out and about :: clerkenwell design week 2014

Clerkenwell Design Week, now in its fifth year, once again filled the streets of Clerkenwell with a vibrant festival atmosphere and an eye candy overdose for the design inclined. The street installations are always a highlight and I particularly enjoyed the Russ + Henshaw‘s Tile Mile, in association with Turkishceramics, which celebrated, re-interpreted and distorted the arch of St. John’s Gate.

Here are a few of the other things I spotted while exploring was CDW2014 had to offer (left to right, top to bottom):

• Sir Paul Smith had applied his trademark colourful approach to the Type 75 Anglepoise lamp designed by Sir Kenneth Grange in 2004. I was lucky enough to interview Sir Kenneth as part of the Conversations at Clerkenwell programme of talks – more on that soon.
• Pinch launched the Float Tables collection. Hand turned and individually stained in a selection of colours, they were inspired by fishermen’s floats.
• I loved these geometric lights from Kaia Lighting – the grey backdrop provided a perfect contrast to their warm metallic tones.
• I am a big fan of up-and-coming designer Sebastian Cox and his commitment to coppiced wood – he was in the Farmiloe Building showing products he’s developed with Benchmark.
• Jo Ham is a good friend of mine, so it was lovely to catch up with her and see her new range of bunnies, which launched at Clerkenwell Design Week’s Additions – a new space featuring accessories and smaller design items.
• Current trends for marble and handcrafted leather are combined in this unusual and very luxurious saddle-inspired magazine rack by Noble and Wood, also at Additions.
• Underneath is one of my top finds of the festival, the Arthur side table by Head and Haft – the solid granite top is quarried and machined in Cornwall, where the design and manufacture brand is based.
• Ptolomy Mann worked with Johnson Tiles to create the Prismatic Landscape, a rainbow-like installation that welcomed visitors to the Farmiloe Building. Watch this space for an interview with Ptolomy tomorrow.
• Nick Wilshire curated The Makings of Luxury, a space at Additions focused on craft. I loved the silverware by Juliette Bigley.
• The Keimones Cushion from Urbanara caught my eye. It’s inspired by traditional prints from South Africa where it’s made.
• Over at Platform, Clerkenwell’s space for new designers, I spotted The Capside lamp by Loïc Bard – it can be hung like a pendant or placed on one of its many sides for directional, ambient lighting.
• Case Furniture presented an updated version of the 675 chair by Robin Day. They looked back at the archives and tweaked their production version to bring it closer to the original.
• The SCIN Gallery hosted the OKAY Studio project which was sponsored by AHEC and featured work from Ed Swan, Hunting & Narud, Liliana Ovalle, Mathias Hahn, Andrew Haythornthwhaite and Peter Marigold.
• I love the vessel light by Samuel Wilkinson for Decode, originally designed to showcase the Plumen 001, also designed by Sam, it also looks fantastic with a simple filament bulb.
• And finally, it was lovely to see Kirsty Thomas from Lovely Pigeon and all the new work she was launching.

Further reading for the especially geeky:

• out and about :: clerkenwell design week 2014 preview
• out and about :: pulse london
• out and about :: pick me up 2014
• out and about :: ventura lambrate, milan 2014