Highlights at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026: Day 2
Every day, Design Milk editors bring you the best to see, learn, and do during the UK’s leading design festival. Here are our picks for Wednesday, May 20.
Editors’ Pick | Talks | All-Day Happenings | Showroom Events | Products
Highlight of the Day
The Secret Garden by La Erreria
This sensory installation that reimagines the traditional English garden as a reflection of materiality in architecture, featuring Tile of Spain ceramics from the brands Adex, Cevica, Cifre Cerámica, Cristacer, Decocer, El Barco, Harmony, Inthetile, La Platera, Porcelanosa, STN Cerámica, Undefasa And Wow Design. READ MORE
Design Dialogues
Designing for Gen Alpha
AI-native children will reshape expectations of education, housing, and public space. This forward-looking panel discussion explores how hybrid physical and digital environments will define the next generation’s experience of space.
12:00-13:00
RSVP HERE
Circular Pathways to Certification
The panel explores how ECONYL® regenerated nylon and the R2R® program facilitate obtaining international sustainability certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, and WELL through a circular economy approach.
14:00 – 15:00
RSVP HERE
Turn It Upside Down: The Iterative Advantage
Iteration — from prototyping to AI-assisted workflows — is becoming a competitive design strategy. This session explores how rapid experimentation improves outcomes and how communicating throughout the process can build stronger client understanding and trust.
15:00 – 16:00
RSVP HERE
Happenings
The Italian Hospitality by Giulio Cappellini
The Italian Trade Agency introduces The Italian Hospitality, a curated installation conceived by architect Giulio Cappellini, Design Ambassador for Italian Design Day 2026. The project reflects Italy’s distinctive ability to combine industrial production with artisanal craftsmanship, offering a cohesive vision of contemporary living rooted in quality and innovation.
READ MORE
Recreatura
What if you could hear a building? Recreatura is a binaural sonic installation by Alicia Waibel, Evina Kat, Michael Wagner, Ritu Kittur and Samia Kapadia of the 4-8 Collective that reimagines Charterhouse not as something to be seen, but something to be heard.
READ MORE
The German Collection
The German Collection brings together a leading selection of acclaimed German brands and furniture. Participating brands: Brunner UK, Dresdner Zimmer, Express Küchen, HEWI, Indorama Ventures, JUNG, Krall + Roth, Sundrape, ter Hürne, Thonet, TREWA GmbH, and Wineo.
READ MORE
Showroom Events
What Does It Mean to Design for Belonging?
What would it look like to design for true belonging – for people and planet health? This is more than a panel talk. Instead of passive listening, this session is an invitation to an interactive conversation shaped by you. Bring your questions, ideas, and challenges as our panelists respond in real time, creating a dynamic and collaborative dialogue. For more information or to secure your place, please get in touch: [email protected]
09:00 to 11:00
Shaw Contract, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX
Designed to Return: The Beauty of Circularity
Circularity offers a different kind of beauty: one rooted in care and continuity. This talk pauses to explore closed‑loop design as a creative opportunity. Join us to rethink waste, redefine value and consider how circular thinking can shape your design approach.
12:00 to 12:30
Tarkett, 47-53 St John Street, EC1M 4AN
Spacestor Late Night
Celebrate innovation and creativity in style at Spacestor featuring music, food & drink, and vibrant conversations. RSVP HERE
17:00 to 20:00
Spacestor Design Centre, 49 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6AL
Products
Teknion Beyond the Surface Collection
Dorothy Cosonas’ Beyond the Surface collection for Luum explores the depth of color, texture and pattern by drawing inspiration from the world around us: nature, art, fashion and the streets of NYC. The collection translates these influences into 7 new products: three woven upholsteries, one nonwoven upholstery, one multipurpose, and two draperies.
https://www.luumtextiles.com/beyond-the-surface-collection
Naturtex Ciudadela
This 100% natural sisal rug celebrates the strength of a material in its most honest expression. Its herringbone weave introduces rhythm and depth, creating a subtle pattern that shifts with the light and enriches the space without overpowering it.
https://naturtex.es/rug/ciudadela/
Moventi Tor
Named after the solid, enduring rock formations that inspired its design, Tor has a chunky silhouette that can anchor any office space. Its multi-faceted base is engineered for enhanced cable management, keeping workspaces tidy and functional.
https://www.moventi.co.uk/
Fritz Fryer Lugg collection
This lighting collection is entirely British made, celebrating British engineering heritage and antique lighting. It is maintainable, repairable, built from solid materials that will not fail with time, and has a finish that cannot be rushed or artificially replicated.
https://fritzfryer.co.uk/
Workbench Flight desk
At the heart of Flight Deck is a modular architecture that allows power and connectivity components to be easily removed, upgraded, or replaced as technology evolves. It helps meeting spaces transition seamlessly between formal business and social gatherings.
https://www.workbenchltd.co.uk/
