Showrooms and studios are open until late, alongside exhibitions, installations, presentations, products, projects and talks: from 23 to 25 May, Clerkenwell Design Week returns to London, an unmissable event for design enthusiasts. Now in its 8th edition, the event has gained renown as an independent design festival, thanks to the presence of young designers alongside the most celebrated designers and artists, such as Tom Dixon and Daniel Libeskind, two of the architects who took part last year. Clerkenwell Design Week is a three-day fair that has enlivened an authentic creative district in the British capital, a large area centred around Clerkenwell Road that extends from Rosebery Avenue in north-west London to Charterhouse Square in the south-east, near the Barbican. The fair has grown over the years: in 2016, 90 showrooms took part, 273 companies exhibited and the event attracted 34,000 visitors from 72 countries, 72% of which consisted of architects and designers.
The event is a hub where people meet and connect, a cultural and commercial centre divided into different, distinct areas. Design Fields, next to Exmouth Market, is a very lively semi-pedestrianized zone with many shops and restaurants. This is the location of major interior furniture brands such as Alias, La Cividina, Offecct, Tacchini and Thonet, of outdoor brands like Ethimo, bathroom brands like German brand Bette (the first bathroom brand to exhibit in Clerkenwell), and office brands like British company Another Country. One notable location is Platform in the basements of the House of Detection below the Clerkenwell gardens: a space where you can discover promising current artists and designers. Another worthwhile spot is Project, in the beautiful areas around St James Church, where the most renowned contract companies are exhibiting, such as Knightsbridge Furniture, Sixteen3 and Italian brand Arpa Industriale, a company based in Bra in the province of Cuneo, which is famous for having invented Fenix NTM material, a nanotech surface with high-performance features such as softness to the touch and resistance to heat and scratches. The British Collection section combines the best British-made products, while the last two areas, Additions and Detail, are interesting locations for, respectively, those looking for small accessories and interior design ideas, such as fabrics and wallpaper. Finally, Icon House of Culture, organised by the Icon magazine in the legendary Fabric nightclub, is a magical place where you can touch new products by highly select group of brands, including Artemide and Bang&Olufsen.
For more information and to find all the addresses: www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com
