Curve Ball

Last night, the Serpentine Pavilion was packed to the rafters – or more accurately, the translucent fabric canopy – for the annual World of Interiors party. Friends and contributors gathered in the 25th edition of the gallery space for two colourful hours of wine, whiskey and canapé-fuelled merriment to celebrate our glorious new October issue.

The get-together marked the end of a particularly hot summer, not least because of the August release of Top Shelf, our one-off publication dedicated to sex and erotica in interiors and design. Early on, editor Emily Tobin took to the stage – earning a wolf whistle from the audience – to deliver a toast to the makers and artisans that enrich every issue of our magazine.

The October issue is filled with their magic, including a 27-page retelling of Aschenputtel, the grisly German version of Cinderella, masterminded by our style director Ruth Sleightholme, written by poet Simon Armitage and performed by puppets decked out in the season’s finest new fabrics. The astounding intricacy of the puppets’ costumes and the deft work of the Little Angel Theatre marionettists that brought their wearers to life, are just a few instances of artistry in an issue that roves from Himalayan homestead in Bhutan to an Art Nouveau lodge in northern California and on to a ghostly Burgundian chateau.

The World of Interiors’ October 2026 issue

Château Galoupet rosé

Woodford Reserve whiskey

In September’s Body Issue, Emily Tobin urged us to eschew artificial intelligence and ‘return focus to the blood and guts of it all’, and there was no better place to do this than at A Serpentine, this year’s pavilion by Mexico City-based architectural practice Lanza Atelier. The studio principals, Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, design in hope of facilitating human relationships, and their design for the outdoor structure reimagined the curvilinear ‘serpentine’ (or crinkle crankle) walls that dot the Suffolk landscape as porous structures made for interconnection rather than division.

As always, the World of Interiors’ bar was well-stocked, offering up Gusbourne sparkling wine, Château Galoupet rosé, Woodford Reserve whiskey and Libeau soda. To soak it all up, our appreciative guests polished off canapés courtesy of Social Pantry.

Admire a selection of images of our flute-toting guests below.

The World of Interiors editor Emily Tobin