Show focus: Key highlights and takeaways from Clerkenwell Design Week 2026

Now in its 15^th year, Clerkenwell Design Week is regarded as a leading global design festival – Amelia Thorpe visited and found a feast of inspiration.

This year’s Clerkenwell Design Week took place from 25th - 27th May against its customary backdrop the ancient streets of London’s architectural quarter. Geared to residential, hospitality and commercial sectors, the Week attracted architects, specifiers, interior designers and the public to see more than 200 showrooms and 16 exhibition venues displaying an impressive variety of furniture, lighting, textiles, surfaces, bathroom fittings and hardware.

Attention grabbers
There can be little doubt that some knock-out products were displayed specifically to catch the eye. Showstoppers included bespoke taps clad in chequerboard oyster and mussel shell from Dornbracht Atelier, the Meisterstück Classic Duo Oval freestanding bath in new Dusty Pink colourway from Kaldewei and the Oasis freestanding basin in soft green from Sanycces.

Majestic London showed how glass design has evolved significantly, offering different textures, colours and unique printed designs in striking arched doors, alongside sister brands in the Sanbra Group. ‘Each brand brings its own strength to one considered space, giving architects and designers room to experience, explore, question and imagine how they work for their projects,’ says group marketing director Mia O’Loughlin. ‘This is where the real conversation begins.’

Exclusivity
To appeal to designers wanting to offer their clients unique products, bespoke services were widely on show. ‘We want to highlight our ability to give architects and designers exclusive designs,’ says Rob Evans, head of hospitality at C.P. Hart. The brand’s newly launched Slide collection of taps and brassware was the winner in the Bath Fixtures category at the Clerkenwell Design Awards 2026, available with customisable handle options made from marble, wood and resin. Going one step further, it also offers Slide Manufatto bespoke options – hand chiselled jewellery-like handle designs created by Italian artist Fabio Lissi, including an option with real diamonds.

Materiality
A focus on finishes – from bronze to aged brass and mixed metals - was evident across brassware and hardware exhibitors. Plank Hardware showed off its tactile collection of mixed metal Esben cabinet handles, in combinations such as polished nickel and unlacquered brass. ‘Mixing finishes takes the pressure off having to find consistency across every metal detail,’ says Ross Ferguson, head of brand. ‘It also shows that a curated home doesn’t have to be matchy-matchy – there is a beauty in mixing metals as they age at different rates and interact with the light in different ways.’

Luxury loos
Serried ranks of WCs were on display from several brands, including Geberit, which showcased its latest innovations in the ancient Norfolk Cloister of the Charterhouse. With a focus on the new shower toilet, the AquaClean Alba, designed as a simple entry-level model to the world of spray functionality, the brand’s area manager for the Midlands, Sophie Chilton, explains, ‘Some people know a little about shower toilets, others nothing at all, so our job is to make architects and designers aware of them – and give them the information they need.’

Showroom open
Given their professional, non-retail focus, entering Clerkenwell’s showrooms might feel intimidating for first time visitors. ‘One of the good things about this Week is the opening up of showrooms,’ says Floyd Case, senior project manager, international and UK, Toto. ‘Visitors can experience a nice sense of community and our job is to make the space feel as accessible as possible.’ As part of its complete showroom refurbishment, three elegantly designed ‘Customer Experience Toilets’ designed by Squire & Partners feature Toto’s Washlets.

Other showroom highlights included talks and events at VitrA's London Specification & Design Hub, where the team also kicked off each day with an informal breakfast gathering where visitors could enjoy freshly made waffles, tea and coffee. Visitors could discover the newly launched and recently installed collections, including the contemporary, wall-hung Glora and Sareta furniture collections, and the new V-Care 3 smart toilet range.

Meanwhile, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard were showcasing the recently launched VEA Collection – a stunning range of fittings inspired by the timeless aesthetics of classic modern interior design. Created by Christian Haas, the series embodies minimalist design, precise geometry and a visual language conceived for longevity. 

Sustainability
Last, but certainly not least, comes the focus on sustainability, almost now a given for every exhibitor keen to see their wares taken up by hotels. Laufen displayed a range of its sculptural basins under the banner ‘CO² Free’, made in its E-Kiln net-zero production facility. For Kaldewei, national project manager for hotels Laura Negulescu points to the sustainable credentials of the brand’s steel enamel products, such as its shower trays. ‘Their longevity is huge and also 100% recyclable, so they can be melted and re-used completely,’ she says.