clerkenwell design week spreads around london with over 150 showrooms

It’s spring season in London and the 11^th edition of Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) blooms into the streets. Running from may 24 to 26, the festival takes over the city’s key district of design and architecture with more exhibitors, showrooms and venues than ever before. Visitors can expect a show full of the latest creative ideas, as well as hundreds of design-led fringe events, pop-ups, workshops, talks and showroom presentations.

2019 welcomed more than 34,000 visitors from 66 different countries – get your free ticket here.

(above) Lisa Swing designed by Marcello Ziliani for S•CAB

(banner) Lisa Sofà Club, Lisa Lounge Club, Lisa Lounge Sidetable designed by Marcello Ziliani for S•CAB

all images courtesy of Clerkenwell Design Week

Spread across three days, 24th – 26th May 2022, CDW is UK’s leading independent design festival, providing a welcome platform for brands to showcase their products. The festival programme has been tailored to reflect the unique nature of this culturally rich area playing host to showrooms, fringe events, talks, workshops and installations. Moreover, the event is set to host a series of talks by leading figures of the creative field, tackling topical and newsworthy issues.

Palissade Park Dining Bench by HAY

Cult Danish design brand HAY is presenting, installing their stylish outdoor furniture within The Long Walk, part of Crypt on the Green, as well as hosting a number of events across the week. Moreover, the event’s official automotive sponsor Porsche will be showcasing the design brilliance of the Taycan within an interactive installation.

Sling Chair by Ethimo and Studiopepe

cdw 2022 features 10 EXHIBITION venues

CDW’s exhibitions are hosted in distinctive spaces – both purpose built and historical venues – around the area linked by a route running through the center. Ten exhibitions are set up for 2022, each with a different curatorial focus ranging from cutting edge international design, to emerging talent, lighting, luxury interiors and the best of British design. Clerkenwell’s subterranean House of Detention, previously a prison in the mid-19th century exhibits Light + Rising Stars where a host of upcoming designers exhibits alongside leading lighting brands. POP the former cold store turned nightclub is essential to visit, hosting pop-up brand activations and immersive experiences throughout the three days of the festival.

furniture by WOUD

Situated at the northern end of Clerkenwell, ‘Design Fields’ sponsored by Clippings hosts a busy hub, showcasing leading furniture, textiles and product design from all around the world, from kitchens to bathrooms to the workplace. International design brands include Thonet, TON, and Punt, as well as additional Danish company WOUD, and The Furniture Studio, a leading design firm from India.

Block Sofa and Patio Coffee Table by Sabine Marcelis for Natuzzi Italia, part of the 2022 collection previewing at CDW 2022

Also in Design Fields, Natuzzi Italia previews their 2022 collection as part of their Circle of Harmony exhibition, featuring works by Sabine Marcelis, Formafantasma, Patrick Nourguet, Marcel Wanders Studio, Lorenza Boxxoli, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Marco Piva and Elena Salmistaro. The works on show are focused on functionality, sustainability, and well-being under the title of a ‘new Era of Harmony’.

Prototypes by Swarf Hardware and Chimes by Swarf x Yuri Suzuki

‘Elements’ brings together a leading selection of ironmongery, hardware, switch plates and architectural accessories within a street-market style pavilion on St John’s Square, becoming a go-to destination for designers looking for the perfect final finish. Featured is British company Swarf Hardware, who is also presenting a new collection with Adam Nathaniel Furman as well as a collaboration of decorative hanging bells, ‘Chimes’, with renowned designer Yuri Suzuki. Other participating designers are Armac Martin, Dowsing and Reynolds, Dutch brand Hotspot Titanium and British designer, Samuel Heath.

Arte Wallcovering

‘Detail’ organized at The Order of St. John reflects principles of fine craftsmanship and high glamour, featuring the most prestigious names in luxury interiors. For this year’s edition, Meridiani creates a room as a pop-up experience in the space, while Sinclair Till takes over the whole of the underground crypt to create an immersive experience. Kirkby Design and Arte also have works displayed.

Textile Lamp by Cindy Lilen Studio

In ‘Light + Rising Stars’, House of Detention is filled with top lighting brands including Italian companies, Artemide and Penta Light, and British brands, Spark and Bell and John Cullen Lighting, among others. The participating designers also take on a challenge to each take over a cell of the Victorian prison to create mini lighting installations. It should be mentioned that Patagonian textile designer Cindy Lilen Studio creates a large-scale installation made of multiple types of textile lamps, inspired by the Mapuche culture original from Patagonia, while Anna Hayman Design, Rankin Rugs and Studio Arvor complete the space.

Attitude collection by Leonardo

From walls to floors across the commercial, residential and hospitality sectors, ‘Covered’ is another new exhibition for 2022 dedicated to interior surfaces, sponsored by global bathroom brand RAK Ceramics. Included are Italian brand L’ARCA, Leonardo and Panariagroup.

Kettal’s Ringer Collection

Smart working company Orangebox celebrates twenty years at CDW. Basque Living brings leading brands from the Basque region of Spain to present in their showroom including Ondaretta, Treku, Sellux, Daisalux, Enea and Ojmar. Leading Spanish company, Kettal are another new brand participating in 2022, presenting their latest outdoor furniture and workspace products in their showroom space.

