CDW 2026

In the district with the highest density of interior design studios IN THE WORLD, the London district of Clerkenwell, Design Week is being celebrated these days.

For a week, all the showrooms in the area (approximately 180 showrooms ) open their doors to customers, friends and curious people, bringing this rather unique initiative to life.

It's not a trade fair, it's not even the Fuori Salone.... it's Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW).

The SBS team has been visiting this and we bring you some notes from our experience.

The Clerkenwell showrooms are high-end boutiques with carefully curated products, high-quality finishes, and top-notch details. We were particularly impressed by the Brunner and OrangeBox showrooms, which, to be fair, are a bit off Clerkenwell Road. We also found the Herman Miller and Haworth showrooms (shared with other companies in an interesting collaborative project) to be truly impressive.

Compared to previous editions, CDW 2026 seemed calmer than usual, but we are waiting for the official data to make more precise assessments.

Materials, finishes and colors

In London we received partial confirmation of the trends already present at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Even in contract seating, the color palette focuses on earth tones, with the addition of green tones.

The earthy colours, Earthy & Warm Tones , chocolate, caramel, terracotta with nuances that reach butter and mustard on one side and brick and burgundy on the other are very "welcoming" and give a domestic feeling even to contract environments.

The green tones, Muted Natural Greens , that is olive green, moss green, khaki, sage and even petrol green or teal, evoke nature and promote calm and concentration.

Interesting the section of the Herman Miller showroom dedicated to mixing and matching colors and materials.

Sustainability and circular materials

One of the most popular themes of the CDW is certainly that of environmental sustainability, which is expressed in various ways by the producers.

There has been much talk about recycled and bio-based materials, design for disassembly or circular design: product design is increasingly being viewed responsibly and for the long term period.

We saw some new materials like Arper's paper shells or Herman Miller's eco-friendly PU base.

Frankly, some initiatives seemed more superficial than substantial.

Worthy of note, in our opinion, is Haworth's Second Life service, which offers the option of having your product refurbished or purchasing refurbished products at advantageous prices (we're not entirely sure how much). The most inspired companies are already intercepting these requests for product reuse and refurbishment and turning them into business.

Nature in the office (Biophilic design)

Another CDW trend is the inclusion of plants and flowers (almost always fresh, but sometimes artificial) in interior spaces; these elements help reduce cortisol levels and thus the stress of those in that space. Shapes also contribute to creating more soothing environments, particularly those inspired by nature, the so-called Organic Design, which has long been a source of inspiration at SBS and has already inspired some of our collections (the Boheme chair, the Flite armrest, the Starfish base, and so on).

In terms of seating, the Clerkenwell showrooms feature a wide range of soft seating, including armchairs, sofas, and lounge chairs. Among the few task chairs on display, we particularly enjoyed Ergochair's new AirPoise, which introduces a new ergonomic concept, replacing lumbar support with an element that promotes correct posture by encouraging the user to open their solar plexus more.

For the rest, many classic products, such as the HAG Capisco, which, more than 45 years after its launch, remains one of the most inspired and iconic products on the market, or the more recent HAG Tion, which in its simplicity offers unquestionable comfort.

Finally, we were able to appreciate and admire the quality and attention to detail of many products.

Websites, catalogs, and artificial intelligence can certainly help us perform many of our daily tasks; however, in our field, being able to touch products firsthand, sit down, and try them out, evaluating their quality and the effectiveness of their technical and aesthetic solutions remains a must.

And that's all from London!