GLUE Amsterdam 2026: design as a connector of the city

From 17 to 19 September 2026, Amsterdam once again become an expansive stage for design during the seventh edition of GLUE Amsterdam – Connected by Design. More than 150 designers, architects, brands, galleries, academies and cultural institutions open their doors across the city.

The 2026 theme, Creating a Home, explores what makes a place feel like home, looking beyond the dwelling to hospitality, the city and its social environment. Home is understood not simply as a physical space, but also as a mental, cultural and social condition shaped by relationships, identity and belonging.

Dutch Design Daily visited a number of locations.

Waag Futurelab Hub

This perspective is reflected in the programme featuring Creative Citizens of Honour Tracy Metz, Baptist Brayé, Martina Halsema and Rubiah Balsem. GLUE also expands the definition of design by giving emerging makers and disciplines beyond traditional design categories a place in the route. Four external curators selected the STICKY participants, including Omer Baruchi, Lindiwe Bhebe, OwnSpaceStudio, Black Childish and studio samayam.

With hubs such as Waag Futurelab, Village Square Hub, Salon 188, Madart Foundation Hub, The Millen House and Veem hub, GLUE presents the diversity of Amsterdam’s design ecosystem. Furniture, interiors, textiles, art, material research and social questions intersect throughout the programme.

Ultimately, GLUE is about more than new collections. Its strength lies in bringing people and practices together and showing how design operates as an urban ecosystem. For three days, Amsterdam becomes an open design studio where design is not the endpoint, but a way of exploring how people connect with places, the city and one another.