Open House London: Explore Architecture, Design, and Hidden Spaces Across the City

When you think of Open House London, an annual festival that opens thousands of buildings across the capital to the public for free. Also known as Open House Festival, it’s not just about looking at buildings—it’s about understanding how space, history, and design shape the way we live, work, and connect in the city. Every September, London transforms into a giant playground for curious minds. You can step inside skyscrapers with panoramic views, walk through 18th-century townhouses with original fireplaces, or peek into underground engineering marvels that keep the Tube running. It’s the one time of year when the city drops its guard and lets you see what’s behind the doors most people never even notice.

What makes Open House London special isn’t just the scale—it’s the variety. You’ll find architecture London, the physical expression of the city’s evolving identity, from Georgian terraces to brutalist housing estates side by side with design festivals London, events that celebrate innovation in interiors, materials, and urban planning. These aren’t dry museum exhibits. They’re living spaces—offices where startups pitch ideas, community centers where elders gather, and warehouses turned into art studios. The festival connects you to the people who built, maintain, and use these places. You might chat with an architect who designed a school with natural light optimized for kids with autism, or a gardener who turned a rooftop into a food-growing hub for a housing estate.

It’s also a chance to see how public buildings London, structures owned by the city or institutions meant for shared use are being reimagined. Libraries with maker spaces, police stations turned into co-working hubs, even decommissioned power stations hosting pop-up concerts. These aren’t just renovations—they’re shifts in how the city thinks about access, inclusion, and reuse. And you don’t need a degree in design to get it. You just need to show up.

Behind every open door in Open House London is a story. A story about who had the money to build, who got left out, who fought to save a building, or who turned a forgotten basement into a music studio for teens. The festival doesn’t just show you spaces—it shows you the city’s soul. And what you find might surprise you. A hidden courtyard in Clerkenwell where artists paint murals on brick walls. A 1970s council block with a rooftop farm that feeds 200 families. A glass-walled office tower where the entire floor is made from recycled steel.

Below, you’ll find a curated collection of stories from London’s most vibrant corners—places where design meets daily life, where history whispers in the corridors, and where ordinary people do extraordinary things with space. Whether you’re looking for the next hidden gem to visit, inspiration for your own home, or just a new way to see the city you live in, these posts will show you what’s really going on behind the facades.