What to expect at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 (20 – 22 May)

Clerkenwell Design Week is nearly here—and it’s shaping up to be the biggest and boldest edition yet. From 20–22 May 2025, London’s EC1 will come alive with creativity, as over 160 brands and 15+ venues open their doors for three days of design discovery.

Are you drawn in by large-scale public installations, keen to explore new product launches, or looking forward to soaking up inspiration through talks and exhibitions? With so much packed into the programme, CDW 2025 promises a huge variety of moments to learn, connect, and be inspired—and we can’t wait to see what it delivers!

In this article, we’ve rounded up the highlights so far—from headline installations to key exhibitions and must-see speakers. There’s more to come, too—so be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates, including our map, exclusive conversations, and trend report in the weeks ahead.

Brick and Water Installations

Leading this year’s festival is a major new public artwork by British artist Alex Chinneck, set in Charterhouse Square. This special commission marks Chinneck’s return to sculpting with brick and playing with architectural elevations. In 2013, Chinneck completed a ‘sliding house’ in Margate, furnished with curving bricks, curving windows and a curving door. His new sculpture revisits this sculptural language while introducing an element of interactivity. It uses repurposed steel salvaged from the demolition of another building in London, thanks to the sponsorship of Cleveland Steel. It is developed with the support of Crittall Windows, FabSpeed and Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC. The installation will remain on display for several weeks after the festival.

British artist Alex Chinneck Sliding House, right

Meanwhile, Albion Stone and Hutton Stone return to Clerkenwell Green with an ambitious pavilion designed by Hawkins\Brown and engineered by Webb Yates. Titled Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival, the pavilion features a striking pair of nearly four-metre-high freestanding vaulted arches, championing the strength and beauty of British stone bricks. One arch will be formed from sandstone bricks in various hues from Hutton Stone’s quarries, predominantly pale buff Darney Heritage sandstone from Northumberland which is reminiscent of the traditional London brick stock. The other arch will be made from Heritage Portland Stone bricks from Albion Stone’s mine in Dorset. Each arch will be elegantly crafted from a single layer of stone bricks, measuring only 102mm thick, demonstrating the material’s versatility as a load-bearing architectural product.

Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival

For the first time, CDW is partnering with Dezeen to launch a design contest as part of the festival programme. In collaboration with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard, the Shaping Water competition invites architects and designers to create a large-scale installation celebrating the essence of water, set against the historic backdrop of St John’s Gate of the Order of St John. The winner will receive a £5,000 prize and a £15,000 budget to realise their design for the festival. In addition, a shortlist of top entries will be published on Dezeen and exhibited at Ideal Standard’s Clerkenwell showroom. The competition is free to enter until 2 April 2025. 

Modern Teaware Exhibition

Adding to the festival’s diverse programme, Fringe partner Newby London on St John Street collaborates with The Goldsmiths’ Centre for a special exhibition exploring tea culture. New Forms: Tea & Contemporary Design presents innovative contemporary teawares crafted by some of the UK’s most talented silversmiths – including Abigail Brown, Alex O’Connor and Alice Fry – and ceramicists Chris Keenan, Jeremy Nichols and Sasha Wardell. Visitors can purchase all exhibited pieces while enjoying a selection of exquisite and rare teas. Free entry.

Abigail Brown, Resurgence Teapot with Jug and Sugar Bowl, Sterling silver and wood

Conversations at Clerkenwell

The festival’s official talks series, Conversations at Clerkenwell, returns with a stellar lineup of speakers, including Sabine Marcelis and PearsonLloyd. Curated by PR and brand consultant Katie Richardson, the talks will take place at The Charterhouse for the first time, featuring 18 live sessions over three days, including three daily sessions curated and hosted by Dezeen. Topics will range from colour and interior trends to heritage renewal, commercial space design and AI in design.

Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd

One not-to-miss highlight is the Design and Narrative talk on 20 May at 3pm, where storytelling takes centre stage. Moderated by Design Insider’s Editorial Director, Alys Bryan, this session brings together a seriously inspiring panel: Johannes Karlström of Note Design Studio, Bo Hellberg from String Furniture, Emma Morley, Director at Trifle*, and Marie Karlsson, Creative and Managing Director at Cole & Son. Expect a lively discussion on how narrative shapes design thinking, fuels creativity, and adds meaning to every project.

String Furniture

This year’s auditorium, designed by Kapitza, takes inspiration from the rich history of patterns and ornaments adorning the venue’s walls and ceilings. The London-based studio is known for its colourful public art installations for British Land, wayfinding designs for the Royal London Hospital, and public and leisure architecture projects.

Kapitza

Clerkenwell Design Week 2025 takes place across EC1, London, from 20 – 22 May. For more information, please visit clerkenwelldesignweek.com – registration is now open.