Clerkenwell Design Week – A snapshot of Light
(UK) – Clerkenwell Design Week returned to EC1 for its 15th edition, once again transforming the London design district into a lively trail of showrooms, installations, product launches, and talks. For arc, the key destination was Light: the dedicated lighting design exhibition staged within the House of Detention, a former Victorian prison on Sans Walk.
Across the three days, Light welcomed an array of international brands into its atmospheric brick vaults, with a mix of familiar names and new exhibitors. Among the newcomers was Grafton Bell, a sculptural lighting brand rooted in British craftsmanship. Founded and designed by Tom Bell, who began his career at J. Adams & Co before establishing his own studio, the brand draws inspiration from mid-century design and Stanley Kubrick’s distinctive cinematic style. With an emphasis on minimal decoration, Bell allows the inherent qualities of materials such as brass and aluminium to take centre stage. Its star products included the Cupolla Table Lamp and Double Cupolla Lamp, both of which pair a hand-spun crown with a smooth opal glass shade to create a refined, balanced silhouette, casting a warm, even glow in a cool satin nickel finish.
Another newcomer to the show was Minale, displayed by distributors Rex and Green. The name may already be familiar to lighting enthusiasts as a new brand founded by Massimo Minale of Buster + Punch. Launched in 2025 as a separate brand from Buster + Punch, Minale produces high-performance home goods characterised by precision engineering, heritage influence and a distinct contemporary aesthetic. Among its products, the 2SHADES portable lamp took the spotlight. Inspired by a 1969 concept by Marcello Minale for Gucci, which reinterpreted the brand’s double G motif as twin light shades, the lamp provides both focused task lighting and a warm ambient glow.
Familiar faces also returned, including Spark & Bell, a brand that has made the House of Detention something of a home over recent editions. The sustainable Brighton-based studio expanded its presence this year, taking over two cells to showcase a range of new products, including a striking display of Seraphín, its three-tier chandelier made using the studio’s in-house “Jewel” recycled plastic. Unique to Spark & Bell, Jewel is made from CD cases saved from landfill and hand-worked in its Brighton workshop using a recycling and forming process developed over several years. The result combines a crafted feel with the consistency, durability and finish required for hospitality and commercial settings.
Beyond the product showcases, the House of Detention also became a forum for conversation, as [d]arc media hosted another dedicated talks programme within the atmospheric Clerkenwell dungeons throughout the festival.
Day one opened with a focus on future-proofing, as Matt Waring, Editor of [d]arc media, chaired Lighting as a Long-Term Investment, a discussion exploring adaptability, maintenance, controls, flexibility and circular design principles with Jack Pannell of Common Ground Workshop, Chris Simmons of Orluna, and Magdalena Gomez of So It Is Design. This was followed by The Power of Collaboration, moderated by Ellie Walton, which saw Maida Hot of Equation Lighting and Shane Kelly of TP Bennett reflect on the importance of open dialogue and trust within increasingly complex project teams. The day concluded with The Art of Darkness, where Neil Knowles of Elektra Lighting, joined by Anna Burles of Run for the Hills, shared insight into creating atmospheric bar environments that rely on far more than a good dimmer switch.
Day two continued the conversation with Why is Lighting Design Still Undervalued?, chaired by Matt Waring, Editor of [d]arc media. The panel brought together Eoin Billings of Billings Jackson, Jasper Sanders of Jasper Sanders + Partners and Stefan Isherwood of Nulty to examine why lighting is still too often treated as expendable in cost evaluations, despite being fundamental to how spaces are experienced. The afternoon then moved into two project-focused sessions: first, Anthony Stead of Into Lighting and Emma Caballero González of DLSM Studio explored their collaborative work on the Radisson Red London Twickenham – Allianz Stadium, before Sabrina Voecks of JOI Design joined Ellie Walton for a closer look at Flesslers Lenggries, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Germany, featured in issue #151. The day concluded with a special evening event co-hosted by [d]arc media and Casambi in collaboration with Design Declares, bringing together founding signatories Oliver Heath, Cat Hoad, Simone Suss and Emer Gillespie of Spark & Bell to reflect on the collective’s progress, purpose and ambitions for the year ahead. The discussion also opened up a wider conversation around what interior designers and lighting designers can do to support more sustainable practice. The evening rounded off with drinks sponsored by Birra Moretti and Old Mout Cider.
The final day began with The Future of Residential Lighting: Craft, Sustainability, & Personality, chaired by Junior Journalist, Ellie Walton. The panel brought together Manuela Hamilford of Hamilford Design, Joshua Welch of Hoare Lea, and industrial designer Rona Meyuchas Koblenz to explore how lighting has moved away from clinical fixtures towards warmth, craft and tactility. The panellists discussed how lifestyle changes, particularly post-COVID, have driven a desire for more feeling-led design in the home, and the role that materials, craftsmanship and technology can play in achieving this. The conversation also explored access to good lighting, noting the significant gap between high-end, designer-led projects and public understanding, as well as how these ideas might be translated across different budgets. Welch particularly highlighted the need for greater public education on the subject, in the hope that a better understanding will drive demand and make quality lighting more accessible to homes across the nation.
This was followed by a special How to be Brilliant at Designing with Light panel, presented with the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP). Managing Editor Helen Ankers moderated the packed session, which saw Sally Storey of Lighting Design International, Nick Hoggett of dpa Lighting Consultants and Keith Bradshaw of Speirs Major explore what truly defines excellent lighting. The conversation moved from common misconceptions around lighting design to the emotional and dynamic nature of light, the pressures of compressed project timelines, the importance of trust and communication, and the role of hands-on mock-ups. The panel also explored the future of the profession, touching on AI as a potential tool, the need to nurture the next generation of designers, and the shifting landscape of global manufacturing.
The festival’s final talk brought the programme to a thoughtful close with Can We Still Design Consciously with Light?, a presentation from Benz Roos, Associate Partner and Group Leader at Speirs Major. Reflecting on lighting design as an increasingly complex balancing act between energy use, legibility, safety, budget and atmosphere, Roos explored the industry’s shared search for a more conscious and soulful approach to light in the 21st century.
Across three days, Light offered a concentrated snapshot of where decorative and architectural lighting is heading: towards greater craft, collaboration, adaptability and consciousness. Set against the unique backdrop of the House of Detention, it remained a fitting stage for both new ideas and familiar faces.