Guide to PAD London
The Fair
PAD London
- The UK’s only fair devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design has occupied Berkeley Square each October since 2007.
- Temporary rooms replace the neutral trade-fair box, encouraging galleries to show furniture and objects as complete interiors.
- The selection moves between modern masters, contemporary commissions, jewellery, ceramics and non-Western material.
- Mayfair galleries extend the fair beyond the pavilion, making the surrounding streets part of the visit.
Great for:
Interior collecting, Berkeley Square, Jewellery design.
Complete the pavilion at 11:00, then return after 16:00 for quieter conversations with dealers.
Hotels
The Connaught
- 3 Michelin Keys
- A Mayfair hotel a few minutes from Berkeley Square, with PAD, Cork Street and Mount Street all within the same walking radius.
- The building balances old London formality with contemporary art and design interventions throughout the public rooms.
- Its bars and restaurants become informal extensions of fair week without requiring another journey across town.
Great for:
Mayfair access, Art collection, Fair meetings.
Use the hotel as a midday reset, since PAD is compact enough to leave and revisit on the same day.
Beyond the Fair
The New Craftsmen
- A gallery and commissioning platform dedicated to contemporary British craft.
- Furniture, textiles, ceramics and objects are presented through the makers and processes behind them.
- The Mayfair location provides a material-led counterpoint to PAD’s more international market.
Great for:
British craft, Maker commissions, Material knowledge.
Ask which works can be viewed beyond the current display, as many pieces are shown by appointment.
David Gill Gallery
- A leading collectible-design gallery known for commissioning artists, architects and designers to work at functional scale.
- The programme has long blurred distinctions between sculpture, furniture and interior architecture.
- Its St James’s location fits naturally after PAD and the Cork Street galleries.
Great for:
Collectible design, Artist furniture, St James’s.
Check the exhibition calendar before planning the route to avoid arriving during an installation changeover.
Restaurants
The Wolseley
- An all-day grand café in a former car showroom and bank, still one of London’s most useful rooms for an unscripted meal.
- Breakfast, schnitzel and patisserie matter more here than chasing novelty.
Great for:
All-day dining, Solo lunch, Piccadilly meetings.
Order: Eggs Benedict, Wiener schnitzel, Millefeuille.
Ask for the inner horseshoe when dining alone for a full view of the room without taking a larger table.
Mount St. Restaurant
- An art-filled dining room above The Audley, where the floor itself incorporates work by Rashid Johnson.
- The menu draws on British restaurant history with enough confidence to serve an omelette or pie as the main event.
Great for:
Art interiors, Mayfair lunch, British dishes.
Order: Arnold Bennett omelette, Lobster pie, Bakewell tart.
Request the main dining room, where the permanent art collection gives the restaurant its relevance to PAD.
Scott's
- A Mount Street seafood institution with a pavement terrace that remains one of Mayfair’s most reliable social barometers.
- The menu is strongest when treated classically, particularly shellfish and whole Dover sole.
Great for:
Seafood lunch, Mount Street, People-watching.
Order: Oysters, Dover sole, Apple pie.
Book the counter for one or two for better atmosphere and a quicker meal between fair visits.
Cafés
The Connaught Patisserie
- A jewel-box patisserie beside The Connaught, designed for coffee and precise French pastry rather than an extended hotel-lobby meeting.
- The counter is small, polished and close enough to Berkeley Square for a clean break between PAD visits.
Great for:
French pastry, Mayfair pause, Edible gifts.
Order: Connaught hound, Seasonal gâteau, Cappuccino.
Visit in the morning for the full pastry selection before the signature hound and seasonal cakes sell out.
Walk-ins only
