The London Design Festival kicked off with the unveiling of The Tournament, a giant chess set, which is situated in the middle of Trafalgar Square.
Designed by Jaime Hayon, Spanish designer, the set will be in situ until Wednesday 23rd September and the public can arrange to play games using the 2m high chess pieces.
Elsewhere in London, two installations in the Size & Matter initiative are now in place; Marc Newson's "Supercell" - a huge, colourful metal structure, and also Shigeru Ban's Paper Tower, the largest paper tower in the world can be seen on the South Bank.
At the Victoria & Albert Museum an arch of multi-colour chairs has been constructed in the garden and all over the city there will be exhibitions, fairs shows, events, tours and talks which celebrate the importance of design and of London's reputation as the design capital of the world.
"A new take on the humble chair, some radical, but elegant lighting, an explosion of typography - and a giant chess set in Trafalgar Square," said Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.
"The London Design Festival is all of these things and more.
It's a grand celebration of pure form and practical function, highlighting design's essential role in the capital, and I am delighted to give my backing to it again this year."