Clerkenwell Design week takes place in an London area, which is full of showrooms and design studios. This year over 160 showrooms and 600 events took place. Clerkenwell has always been popular tradeshow, since it is easier and more convenient local festival to visit compared to bigger events that are spread around the city.
Image: Gateway by Steve Messam invites viewers to examine their environment in a new light through its deliberately ambiguous shape and size.
When Clerkenwell Design week started fourteen years ago office design was the main focus area. Since then, it has expanded to cover most areas from furniture design, retail, architecture, materials, craft and brand identity.
Clerkenwell is home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet, making it truly one of the most important design hubs in the world.
Colour Identity
A dominant design trend this year was the use of colour to express identity and mood. More variety and less common colours were used across different products and environments. Sometimes colour was applied as a maximalist statement. But often it was used in a sensitive and sophisticated way together with different materials and interesting details. Also, colour was used to to create zoning that sets spaces apart from surroundings.
Colour palettes
Nature inspired warm palettes with many pastel options looked fresh and inviting. Another direction was much more contrasting bright palettes with neon accents and graphic patterns.
Dark materials dominate
Light wood is not as dominant as it used to be. Dark and black colours and surfaces are the trendy choice in floors, kitchens and bathrooms.
Outside-in inside-out
Recognising nature’s positive impact both indoors and expanding outdoor spaces was evident in showrooms and exhibitions.
Innovative materials
One of the nicest innovations that I came across was 3D printed ceramics by Keramik. 3D printing has been developed many years now, and it is great to see more refined product aesthetics.
Sustainability, circular economy, regeneration, and positive carbon footprint were all in the top of agenda. One of the most beautiful and informative display was by Benchmark.
Local community
Clerkenwell Design week is very much about the local community coming together. At the end of each day the area becomes a street party where attendees gather to meetup and discuss what they saw during the day.
It is challenging to cover the events since so much takes place at the same time. I managed to attend several excellent panels from product launches to important issues like neurodiversity.
Trending Topics by Minna Takala 