Clerkenwell Design Week 2023 Trend Report

Clerkenwell’s festival of design returned for 2023 with a vibrant, three-day extravaganza for visitors and exhibitors. Lively and optimistic, it brings a renewed sense of purpose and excitement to the furniture industry in the UK.

With inspiration at every turn, we picked out the key trends that we think will be making an impact in the coming year.

Brilliant Hues

Creativity and playfulness were on display with manufacturers making bold choices on vibrant colour palettes. Combining this with a relaxed, hospitality-inspired aesthetic, furniture design was bright and optimistic, with lots of personality.

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Adding fun and personality, ​‘Noodle’ is an eye-catching lounge chair which stands out from the crowd. Big on visual but small on environmental impact, it is made using plant-based bio foam compounds on a recycled steel frame.

Sensuous Comfort

Fluid lines and soft curves defines furniture that invites you to sink right in. Prioritising comfort and relaxation, these modular systems, sofas and pouffes, would look as much at home in a hotel lobby as a workspace.

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Reminiscent of decadent, seventies, sunken lounge interiors, Jagger is a stunning customisable modular system. With soft, undulating curves its organic shape promises comfort and warmth.

Changing Rooms

Flexibility and adaptability continue to dominate and inspire. Delineating space with screens; planters and shelving; modular systems; moveable furniture on casters – making reconfiguration or relocation a simple process.

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Q6 from Modus is a coordinated collection of upholstered seating in soft rounded shapes with screens and tables to create multiple environments. Each upholstered element has the option of a back, a back and screen and freestanding or connecting units to create any combination of shapes.⁠

Conscious Design

‘Sustainability’, a trend not so long ago, is now in the mainstream. Greenwashing cynicism means that manufacturers are highlighting their waste and material reduction, eco-friendly processes, embodied carbon and ease of repair.

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Morgan Studio in collaboration with Camira has produced the Aran lounge chair. Featuring a ​“knit to fit” textile componentry and using renewable materials, it ensures zero waste during manufacturing and assembly. Different knitted structures form areas of varying tension and opacity, creating contrast and texture.

Made in the UK

A feast of British design and British made furniture was rightly to be found in the capital. The ​‘British Collection’ promotes local, established and emerging designers and British craftsmanship, traditions and heritage were a highlight of the event.

Design Close-up

Traditional joinery skills and cutting-edge wood forming machinery create Boss Design’s stylish Katō lounge chair structure. Its smoothly curved wooden frame is tactile and elegant with timeless appeal.