Take a leisurely stroll around Clerkenwell Design Week

There are very few UK trade shows that can ascend to the lofty heights of being ‘cool’, but Clerkenwell Design Week, which runs from May 20-22, is one. In fact, it’s that of the moment, ‘cool’ or even ‘on-trend’ is far too passé as a label for this curation of pop-up events for the architecture and design (A&D) community.

Clerkenwell Design Week or CDW is a collective of showroom openings and creative practice open houses, through to design talks, installations and street spectacles, across London’s EC1. Even local eateries, bars and boutique hotels take part. Forget a queue for a pre-packaged sandwich in an exhibition hall, there’s a range of deals offered to those wearing the Clerkenwell lanyard, from free Prosecco (well, what else?) to discounted breakfast, lunch and dinners.

And there is representation from the kitchen and bathroom industry at CDW. Local showrooms including West One’s Bathrooms’ showroom The Bold Look of Kohler joins Bulthaup, the recently-opened Drummonds showroom and Porcelanosa hosting events over the two days. Kohler will be unveiling its Moxie showerhead that can play music from any Bluetooth device for up to seven hours, while Drummonds will be showcasing its Christopher Jenner-designed bathroom furniture.

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And joining the established line-up of shows, which include the Design Factory, held in the Farmiloe Building, Platform in the House of Detention and Detail at The Order of St John, is the supplementary Additions. This is a show dedicated to small design pieces and interior accessories.

So for designers seeking design inspiration from furniture and lighting, through to fabrics and ceramic tableware, why not take a stroll around Clerkenwell.