Highlights from Clerkenwell Design Week 2025:
Rolling through Clerkenwell Design Week 2025: A Design Bash in London
Get psyched! The 2025 Clerkenwell Design Week (20–22 May) blew into London town with a grand bang, shaking up the neighborhood's showrooms and venues with some fresh newbies - the 14th-century Charterhouse, a new event space nestled in Smithfield Market, and the medieval St Bartholomew’s Church, renamed as the 'Church of Design' for this event. With a more manageable size compared to the city-wide London Design Festival, ain't no other festival with as much flair and street cred as this three-day event! Listed below are the 11 standout moments that caught our attention as we trekked the pink routes:
🌟Highlights from Clerkenwell Design Week 2025
🔱 ‘A Week at the Knees’ by Alex Chinneck 🔱
The showstopper of the lot? The headline installation, 'A Week at the Knees’ by artist Alex Chinneck. Mimicking the Georgian architecture that surrounds it on Charterhouse Square, but adding a theatrical twist by forming a surreal curve, this behemoth is made up of 7,000 bricks and invites visitors to pass through its arched curve. Knees knocking, we were told at the launch that the event wraps up on the 22nd, but this sculpture stays put until early June. alexchinneck.com
🌊 ‘Harmonic Tides’ by Arthur Mamou-Mani 🌊
Minutes away on the pink route, visitors can take a breather and rest in two 3D-printed walls lined with bench seating – literally! "Harmonic Tides" by Arthur Mamou-Mani is a product of Dezeen's 'Shaping Water' competition and was designed to resemble the movement of water. The walls, crafted from sugar-based bioplastic (PLA), are livened up with LED lighting and a relaxing soundtrack, making for a smooth experience. mamou-mani.com
🏗️ ‘Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival’ by Hawkins\Brown and Webb Yates for Albion Stone 🏗️
Step outside into Clerkenwell Green, and you can't miss the soaring double-arched pavilion, 'Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival', erected by Hawkins\Brown and Webb Yates for Albion Stone and Hutton Stone. This marvel of modern engineering demonstrates the strength within stone by fashioning incredibly thin, load-bearing arches meant to remind us of both ancient techniques and 21st-century innovation. hawkinsbrown.com
🍪 ‘Beasley's Biscuit Bar’ by Sons of Beasley 🍪
Wander towards the former site of Basil and Beasley's shopfitter's workshop at Hawkins\Brown's Clerkenwell Road studio, and you'll find 'Beasley's Biscuit Bar'' – a fun installation by Sons of Beasley. This playful project brings alive a piece of lost local lore and invites visitors to rest on colorful furniture made from Plykea offcuts, sip Yorkshire Tea, and nosh on homemade Beasley biscuits. scp.co.uk*
💡 Wall lamps by Hand & Eye 💡
Swing by the British Collection, conveniently tucked away just off Clerkenwell Green, and you'll stumble upon Hand & Eye's tactile range of handmade terracotta, stoneware, and porcelain wall lights. handandeyestudio.co.uk
- Enthused by the blend of modern design and historic architecture, the 'Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival' installation by Hawkins\Brown and Webb Yates demonstrates how interior-design studies have been modernizing traditional techniques, turning Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 into a testament of lifestyle evolution.
- Delving deeper into the festival's showcase, 'Beasley's Biscuit Bar' by Sons of Beasley harks back to the local heritage in a playful manner, creating a cozy spot that harmonizes home-and-garden aesthetics with a touch of nostalgia, making it an unforgettable highlight within the variegated landscape of yearly design events.
