Blog: Top 3 Takeaways from Clerkenwell Design Week 2024
Our Head of Interior Design, Laura Baarda, reflects on her experiences at Clerkenwell Design Week 2024.
This year, we had a hectic couple of days at Clerkenwell Design Week; we usually come to London with our trainers on, ready to hit as many showrooms as possible. However, this year, we planned our visit with more strategy and purpose.
What I enjoy most about Clerkenwell Design Week is coming away with knowledge of the latest marketing trends; I adore learning, and attending seminars is a great way to do this and gain knowledge from others! So that was my priority. We had an excellent morning meeting with our clients for a major phased commercial project, giving them a taste of the excitement in Clerkenwell. There’s nothing quite like seeing the products first-hand and exploring the extensive range of options to energise a client!
After attending several seminars on diverse topics, I wanted to share my key takeaways from my favourite presentations:
HACK Colour Trend
We attended an enlightening discussion hosted by The Colour Hive in collaboration with Domus, where they presented their colour forecasts for 2025. One of the palettes that initially made me hesitant was called HACK.
This almost psychedelic palette is inspired by the use of technology and AI, liberating us from relying on natural dyes and allowing us to design and create any colour we can imagine. Embracing AI and technology in the design process, this vibrant colour palette fizzes with energy, featuring pixelated textures, airbrushed patterns, and engineered gloss finishes.
We also saw numerous fabrics and furniture pieces already hitting the market that incorporated these innovative textures and finishes.
Power of Photography
What a moving and engaging panel talk from Solus Ceramics with an incredible panel. Joi Lee from Earthrise Studio presented the importance of climate change through an emotive set of photographs and videography, putting people back into the picture and making it more relatable, which certainly hit home with me. Then, the talented photographer Zed Nelson talked us through some of his bodies of work and how he uses photography to present his opinion on political and environmental issues with comedy and irony in his pictures, finishing with a presentation from Gary Wallis, who is teaching the next generation of talented photographers.
The whole presentation was inspiring; it makes you think of the power of imagery and how a picture really does say a thousand words.
The Cost of Overlooking Employee Values in the Workplace
Last but by no means least, presented by the eloquent Hannah Nardini at the Sedus showroom, was my favourite talk of the week. She provided an incredible data-driven insight into what we want in the workplace; the statistics were fascinating. She delved into the data of each generation within the workplace, analysing who we should be designing for, what we want in the workplace, whether we will ever return to the workplace full-time, and whether we should take inspiration from Gen X’s work ethic, boundaries, and aspirations. So, for those who didn’t get the chance to attend this talk, here’s a little snippet: these are the top five things that are most valued in the workspace:
- Coffee Lounges
- Team Collaboration
- Open Place Desking
- Formal Meeting Rooms
- Catered Restaurants
I recommend forward planning for future events, as these talks can get booked very quickly. However, they are worth their weight in gold! I have gained much knowledge and inspiration to move forward with our future projects! Roll on Clerkenwell Design Week 2025.