There is a word heavily overused in the design world: dialogue. Usually, it is an empty word that slips into marketing jargon. However, “Small Car, Big Windows” is truly a dialogue—and the uniqueness of this conversation comes from its ability to bring together the distinct voices of two French artists without melting them away.
Léa Mestres and Martin Laforêt have produced a new collection of tables, seating arrangements, and lighting objects for Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s London venue, Ladbroke Hall. Yet, the real agenda of these works is the journey: transitions between spaces, changing landscapes, and how this alteration shapes the gaze. The title captures this beautifully—the metaphor of a “small car, big windows” describes a world that passes by slowly but is observed through a wide-angle lens.
Léa Mestres is an experimental French artist living between Paris and Audierne. She states that she finds the design world too serious and heavily male-dominated; her response to this is joy, irony, and play. Naming her sculptures—made of cement, plaster, and metal—after her friends or fictional characters, Mestres infuses objects with personality. Her lamps and tables are less functional art objects and more an invitation to a state of mind.
Martin Laforêt’s approach, on the other hand, is more layered and quieter—but this silence stems from a serious investigation of materials rather than shallow minimalism. When the two come together, Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s Ladbroke Hall venue transforms into a miniature world: objects carrying their own internal landscapes and a study of how these objects stage one another within a room.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery is an institution whose prestige among collectors is unquestionable, housing its own workshop employing 20 artisans. Continuously present at major fairs like TEFAF and Art Basel, the gallery takes the category of “collectible design” seriously, making it one of the strongest reference points in this field. “Small Car, Big Windows” is the exhibition where French design finds its truest voice in London this season.
Exhibition Details:
- Venue: Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Ladbroke Hall, London
- Artists: Léa Mestres & Martin Laforêt
- Exhibition Title: Small Car, Big Windows
- Dates: June 11 – September 20, 2026 (Now open)
