Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 [20-22 May]

Clerkenwell Design Week is upon us again, and whether you’re an industry professional, student, lecturer, or a design-hungry member of the public, everyone is welcome!

Image Credit: Clerkenwell Design Week (capturing me deep in design chat with Kate Watson Smyth and Melanie Lissack.

Here’s a very brief highlights package from this mornings press preview / walking tour, starting at the Church of Design at St Bartholomew the Great (my kind of church!) following a quick cup of tea and a welcome chat by the amazing, and no doubt completely knackered CDW organisers, the games commenced…

Roche Bobois continue their reign as the Kings glam sofas, in great company with relative newcomer Maie who are introducing some stunning new pieces, plus a peek at their cork furniture which is launching soon - more to follow on that - it’s AMAZING.

Italgraniti presents Automatica - porcelain tile sample vending machines (SO cool) which can be found outside Farringdon Station and Old Sessions House, as well as inside the Church of Design at St Bartholomew the Great, using tokens collected from the Solus showroom on Clerkenwell Road. Such a fun idea!

And out on the streets it’s installations galore. ‘A Week at the Knees’ by Alex Chinneck is a surreal Georgian house facade that bends over a path in Charterhouse Square. Standing at 5.5m high, it’s constructed from 320 metres of repurposed steel, and no less than 7000 bricks, transported in three pieces from Kent. It will remain on display at this site until early July.

Loated at St. John’s Gate, Arthur Mamou-Mani’s Harmonic Tides installation, is 3D printed with compostable material made from sugar-based polylactic acid. Its two undulating panels evoke waves and include an audio element. The perfect spot to take in your surroundings, or have a quick rest whilst you plan your next CDW stop.

Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival - two free-standing vaulted arches made from stone bricks by Albion Stone and Sutton Stone, the stone bricks, are 100% natural, quite literally being cut from the ground, then cut into bricks. An eco-friendly alternative to traditional bricks (and so very beautiful!), production of these bricks creates 66% less CO2 emissions than clay fired ones.

Loads of beautiful lighting can be found down in the Victorian vaults of the House of Detention, including Curiousa and Industville. Make sure you check out Pixel Artworks Feel The Pull whilst you’re down there,

Old Sessions House, forever my favourite venue for anything, is another hive of design, including the launch of Kirkby Designs collection with Coat Paints. I had too many favourites to pick one, but Queen’s Gambit is up there, and I also fell hard for Kirkby’s new Shuffle plaid fabric.

There’s so much more to explore that I didn’t have time for during my fleeting visit today, this really is just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t forget to visit the Gubi showroom too - can’t believe I forgot, having also missed it last year. Doh!

Register for Clerkenwell Deisgn Week for free here, where you’ll also find lots more information on all the participating brands, venues, events, and talks.