Clerkenwell Design Week 2026: Highlights from an Interior Designer’s Day Out
Every year, Clerkenwell becomes the beating heart of the design world – and Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 did not disappoint. As an interior designer working across Kent and Sussex, it’s always one of the highlights of my professional calendar: a chance to discover new brands, reconnect with suppliers and get inspired by where design is heading. This year’s event showed a noticeable tilt towards office furniture and commercial spaces, but there was still plenty to delight those of us focused on residential interiors. Here’s what caught my eye.
The Charterhouse: Future talent and luxury finishes
Stepping through the Charterhouse’s historic archway into that beautiful courtyard sets the tone for CDW perfectly. This year it housed the Future Talent collection, featuring contemporary furniture, decorative lighting and luxury finishes under one roof. The bathroom brands were particularly strong, with Bette, CP Hart, Laufen, Geberit and Fitzroy of London creating a genuinely inspiring showcase. If you’re planning a bathroom project, this was the kind of display that makes you want to start from scratch.
Old Sessions House: Craft and classics
The Grade II Listed Old Sessions House, sponsored by Original BTC, celebrated artisanal making beautifully. I am always amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of Naomi Paul (I’m very familiar with her work) – her sculptural crocheted lighting has real warmth and humanity, making you feel the handmade process in every piece.
Image : Naomi Paul
Alongside her, String Furniture offered a timely reminder of why this Swedish brand has earned its place in design history: elegant, infinitely configurable furniture systems as relevant today as ever.
St James’ Church: British design at its best
The British Collection at St James’ Church was, for me, the real heart of this year’s festival. ColorVille, based locally in Hastings, used CDW 2026 to launch a range of soft, textured alabaster lime-based paints that produce a beautifully subtle, lived-in finish. I’ve actually been using them on a barn conversion project myself and they’re just wonderful.
Image : Colorville
Dovetailors also impressed with their curved, organic furniture forms, while Christopher Wall Design was a genuine discovery: a maker specialising in scagliola, fusing traditional artisanal technique with bold contemporary colour in limited edition lamp bases and vessels that were truly show-stopping.
Images Left to Right : Dovetailors and Christopher Wall Design
I was also intrigued by Spared, a Brighton studio, which offered something more thought-provoking – furniture and surfaces reimagined entirely from waste materials in circular design that genuinely looks great.
Image : Spared
The House of Detention: Light in the dark
The Light exhibition in the subterranean House of Detention, a former Victorian prison, was gloriously atmospheric. Fritz Fryer staged a breathtaking chandelier installation that reminded me why they’re one of my go-to brands.
Image : Fritz Fryer
Industville, whose robust industrial-inspired lighting I’ve recently used in a garage conversion, showed brilliantly.
Image : Industville
And Tom Raffield – celebrating award-winning steam-bent wooden lighting inspired by nature – was as joyful and inventive as always.
Image : Tom Raffield
A mention too for Brighton’s Spark and Bell, whose sustainable, community-crafted lighting has a quiet confidence I find very appealing.
Final thoughts
Clerkenwell Design Week remains an unmissable fixture. The commercial sector may have dominated this year, but the residential gems were there for those willing to explore. From scagliola lamp bases to sustainable furniture and spectacular chandelier installations, I came away full of ideas and thoroughly inspired.
If you’d like to bring any of these ideas into your own home, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me to discuss your next interior design project and let’s create something wonderful together.
Nicky