Melina Pendant and Io Desert by Hand & Eye Studio

For its fifth year, ‘British Collection’ is located in the atmospheric Crypt of St James’ Church. The exhibition presents designers from all over the UK, bringing their latest furniture, lighting and product designs within this historically rich space, showcasing craft techniques, quality materials and design excellence.

The space welcomes Benchmark who are creating a large-scale standalone display, as well as Dare Studio, Another Country and Roger Lewis. Forest to Home presents their highly sustainable furnishings created out of wood off-cuts, while lighting company Hand & Eye Studio showcases their Mela and Melina collections designed by Mentsen, as well as the handmade Morandi collection designed and produced in collaboration with ceramicist and expert glazer Linda Bloomfield.

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campus table by Case Furniture

For exhibition ‘POP’, highlights include Case Furniture, who are taking over a whole room at Fabric, and are celebrating the 70th birthday of their iconic 675 Robin Day chair. Simultaneously, lighting brands XAL and LED C4 are creating a large-scale, floor-to-ceiling light installation in the space. Newly added Korean lighting brand AGO concludes the designers.

armchair by Recork

Set in the beautiful grounds of St James Church, ‘Project’ sponsored by Clippings, brings together a leading selection of contract furniture and surface brands from around the globe. Launched in 2016, Project has been so successful that it was extended to cover three pavilions for Clerkenwell Design Week 2019. For 2022, Project includes ‘Contract’, also sponsored by Clippings, which showcases innovative and forward-thinking products for commercial interiors. Highlights include Evoline, Recork, as well as German brand, Viasit, who are new to CDW and presenting several new launches at the fair including furniture pieces for the workspace that fit just as well in the home environment.

furniture line by William Hands

Equally new, Abraham Moon & Sons exhibits a collection of tweed furnishings for the Contract market, as the works of British brand William Hands evidently show the brand’s high quality craftsmanship on a collaborative stand design.

150+ showrooms open their doors to the audience

Integral to the festival are the local resident design showrooms – more of which are participating that any previous year – providing an array of stimulating talks and workshops to major installations. Over 150 of them are confirmed for the 2022 edition, opening their doors to audiences worldwide.

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Kata chair by Arper

Arper is presenting latest series Mixu, Kata and Kinesit Met as well as a new edition of their Aston series. Specifically, Mixu is a sustainable and versatile collection chairs and stools created in collaboration with international architectural and design practice Gensler. Kata by Altherr Désile Park is Arper’s first solid wood lounge chair made with circular sustainability at its core. Finally, Fritz Hansen is celebrating their 150th anniversary with a special installation to mark the event as well as previewing new products.

Nuez Lounge BIO Chair by Patricia Urquiola for Andreu World

Another brand focusing on sustainability through circular designs is Andreu World. Part of the exhibits is Patricia Urquiola’s Nuez Lounge BIO® lounge chair upholstered with the new Circular ONE® fabric made from PET bottle plastics and textile waste. Along with the Spanish designer, Philippe Starck presents his three seating collections, which are created in part or entirely with selected slow-growing wood from reforested forests that are harvested from the company’s own lands. The company is also hosting talks with Alfredo Haberli and Benjamin Hubert overseen by Jessica-Christin Hametner, Editor-in-Chief of OnOffice.

Ace Collection by Patrick Norguet for Ethimo presenting at CDW 2022

Italian design brand, Ethimo, which specializes in high-quality outdoor furnishings is introducing their latest lounge sets, including the Sling range by Studiopepe, Venexia Collection by Luca Nichetto, Ace by Patrick Nourguet and Calipso by Ilaria Marelli. The Gaia collection of outdoor lighting by Marc Sadler also makes part of the showroom.

adjustable spotlight by Fritz Fryer Lighting

For the first time at CDW, British design company Morgan Furniture reveals their Kaya collection. Taking its name from sacred forests spread along 200 km of the Kenyan coast, the works are inspired by the roots in the openness, honesty and purity of trees. The crafted timber frames, gentle curves and soft upholstery are designed to provide relaxed luxury. Fritz Fryer Lighting, another addition, is participating with their renowned antique light restoration in the Herefordshire market town of Ross-on-Wye.

Kaya Dining Chairs by Morgan Furniture

CONVERSATIONS AT CLERKENWELL

‘Conversations’ at Clerkenwell, sponsored by Equitone, always prompts lively debates and discussions on the current design scene. This year the talks series taking place across the week in a specially designed venue in Spa Fields. Curated by Katie Richardson, the talks bring to life topics of the day with leading and emerging designers, architects, thought leaders and creative institutes.

render of Conversations at Clerkenwell Talks Space

Talk highlights include New London Architecture, who explores the revitalisation of town centres, while Jonas Pettersson from Swedish design studio Form us With Love, discusses movements in sustainability and the future of design, post-pandemic. In the meantime, co-editors Adam Nathaniel Furman and Architectural Historian Joshua Mardell share some of their book’s historic, contemporary and speculative examples of ‘Queer Spaces’ from around the world. To complete the talks, BIID shines a light on some of the female talent within their roster of interior designers.