CURIOUSA at Light, Clerkenwell Design Week by Sam Frost

Clerkenwell Design Week 2023 Highlights.

Design festival, Clerkenwell Design Week, returned to London between 23rd – 25th May for its 14th edition and its biggest programme of events to date. From brand activations and immersive installations to showroom activity and industry discussions, there was a vast offering from British and international design brands. Read on to discover our key Clerkenwell Design Week 2023 highlights.

Conversations at Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell Design Week’s talks programme, Conversations at Clerkenwell, returned to its usual spot at Spa Fields with a jam-packed schedule of 18 talks that took place across the three days. Curated by Brand Consultant, Katie Richardson, the programme explored industry topics and invited thought leaders and experts to share their experiences and insights.

We plonked ourselves in prime position for the insightful discussion by the much-loved brand, PANTONE, where they shared ‘The Art of Living – Colour Trends for Home & Interiors 2024’. Pantone’s Head of Global Key Accounts, Carola Seybold and Colour Trend Forecaster, Jane Boddy, presented several exciting colour palettes that are predicted to prove rather popular in 2024. From the digital realm to the natural world, interiors inspiration will be found in a myriad of places with several key shades set to become big interiors trends, from deep purple to royal blue. So, keep your eyes peeled!

PANTONE: The Art of Living – Colour Trends for Home & Interiors 2024 at Clerkenwell Design Week by Sam Frost

The British Collection

Homegrown design talent was on display at The British Collection at the crypt of St James’ Church. Brands such as Sebastian Cox, Benchmark and Another Country showcased modern craftsmanship and sustainable innovation, highlighting the very best in British furniture.

Morag Myerscough X BAUX installation

A burst of colour was unveiled on St John’s Square. This beautifully curated and visually appealing piece, driven by London-based artist and designer, Morag Myerscough, in collaboration with sustainable acoustic specialists, BAUX, and Swedish design studio, Form Us With Love, housed the works of eight students from Scandinavia’s leading architectural institutions and was fused with the colourful exterior crafted from BAUX’s acoustic panels. An experiential installation designed to explore how the buildings of tomorrow can nurture creativity and wellbeing.

Morag Myerscough X BAUX at Clerkenwell Design Week by Sam Frost

Steve Messam

British artist, Steve Messam, exhibited a series of large-scale, temporary, inflatable sculptures across Clerkenwell. The largest of these; ‘Gateway’, was an intensely blue, spiky, and bulbous 6-metre-high piece, which was situated beneath the historic, St John’s Gate. The bespoke installation invited visitors to engage with and examine their familiar environment in a new light, through its deliberately ambiguous size and shape.

Gateway by Steve Messam at Clerkenwell Design Week by Sam Frost

Light

The subterranean former Victorian prison, House of Detention, provided a dramatic backdrop for a variety of leading, international lighting brands to showcase their latest work. Bioo, unveiled its newest revolutionary technology; the biological light switch – a new product whereby the light source is activated by human contact with a living plant.

Spanish brand, Lladró exhibited its creative and sculptural artisan, porcelain lamps and invited visitors to channel their inner creativity and build their own design using the porcelain components.

Meanwhile, CURIOUSA displayed its new Wave chandelier which combines contemporary colours and sculptural forms with free-blown glass and hand-assembled crafting techniques.

We look forward to visiting the festival again when it makes its return in 2024.