Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 – let there be lights and

CDW – what's not to like?!  I keep telling people that this design festival is not just for people in the industry as there is so much to learn about innovations in flooring, upholstery, lighting, soundproofing, sanitary ware and more. If you are ever thinking of doing some home improvements this 3-day event is pack full of ideas.

Last Wednesday 21st I reached Clerkenwell shortly after midday and, after collecting my badge and lanyard from the booth outside Farringdon stsion, I headed at first to The Charterhouse, keen to see how this collection of historic buildings was being used.

The inner quadrangle contains some lovely ventilation made with layered roof tiles. 

Most of the exhibitors here were offering sanitaryware and other bathroom fittings and I was amused at the juxtaposition between that and the centures-old painting that looked down on them, including Sir Richard Sutton and his dog:

I went out into the gardens outside to admire Alex Chinnecks' A Week At The Knees – undulating brick façade, possibly the most recognisable and most photographed artwork here this year. Incidentally, Charterhouse is an English corruption/mis-pronunciation of Chartreuse which is where the Carthusian monks came from. 

At the junction of Goswell Road I noticed that The Hat & Feathers pub has been renovated. It has reopened for business this week. This reminds me that approx two years ago the gilded signage around the building had been removed revealing the name of a completely different type of business – I will endeavour to dig out the many pics I took of that. At the St john Street junction of Clerkenwell Rd there is a marvellous scale model (I think it was in the windows of Solus):

This echoes Jool's Holland's own model railway complex as used in the opening credits of Later on BBCTV and the marvellous scale models at Kings Cross Model Railway Club which I visited earlier this year but don't appear to have shared on Jane's London yet – that's another thing that's slipped through the net! As they say, 'life gets in the way' – when I find a parallel universe I will attend to my bulging To Do folder.

Lunchtime – to the showroom of Actiu International in Seward Street to see my friend Thomas who works there. I took the opportunity to partake of the food and drink on offer whilst I read their literature, and discovered that Actiu was one of the first companies to design specific office furniture, something that I think they should boast about rather than bury within their literature. I watched as people were clearly enjoying their outdoors-inside pod clad in eco plants.

The next two pics are simply a bit of compare and contrast – 1950's architecture on Old Street and tutti-frutti style surfaces in Cesar Ceramics on Gt Sutton Street...

... where branded bright pink tables lined the Street. The ventilation tile within the elegant exterior is one of many on what was built as Pollards shopfitters HQ on St John Street. 

Above, bottom left is within Wagstaff in Brewery Yard where I learned about sustainable fabrics, recycled plastics, natural textiles, Italian design and more. The chandeliers were within the old prison cells which, as per previous CDWs, is used to showcase light fittings. Here I enjoyed some interactive pieces courtesy of PixelArtworks – these next two pics are of me, you can make out my eyes and then see my arms. Great fun!

It was here I got talking to another attendee and we then visited a few other places together, including views from the roof of The Sessions House and a couple of church crypts, where the range of products and innovations, such as recycled floor coverings and sustainable yarns was almost too much to absorb.

We weren't the only people to find this pale pink vase rather amusing. I have paired it with a paint splattered wall that I saw in St John Street. Keeping to the phallic theme, near Cowcross Street there are what I think are repurposed cannons as bollards. Three of them are marked 'St Sepulchre Midd' which is the church on Holborn Viaduct (there are often free concerts), the parish then being in what was then Middlesex (c.1820s). 

I ended my day at EH Smith where I went to collect a brick that I will decorate and return by the end of June. You can do this too – just pop in ad pick up a brick yourself. The bricks come supplied in a neat fitted cardboard carrier. Here's my effort from 2023 which got through to the final but I didn't win the big prize to Venice – again, I really thought I'd written about this on here, but nope. You can see me on the extreme left of this pic and the awards evening. 

I stayed there until almost 10pm quaffing wine and chatting. Thanks EH Smith – an excellent end to an inspiring day!

Day 2 –  I hadn't planned to see more but, with a few free hours after a meeting in Smithfield, it seemed daft not to... 

Most of my time was spent around the junction of St John Street and Clerkenwell Rd. I popped into Ascot to learn about way marking and signage and then, as I was walking along Albermarle Way, I spotted a huge multi-tiled dome inside Jung's window so I popped in to investigate:

 

The dome is made up from 100s of light and control switches - there was a competition to guess how many tiles, but I didn't bother. A wonderful surprise is walking round to the other side of the sphere to see that is has a fabulous concave mirrored interior. I also liked all the coloured switches (see below) and the pun-tastic stickers. Oh, and the music playing in this space was all based on the the phrases and slogans on those stickers. An absolute delight and possibly my favourite showroom at the CDW2025. Lots of good chats.

Sophie suggested I visit Toto round the corner where she'd said a product was a bit over the top. Ah yes - the famous Japanese automated toilets. I watched incredulously as they demonstrated the nozzle jets, lights and flushing system activated by a hand-held remote control. Weird! Give me a dock leaf any day!  

I returned to Sophie for a debrief and more chats and a beer and a bit of bad singing and then continued along the street. But I didn't get far because nest door a man offered me a pulled pork bun outside Magscapes and this in turn led to a conversation with the owner/inventor Jerry about Clerkenwell Showrooms and so much more and the next thing I knew he was leading me up to the flat roof at the rear of the building to give me a better view of the three Ancient Lights signs that overlook the church gardens below. I'll be staying in touch with Jerry – he's given me a few ideas – watch this space.

I'll stop now!

Here's my experience of CDW2023 – I didn't write it up last year – good grief, I am sounding like a cracked record!