Clerkenwell Design Week Visit
Carol, Matt and I spent another fabulous day strolling around in the sun, dropping into showrooms, ambling around fascinating exhibitions and catching up with all our favourite reps at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week. The cocktails flowed freely as did my enthusiasm for many new products, a few that really stood out to me are:
TOP BREWER BY SCANOMAT
Our first port of call was Orangebox’s showroom – I love their furniture and know most of the ranges well, so my attention was easy swayed by the seamless resin reception desk by Isomi (www.isomi.com) and i.Rain (www.atrium.ltd.uk) pendant light fitting gracing their reception.
I was offered a cup of coffee – and wow, I’d only been in Clerkenwell for five minutes, already I had discovered my ‘product of the day’! Set into the counter was a minimally designed tap – no levers, no buttons, a circular drain set flush into the worktop and adjacent, a tablet. I chose a beverage, placed a cup beneath the tap and watched my drink be poured. Simple as that! Here was I, thinking that the boiling and chilled taps I’ve been recommending to my clients for the past few years were still the most innovative product to enhance their tea points – now I have something new to consider.
Top Brewer provides freshly brewed coffee, hot water, hot chocolate, milk and chilled water (sparkling water and decaf additional options, and, believe it or not, fruit juice). Using an App on their mobiles, employees can customise their drinks to their taste – a little less foam, a larger quantity. All elements for the drinks system are hidden in one or two base units.
scanomat.com
JENNIFER NEWMAN
One of the things I love most about Clerkenwell Design Week is stumbling across new showrooms – in this case it was Jennifer Newman’s brand new display area at 8 Clerkenwell Green. I had heard of her highly colourful trestle style benches but hadn’t had chance to see them for myself. My two favourite products are:
Trestle-S
Steel legs are available power coated in any RAL colour, the slender top is made from zinc-coated steel and shows the fabrication marks under the clear lacquer. The table comes in both sitting and standing heights.
Club Table
A 40mm bamboo top sits on a steel frame. This table offers the domestic aesthetic that many clients are now requiring in their break out areas.
www.jennifernewman.com
QUIXOTIC
John Yeung, founder of Quixotic (the name means ‘pursuit of ideals’), talked us through his collection of handcrafted sculptural furniture. My personal favourite was a stunning section of spalted beach tree trunk formed into a coffee table. John explained the lengthy process of ever so slowly drying the section of timber to ensure a truly flat surface.
by Kathryn Butterworth – Interior Designer
