Clerkenwell Design Week 2017: the highlights

Corian teamed up with creative build specialists Aldworth James & Bond to create a multidimensional structure, installed under St John’s Gate.

(Image credit: Philip Vile)

By Ali Morris

last updated 25 October 2022

in Features

In the second half of May, over a month after UK design devotees have returned and recovered from Salone del Mobile, London’s Clerkenwell Design Week offers a welcome refresher.

Now in its eighth year, the three-day festival caters to the city’s architects and designers, who flock to the area’s 90-odd furniture showrooms, as well as the pop-up exhibitions, talks and seminars that are held during the week. The show’s mercifully small footprint not only makes the event easily walkable, but also ensures that a festival-like atmosphere can be felt throughout – something that is often remiss during larger city-wide design events.

The week’s design route, clearly marked by pavement signage in the event’s trademark pink, was peppered with the usual array of site-specific installations. This year, seven landmark structures were assembled within Clerkenwell’s winding streets, serving as meeting points for interaction.

Once again, exhibitions were located in some of the area’s most intriguing architectural spaces – one prison, two churches, one nightclub, two parks and two crypts, to be precise. Icon’s House of Culture returned to nightclub Fabric, while Design Fields popped up on again on the green Spa Fields. The work of British makers was assembled under the barrel-roofed crypt of St James’s Church, and former prison, House of Detention, provided an atmospheric backdrop for a showcase of emerging talents at Platform.

While many participating showrooms simply showcased pieces launched in Milan, others strove to create more immersive experiences this year. Fashion illustration workshops were held at Milliken, terrarium making at Interface, live spinning demos at Camira, while printmaker Alex Booker held a series of packed-out woodblock printing workshops in design emporium Clerkenwell London.

Pop-up shop with undulating louvered skin made up of 8000 individual components — Surface design studio Giles Miller created a pop-up shop for Detroit-based manufacturing brand Shinola. Its undulating louvered skin – made up of 8000 individual components – was inspired by the lighting bolt of the the latter’s logo

The Clerkenwell London showroom hosted the most Instagram-friendly moment of the week, courtesy of Toronto-based designer Jordan Söderberg Mills. Using anaglyphic mirror panels, Söderberg Mills transformed the showroom’s glass-walled display structure into an immersive cube of colour and reflection.

Alex Booker set up a woodblock print studio in the centre of the Clerkenwell London showroom, where visitors could carve and ink their own woodblocks, and print their own images.

Brintons worked with artist and filmmaker Shezad Dawood to develop three carpets, displayed in the loading bay of new creative workplace venue Technique.

The carpets, which feature layered imagery, bold colours and subtle photographic representation, were made using Brintons’ patented 32-colour High Definition Weave.

Bert Frank’s UK-made lighting collection presented among an array of foliage — Showcased at the Icon House of Culture (hosted at Fabric nightclub), Bert Frank’s UK-made lighting collection was presented among an array of foliage.

Furniture with softly rounded corners — Another Country launched a range of fully customisable oak office furniture designed for the modern workplace. With softly rounded corners, the system is designed to bring warmth, character and a ‘hint of the domestic’ to the office. The adjustable desk system is complemented by integrated accessories and a modular shelving solution

At Domus’ showroom, Sweden’s Note Design Studio launched ‘Weave’, a new 3D concrete tile produced by KAZA Concrete

Having made its debut last year, KUFstudio’s KUF cakes returned for 2017, this time collaborating with Tarkett-owned flooring showroom Desso. Inspired by Tarkett’s latest flooring collections, the sculptural cake creations were exhibited alongside KUFstudio’s ‘Curved Twist’ window blind concept

Blue and white patterned wood tiles — Hakwood returned to Clerkenwell Design Week with ‘Double Vision’, a 4m-high structure erected on Clerkenwell Close. The blue and white patterned wood tiles play with perspectives depending on which side you look through the arched structures

Work area with curving table — Tile brand Marazzi opened up its first London flagship. The space – designed by Italian architects Lorenzo Baldini and Antonio Pisanò – mimics a work area on the first floor, with a curving table taking pride of place in the showroom

Monochrome entrance that features the different ceramic options (concrete, marble or stone looks) in tonal gradient steps — The new space on St John Street has an immersive monochrome entrance that features the different ceramic options (concrete, marble or stone looks) in tonal gradient steps

Moroso celebrated ten years of collaboration with London-based design studio Doshi Levien. A special exhibition at its Clerkenwell showroom included the new ‘Modernista’ seating collection and the 2007 ‘Charpoy’, which takes its cues from an Indian daybed

Re-editions of Poul Kjærholm’s first-ever chair, and tables which he designed for the Royal Danish academy of Fine Arts in 1955 — Carl Hansen & Søn showcased newly launched re-editions of Poul Kjærholm’s first-ever chair, and tables which he designed for the Royal Danish academy of Fine Arts in 1955

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Clerkenwell Design Week website

Ali Morris is a UK-based editor, writer and creative consultant specialising in design, interiors and architecture. In her 16 years as a design writer, Ali has travelled the world, crafting articles about creative projects, products, places and people for titles such as Dezeen, Wallpaper* and Kinfolk.

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