There’s a reason that Clerkenwell Design Week is regarded as the UK’s leading design festival – Amelia Thorpe rounds up her 6 highlights from this inspiring and boldly creative show.
London’s Clerkenwell district is said to be home to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on earth. Hence the reason that it is the venue for the annual design festival, Clerkenwell Design Week, which this year took place from 20th to 22nd May. Leading brands and emerging talents showcased their wares, juxtaposing newness against the ancient streets and heritage buildings of the area. In this 14th edition of the festival, selected brands from the KBB industry took the opportunity to reach the A&D community with striking exhibits.
Aga, La Cornue and Novy, the luxury appliance brands that form part of Middleby Residential, showcased new products against the medieval backdrop of the ‘Church of Design’, the 900-year-old Grade I-listed St Bartholomew the Great. The Aga electric cooker was shown in the new Mustard colourway, and La Cornue displayed its Château La Vie range cooker featuring crafted details produced by French jeweller Tournaire. To complete the line up, Novy demonstrated Undercover, its new, invisible (yet powerful) induction hob integrated into a 20mm thick Dekton worktop.
At the Charterhouse, which dates back to the 14th century, Bette took the opportunity to launch its flattest ever shower tray, the BetteUltra Space. The glazed titanium steel shower tray features an ultra-flat height of 15mm, can be installed flush with the floor or slightly raised and comes in a wide choice of sizes and colours. It is offered with Bette’s new flat waste set, Compact+, which is designed to have a minimal installation height. The company also launched its new colour, Salvia, shown on the BetteSuno bath, designed by Barber Osgerby.
Under the richly decorated ceiling of the Great Chamber at the Charterhouse, C.P. Hart showed glamorous brassware by Argentinian premium manufacturer, Franz Viegener, alongside glossy and colourful wash bowls by Ceramica Cielo and its own contemporary-meets-classic collection of Park Lane brassware. "This is the first time we have exhibited at Clerkenwell Design Week," says Stuart Ringe, contracts – head of residentials. "We have had very positive feedback from the A&D community." In more good news for the company, its Park Lane brassware won the inaugural Clerkenwell Design Week Product Award for Best Bathroom Fixture.
In the historic Charterhouse courtyard, the House of Rohl collaborated with G.A Group to create a contemporary outdoor wellness concept to showcase its new Victoria + Albert Kerid soaking tub, due to launch in September. With a compact length of 1,350mm, the Kerid is designed for seated bathing, be it for ice cold plunges or hot soaks, and can be installed outside. The bath was shown with Armstrong brassware from sister brand, Perrin & Rowe. Says Jessica Morrison, senior associate, G.A Group: "The future of bathroom design is rooted in wellness. We’re seeing a shift towards immersive, spa-like environments that embrace natural materials, organic forms and the fluidity of indoor-outdoor living."
In the atmospheric crypt below St James’s Church, contemporary bespoke kitchen specialist Pluck collaborated with German timber company Schotten & Hansen to produce a striking kitchen display featuring bespoke, naturally pigmented coloured Douglas Fir veneers. Says Pluck co-founder, Leila Touwen: "Like a piece of art, the more you look, the more complex they are, with the Douglas Fir’s swirling grain absorbing the natural pigment unevenly."
Buster + Punch rolled a series of flight cases into a pavilion on the cobbled St John’s Square, opening them up to reveal displays of its new Cast bathroom collection. Combining the brand’s signature use of solid metals with precision detailing, the collection includes towel rails, shelving, hooks, soap bottle holders, vanity units and more. "The bathroom is one of the few rooms in the home where using complementary details in one material or finish lifts the interior to the next level," says founder and creative director Massimo Buster Minale.
