making, LDW26 also includes more experimental practices. Some participants work with technology through 3D design and printing, including Portuguese brand Porventura, which presents a new direction in accessories. Others look at regenerative design, including Spectroom, with research into new processes and materials. The programme places handmade work and technology side by side, showing Portuguese design through both long-standing craft and new forms of production.
Strategic partnership with MUDE – Museu do Design
For 2026, Lisbon Design Week has formalised its strategic partnership with MUDE – Museu do Design, first announced in December 2025. The partnership strengthens the relationship between LDW, the city’s design museum and the wider design community in Lisbon, while giving further support to contemporary design in Portugal.
A main part of this partnership is the Young Design Generation open call, created for designers under 35. In 2026, the initiative adds two new elements: one selected work from the open call will enter the MUDE collection, and one participating designer will receive a mentorship programme. novobanco, which has supported Lisbon Design Week since its first edition, also joins the partnership in support of Young Design Generation.
The exhibition of the 20 finalists will open at MUDE on 27 May 2026, the first day of Lisbon Design Week.
Lisbon Design Week at Arco Lisboa
Lisbon Design Week will also be present at ARCOlisboa2026, an international contemporary art fair in Lisbon at the Cordoaria Nacional. At the entrance to the fair, the LDW Lounge, titled The Living Room, will be designed by architect, artist and designer Joana Astolfi, who is a member of the LDW Advisory Board. The 100 m² space will be set up as a living room, bringing together work by designers taking part in Lisbon Design Week.
The Living Room will function as a place to sit, meet and talk, as well as an exhibition setting. It will also include ARCOlisboa’s information desk and information about Lisbon Design Week, making it a central point for visitors during the fair. Joana Astolfi will also present the Astolfi kiosk and a series of workshops at her atelier.
Joana Areal signs the 2026 poster
Each year, Lisbon Design Week commissions a poster that becomes the visual identity of the edition, creating opportunities for graphic designers and illustrators. For 2026, this role has been given to designer Joana Areal. Her contribution introduces a distinct graphic angle to the festival and reflects LDW’s continued support for creative work across different disciplines.
This year’s programme
Over five days, visitors will be able to explore around 80 venues across Lisbon, including ateliers, creative studios, galleries, shops, architecture and design offices, private spaces and hotels. Participants are invited to present Portuguese design where possible, using locally sourced materials and working with artists, designers, craftspeople, architects and brands.
This year’s programme introduces a new Spotlight section within the LDW itinerary (10 in total), dedicated to solo presentations focused on a single designer and bringing together works from different collections or periods of their practice. Highlights include Gonçalo Campos at Ligne Roset, Alan Louis at Fantastic Frank Lisbon, Vasco Fragoso Mendes at The Lisbonaire, Natasza Grzeskiewicz and Tomás Fernandes at Further Ther, Graça Pereira Coutinho at Her Clique, Emmanuel Babled at Galeria Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Diogo Amaro at ME Lisbon, Miguel Soeiro at CAM Shop Gulbenkian, Brazilian designer Bernardo Figueiredo at QuartoSala, and Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance in his own gallery, Made inSitu, where he presents a retrospective of seven collections.
Collective practices also feature strongly. Luso Collective returns with a new scenography in the chapel of the Basílica da Estrela, while Sotaque, a new collective presented at Moldo Studio, brings together designers shaped by the history and cultures of former Portuguese colonies. Textile-based practices appear across the city through presentations by Bombony, Rian van Dijk, Curated Lisbon, Maria Pratas, Teresa Nunes at ROCA, and the group show Arraiolos Reimaginado in the Estrela Garden, which reinterprets Portugal’s iconic Arraiolos embroidery through a contemporary lens.
LDW26 also highlights the growing exchange between fashion, textiles and interior design through a younger generation of designers. At Atelier Constança Entrudo, architect Duarte Caldas and designer Constança Entrudo present modular surfaces developed through joint research between architecture and textiles, proposing flexible structures that transform space without permanent intervention. The programme also includes the fashion brand BÉHEN in collaboration with Bordal – Bordados da Madeira, bringing fashion and craftsmanship to a whole other angle.
Among the week’s highlights, Portuguese brands such as Ach. Brito, Companhia Portugueza do Chá and Conserveira de Lisboa will be presented through special installations. These projects bring together graphic design, illustration and references to the city’s commercial heritage. Two chapel settings are also part of this year’s programme, with Igreja de Santa Catarina hosting an installation by Sam Baron and Joana Teixeira for Ach. Brito and Basílica da Estrela are welcoming a project by Luso Collective.
LDW26 also includes several presentations in unusual domestic settings. Three private apartments and lived-in spaces (including Casa Aether by AB+AC Architects, Bombony and Main Edition & Coleção João Cabaço) continue Lisbon Design Week’s interest in design as something inhabited and experienced beyond conventional exhibition formats.
Other notable moments include João Gameiro’s collaboration with Antwerp-based gallery St. Vincents and designer Nick Valentijn; Felipa Almeida’s exhibition and launch of the Book of Fairs at the historic Farmácia Gomes, gathering around 60 artists and reflecting on five years of thematic fairs in her Campo de Ourique studio; Atelier Daciano da Costa’s launch of the re-edition of the Osaka chair by António Garcia; Sam Baron x Maria, a tableware collection by Sam Baron in collaboration with artist Maria Terracotta, at A Vida Portuguesa in Chiado; and Light Stone, the capsule collection developed by Toni Grilo for Cosentino City Lisboa, in which the designer challenges the idea of stone as rigid and explores new formal and expressive possibilities.
Brazilian design also has a strong presence this year. At QuartoSala, Design Brasileiro brings the work of Bernardo Figueiredo to Lisbon, while Wewood presents pieces by Fabrício Ronca alongside new works by Rafael Oliva. This international outlook is further showcased in Lisbon Design Week’s Advisory Board, which welcomes a new member in 2026: renowned Brazilian architect and designer Guto Requena, known for his work at the intersection of design, technology, empathy and inclusiveness.
This year, Lisbon Design Week also partners with Bica do Sapato, the iconic Lisbon venue, which becomes one of the event hubs. The space will host a new installation by Sam Baron in collaboration with Cutipol alongside the permanent Portuguese design pieces and a live podcast series organised with Portugal Manual, a network of artisans and artists, and sponsored by DeLa Espada. Bringing together exhibition and conversation, it will serve as a lively meeting point throughout the week.
Like last year, the close connection with Spanish designers is revealed in two exhibitions: one at the Bigger Splash, with the launch of “Everyday Objects”, a collaboration between Apartamento Magazine and BD Barcelona, and another at Coletivo 284 with the latest collection by architect Ramón Esteve for Vondom.
Event details
Dates: May 27–31, 2026
Duration: 5 days
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Venues: 80+ locations across the city
Neighbourhoods: 11 districts, including Graça and Anjos
Event Programme: Exhibitions, open studios, workshops, talks, installations, private spaces
Main Exhibition: Design Feito à Mão at Arquivo Aires Mateus
Special Programme: Young Design Generation (open call for designers under 35)
ARCOlisboa Presence: LDW Lounge “The Living Room” at Cordoaria Nacional
Participants: Designers, studios, brands, makers, galleries, architects
Focus: Contemporary design, craft, materials, technology, cultural exchange
