CDW returns to London’s EC1 from 20 – 22 May 2025 for its 14th edition as a leading global design festival. This year’s event will be the largest yet, introducing three new exhibition venues. Among them are the historic medieval and Tudor buildings of The Charterhouse and Charterhouse Square, which will host artist Alex Chinneck’s major new public artwork; the capital’s oldest parish church, St Bartholomew the Great; and Studio Smithfield, a Grade II* listed building above the iconic Smithfield Market in the heart of the Culture Mile. These additions will form a vibrant and bustling new southern district for the festival.

Meanwhile, the 2025 edition will feature a myriad of curated events throughout Clerkenwell. Visitors can explore an impressive lineup of international exhibitors and cutting-edge products showcased across 16+ venues and 160+ local design showrooms.

Photography courtesy of Alex Chinneck

NEW EXHIBITION VENUES

The Charterhouse and Charterhouse Square - featuring Alex Chinneck’s flagship installation
Dating back to the 14th century, The Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings, courtyard gardens and green spaces reflecting over 600 years of British history. This May, this heritage site will serve as a striking backdrop for contemporary furniture, decorative lighting and luxury finishes. It will feature an array of global bathroom brands, from Geberit and Toto to Bette, C.P. Hart and Victoria and Albert Baths. Also joining them will be British fabric and wallpaper company Colefax and Fowler.

In addition to design brands, the venue will host Conversations at Clerkenwell, the festival’s official talks series. For 2025, the talks will take place in a theatre designed by the London-based design studio Kapitza, known for its colourful public art installations for British Land, wayfinding designs for the Royal London Hospital, as well as public and leisure architecture projects. Curated by PR and Brand Consultant Katie Richardson, the series will include conversations with leading and emerging designers, and as always, will cover the topics of the day, with the full programme to be announced in the spring.

Outside, Charterhouse Square will showcase products for outdoor living and hospitality, alongside Alex Chinneck’s new sculpture. Specially commissioned by CDW, the design promises a return for the artist 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 Brock Holdings PLC. The installation will remain on display for several weeks after the festival.

Studio Smithfield
A 27,000-square-foot Grade II* listed building above Smithfield Market, Studio Smithfield is a new creative event space and will be home to commercial and workplace interior brands during CDW, including Houzz Pro and Bandalux.

Church of Design
Set within St Bartholomew the Great, a 900-year-old Grade I listed medieval church, Church of Design will offer a breathtaking setting for modern design showcases. Exhibitors will include French interiors specialist Roche Bobois. Meanwhile, new to this year’s edition, CDW has partnered with Sandow, the US-based publisher of Interior Design, Design Milk and Metropolis. As part of this collaboration, Sandow will host design conversations, Design Dialogue by Sandow, inside the church throughout the festival. In the lead-up to the event, the publisher has launched its first-ever CDW Product Awards, celebrating the most innovative and visionary products shaping the future of design. Submissions are now open.