A look back at CDW's biggest show to date!
CDW made its creative comeback last month and was bigger and better than ever before! The show celebrated its 13th year with over 400 events, 150+ showrooms and 10 exhibition venues to explore. Visitors were spoilt for choice on how to spend their time at CDW as masses of people travelled to EC1 to listen in on topical talks at Conversations at Clerkenwell, visit the street sculptures and artistic installations and explore all that CDW 2022 had to offer!
This year, over 150 resident showrooms in the area joined us and opened their doors to the 30,000+ visitors, hosting events and parties to celebrate the rich and diverse design community. With the most showrooms taking part this year than ever before, the cobbles of Clerkenwell were buzzing with people eager to explore and work their way around the festival trail.
CDW 2022 had 400 exciting events for visitors to take part in. Varying from yoga, pilates and meditation classes, to pizza and prosecco parties, screen printing workshops and sustainable plant pot making, there were events to cater to all. The festival began with a press breakfast hosted in Old Sessions House showcasing the Baux Acoustic Lounge on the Tuesday morning, not forgetting the highly anticipated CDW Party on the Tuesday night that took place in fabric – the former cold store turned nightclub. This party saw hundreds exploring some of the brand activations and immersive experiences, with drinks and DJ’s to help kickstart the week in true CDW style. On the Thursday night, the week came to a close with multiple parties hosted across the festival map to celebrate the success of the festival and bring this year’s exceptional Clerkenwell Design Week to a positive finish.
CDW party at fabric
Alongside the 150+ resident showrooms, we also had 10 exhibition venues this year located throughout Clerkenwell showcasing the leading talent, alongside many emerging brands.
CDW2022 welcomed a number of new exhibition venues;
Covered sponsored by RAK Ceramics located in Charterhouse Square, was dedicated to interior surfaces from walls to floors across the commercial, residential and hospitality sectors.
Covered
Ceramics of Italy housed an inspiring display of design and craftsmanship. Working in collaboration with the Ceramics Association of Italy, the Italian Trade Agency showcased nine brands in a specially-built venue in St John’s Square.
Ceramics of Italy
The recently restored London landmark Old Sessions House, was home to the Baux Acoustic Lounge.
Old Sessions House during the ICON x BAUX party | BAUX Acoustic Lounge |
As well as new venues, we also welcomed back exhibition venues that explored both local and international brands, focussing on lighting, hardware, furniture and carefully selected luxury products.
Light + Rising Stars |
Detail |
Conversations at Clerkenwell, sponsored by Equitone was extremely successful with many topical talks taking place over the week. Kicking off with leading British Designer Tom Dixon in conversation with journalist Bethan Ryder, the series of daily talks explored and presented a broad range of topics, drawing upon insight, opinion and debates from creatives, business leaders and designers. Conversations at Clerkenwell was curated by Katie Richardson and hosted in a bespoke auditorium.
One talk in particular that took place at the auditorium was based on the newly built Elizabeth Line. Presented by Jorrin Ten Have, the talk explored the architectural overview of the impressive new underground line, with a focus on its line wide design identity. As the Elizabeth line opened the week of CDW with high-frequency services connecting to Farringdon station, this talk was very relevant and insightful for the visitors who travelled to Clerkenwell by train.
Conversations at Clerkenwell - Tom Dixon in Conversation with Bethan Ryder
CDW wouldn’t be the same without its extraordinary brand activations and installations. Charterhouse Square saw Orticolario’s Delenimentum installation taking centre stage. We also saw two installations brought to us by OnOffice; Plant.Nurture.Bloom designed by Plant Designs which highlighted the importance of planting within urban working environments, as well as The Office Group’s vision for the future of work, challenging the industry to reassess and adapt their physical spaces for the future and a more sustainable way of life.
OnOffice curates: TOG's Office of Tomorrow | OnOffice curates: Plant.Nurture.Bloom |
In addition, CDW also had an array of food and drink and fringe partners. Whether visitors wanted to have a formal sit-down meal at Bourne and Hollingsworth, or to grab a quick sandwich from Bodega Rita’s, their CDW badge allowed them access to special deals. Not forgetting the five specially created pink cocktails in celebration of this year's event!
CDW 2022 was a huge success and it has been great to see the return of the infamous pink trail.