Every year when Clerkenwell Design Week rolls around, the APM team look forward to seeing the latest collections and meeting with new and old suppliers. It’s always a great epicentre for inspiration by new products, development of sustainability within the industry and connection with specialists. As we continue to drive our business ethos around sustainability this year, we focussed on looking out for the latest eco alternatives and developments from regular suppliers on incorporating sustainable elements into their designs.
We were all really heartened by how many brands now highlight why sustainability is important to them and how they’ve redirected their supply/ production, etc. down (more) sustainable routes – it felt like a huge increase from what was seen at CWD last year, which was so encouraging. As any regular readers will know, Absolute is a founding signatory of Interior Design Declares, the pledge by interior designers to embed sustainable practices in their businesses.
Our favourite takeaways from Clerkenwell 2023 are below:
Camira fabrics are historically used in commercial sectors. However, their new ‘Main Line Flax’ collection has been developed for both commercial & residential use. It is an extension to their ‘Main Line Plus’ range and is manufactured from 100% natural fibres (wool & plant fibre) making it renewable & compostable. It’s suitable for upholstery and window coverings, making it a great option for our clients to consider for their final finishes. The range has a tactile finish where the threads create a beautiful flat weave. With its wide range of colours, we’re looking forward to incorporating it in both period & modern homes.
Fritz Fryer is a lighting company we’ve worked with on various projects (including historic chandelier repairs!). After seeing their latest collections during design week, we were pleased to see they’ve updated their ranges to include more IP-rated bathroom collections (this is a rare and valuable find in the design world). They’ve also created extensions of their existing ranges to include more removable & interchangeable parts such as coloured tubing, to allow consumers to keep the light itself while updating the aesthetic.
Meeting new suppliers is always very exciting for us designers, so we jumped at the opportunity to go to the breakfast launch event by Baux. We learnt about their amazing acoustic ranges that can be incorporated into both commercial & residential designs. Acoustic performance is a design factor we’re considering more and more, especially in period properties that don’t have the best sound-insulation. We loved their pulp panels composed using potato & wheat, making them fully bio-based (100% recyclable & biodegradable). The panels can be stuck to walls (there are pattern ranges if you want to create a fun feature) and they’re developing an ‘art range’ where the panels can be framed – a more residential friendly aesthetic!
Clerkenwell Design Week never fails to disappoint in showcasing increasingly beautiful collections, displaying the latest designers & innovators, and highlighting the progression of sustainability within the sector – and 2023 was no exception. It’s a great week for sourcing as well as making connections for our projects/clients. The event also inspires us to evolve & improve our designs, as we have seen how the industry is progressing with the development of new products but also innovations of old. We can’t wait to see what’s showcased next year!
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