The 2026 edition of Clerkenwell Design Week shirked away from the boring office blocks and silhouettes, bringing a wave of funky functionalism to the furniture realm. Designers did not play it safe with furniture, but struck notes of nostalgia and fun ideas to create furniture pieces that really stood out for their design and philosophy alike.
The festival floor was dominated by expressive cartoon-like shapes, tactile pastry-inspired curves, and electric, neon color-blocking that brought a much-needed injection of pure joy back to furniture design. These visual powerhouses cleverly married eccentric, avant-garde silhouettes with serious sustainable engineering and commercial durability, proving that high-end furniture can be both incredibly striking and wonderfully fun.
Lollipop Chair
The British design brand Deadgood officially launched its Lollipop timber chair at Clerkenwell Design Week this year. The chair takes its visual cues directly from the humble, flat shape of a wooden ice-lolly stick. Designed to sit on the boundary between maturity and childlike playfulness, it is described by the brand as ‘quiet but loud, brutal but gentle’.
It is constructed using thick, robust pressed plywood components to provide a bold, highly expressive personality without compromising frame strength. Instead of hiding the construction, the engineering deliberately centralizes the legs and celebrates traditional joinery techniques as the main visual focal point.
Bolete Armchair
Designed by the acclaimed Patricia Urquiola, the armchairs were a major highlight. Awarded as ‘Best for the Planet’, it is a highly sculptural lounge seat defined by fluid surfaces and the rounded, enveloping forms of a mushroom. Launched at Workspace Design Show Amsterdam 2025, the seat features a distinctive, grooved, and molded plinth-like foundation that provides a striking pop-aesthetic profile.
The armchair combines a compact footprint with a generous, wide padded seat and backrest that naturally conform to the body. The structural shell utilizes a 100 percent natural origin, biodegradable, and compostable polymer developed by Andreu World.
Squarish Table
Squarish table by Danish design duo Ernst Bartholin Jensen debuted as part of the brand’s first-ever appearance at the festival. The design merges square and round geometries into a single object. At a glance, it reads as a square, but a closer inspection reveals shifting profiles where one side is flatter, and the other is softer.
The tables are completely asymmetrical and unresolved, ensuring they never look uniform from any single angle. The pieces are intentionally designed to be grouped. By turning individual tables in different directions, the asymmetrical boundaries interact to create dynamic, changing negative spaces between them.
Mangiafuoco Copper-Enamel Low Stools
The stools feature an ordinary copper base coated with vitrified glass powders. Each piece undergoes high-temperature, sequential firing cycles. The unique chemical reaction of metallic oxides creates shifting transparencies and deep, layered pigments.
The pieces are a one-of-a-kind allure because fire melts the glaze unpredictably, and every tabletop and stool surface displays unique, imperfect color gradients. The pieces demonstrate how ancient artisanal secrets can be scaled to fit luxury contract, residential, and hospitality environments.
Morrison Hannah Chair
Originally introduced in 1973 by designers Bruce Hannah and Andre Morrison, the chair is a celebrated piece of mid-century design that was officially reengineered and reintroduced. The chair is built with highly distinct, plush seat and back cushions that visually signal instant comfort and physical warmth. The modern revival includes upgraded, supportive foam densities alongside a built-in rocking mechanism to support natural movement.
It also includes an added four degrees of forward tilt, making it exceptionally flexible for shifting between relaxed lounging and active desk tasks. The chair features an updated palette that can combine aluminum frame finishes (like Saffron, Crimson, or Iris) with premium textured fabrics.
All in all, the Clerkenwell Design Week turned out to be a stage for the new-age funky designs, apart from sculptural and refined ones. A special mention for ‘The Secret Garden,’ which was a major sensory installation that transformed standard ceramic tiles into modular tile benches and outdoor furniture.
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