Where Design Meets History

Somerset House has long provided an extraordinary setting for creativity, bringing fashion, art, architecture and design together within one of London’s most recognisable historic spaces.

For CARRO Studio, photographing design at Somerset House offers an opportunity to look beyond the finished object and focus on the relationship between form, material, structure and environment. The architecture itself becomes part of the visual story, providing a dramatic contrast to contemporary design.

Design Meets Architecture

The character of Somerset House makes it a particularly compelling setting for design. Historic stonework, grand corridors, courtyards and architectural details create a strong backdrop for contemporary objects and installations. That contrast between old and new is central to the atmosphere. Modern design can appear particularly striking when placed against classical architecture, allowing shape, proportion and material to become more visible. During London Design Festival, Somerset House has hosted designers working across furniture, product design, technology and installation, with the West Wing providing space for designers to present their work in their own visual environments.

Form and Function

Good design often begins with a simple relationship between how something looks and how it works. Furniture, objects and installations can appear minimal at first glance, but closer inspection reveals decisions about proportion, materials, construction and usability. These details become especially important when viewed through photography. The camera can isolate a particular curve, texture or junction, turning an everyday functional detail into something graphic and architectural.

Material as Design

Material plays an important role in creating the character of an object. Wood, metal, glass, textiles and contemporary synthetic materials each have their own visual language. Surface, reflection and texture can completely change the way an object appears depending on the surrounding light. For CARRO Studio, this provides a rich photographic vocabulary. A reflective surface can become almost abstract, while a textured material can reveal the craftsmanship behind an otherwise simple form.

The Exhibition as Experience

Design exhibitions are not simply collections of objects. The way work is positioned, illuminated and presented influences how it is experienced. Installations can transform a room, creating environments in which individual pieces become part of a larger composition. This was particularly evident within Somerset House’s design programme, where exhibitions ranged from product and furniture design to technology, installation and experimental work. The visitor therefore becomes part of the design experience, moving through spaces and discovering different perspectives.

CARRO Studio Behind the Lens

CARRO Studio’s photography captures this relationship between object and environment. Rather than documenting design purely as catalogue imagery, the photographs can reveal how the work interacts with architecture, light and space. Details become graphic compositions, while wider images establish the atmosphere of the exhibition. Somerset House itself becomes an important part of the frame. Its historic surroundings provide scale and context, allowing contemporary design to be understood within a much larger visual landscape.

Where History Meets Contemporary Design

The appeal of Somerset House lies in this meeting of histories. A building associated with centuries of culture provides the setting for designers exploring new materials, technologies and ideas.

That dialogue between heritage and innovation gives the photography its distinctive character. Contemporary design is placed within an environment that has its own visual language, creating images where architecture, object and atmosphere become inseparable.

For CARRO Studio, Somerset House is therefore more than a location. It becomes part of the design story — a backdrop where creativity, craftsmanship and contemporary thinking meet.