Jennifer Newman Studio’s M-Bamboo Table

Jennifer Newman Studio will be showcasing their new M-Bamboo table at Clerkenwell Design Week this week.

The M-Bamboo table is the first product designed by the Studio that incorporates bamboo surfaces. And because bamboo is a fast growing, replenishable grass it is also a sustainable resource.

When bamboo is compressed in to solid material it initially has the appearance of a high quality semi-hard wood, it transforms into a dark hardwood following treatment to avoid bacterial degradation for use outside.

The table comes in a dark chocolate coloured top for use outside or inside, or in a light caramel top for inside use only.

The frame of the M-Bamboo table is made of powder-coated aluminium as is the M-Bench which fits the table perfectly.

Jennifer Newman Studio will be exhibiting their designs in the Farmiloe Building at Clerkenwell Design Week from the 21st-23rd of May.

Morgan Furniture at Clerkenwell Design Week

Morgan Lucca Chair

Morgan Furniture will be exhibiting at Clerkwenwell Design Week again this year, with their original furniture launches for 2013.

Morgan Lucca Chair

Showing at the Farmiloe Building in St John’s Street, Morgan will be unveiling several new furniture pieces, designed by Katerina Zachariades and the in-house Morgan design team, from the contemporary Modena, Lucca and Soho collections.

Morgan Moderna Armchair

Morgan design and develop all their products in a low energy consuming factory, using materials from sustainable sources. The company is accredited by the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) and was among the first in the industry to be awarded ISO14001.

Morgan Modena Three Seat Sofa Lime

Morgan is also part of a lean and environmental improvement ‘think tank’ which includes other British manufacturers. Their elegant and high quality work, reflects that sustainability and design are highly compatible and one does not need to be substituted for the other.

Morgan Lucca Chairs

Freyja Sewell at Clerkenwell Design Week

Freyja Sewell HUSH at CDW

One of the exciting artists exhibiting at Clerkenwell Design Week is Freyja Sewell. Her work has a strong theme of sustainability, and her HUSH pods creating a private space with-in a publicworld are particularly impressive.

Freyja Sewell HUSH at CDW

The amount of thought and practicality Frejya has put into the design of HUSH as an enclosed space providing a personal retreat is remarkable. She emphasises that modern society, technology and architecture offer great ways to connect on multiple levels but can leave little room for privacy in our everyday lives.

Freyja Sewell at CDW

Through HUSH she seeks to provide a way to balance the pressures of growing populations and overcrowding with the need for individual space.

“HUSH provides a personal retreat, a luxurious escape into a dark, hushed, natural space in the midst of a busy hotel, airport, office or library. HUSH provides a quiet space in an age of exponential population growth, where privacy and peaceful respite is an increasingly precious commodity.”

Freyja Sewell HUSH at Selfridges, London.

Frejya uses sustainably produced wool for the body of HUSH and recycled wool fibers for the internal padding, produced as a by-product of the British carpet industry.

Freyja Sewell HUSH at CDW

The HUSH pods are manufactured by Ness Furniture in Durham by skilled furniture craftsmen and women, helping to support and revitalise Britain’s ancient heritage of makers.

Look out for Freyja at Clerkenwell Design Week at House of Detention.

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Now in its third highly successful year, Clerkenwell Design Week’s three-day annual festival has quickly become an eagerly anticipated event in the design industry calendar.

Architecture and Interiors photography by Jim Stephenson / clickclickjim

Founded in 2010, the event gathers Clerkenwell’s long-established design community together, celebrating the creative richness, social impact and its power for change within this unique part of London.

23/5/12 Picture by Ashley Bingham. Picture taken at the Clerkenwell Design Week 2012

After reaching record size in 2012, Clerkenwell Design Week returns from 21-23 May showcasing over 239 brands from the UK and across the globe.

Architecture and Interiors photography by Jim Stephenson / clickclickjim

The resounding success of CDW 2012 was evident at the UK Event Awards, organised by The Drum, where CDW was recognised as being one of the best in Britain’s events industry – winning both Best Cultural Event and Best Festival for 2012.

Photo courtesy of Philip Vile

The name Clerkenwell comes from the Clerks’ Well in Farringdon Lane, where London parish clerks performed the famous Medieval Mystery Plays throughout the Middle Ages. Since the Industrial Revolution, the area has housed craft workshops, printers, clockmakers and jewellers.

Architecture and Interiors photography by Jim Stephenson / clickclickjim

Traditional crafts, such as printing and bookbinding still flourish, as do graphic designers. In the last two decades, Clerkenwell’s unique variety buildings have been transformed into central studio and workshop spaces, attracting an unprecedented concentration of architectural, design and creative practices.

CDW_House_of_Detention_Philip_Vile_001_CDW

The global businesses that have made Clerkenwell their home have shaped the borough into the UK’s most important generator of creativity and innovation.

CDW Photo courtesy of Philip Vile

Serving an infinite variety of other industries easily accessible from across London, Clerkenwell has become home to a plethora of new media agencies, graphic and interactive design studios and more than 200 architectural practices – more per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. In addition, Clerkenwell houses over 60 design showrooms including world leaders Vitra, Poltrona Frau, Flos and Moroso.

22/5/12 Pictures by Ashley Bingham. Pictures taken at The Clerkenwell Design Week.

Next week, the festival will return to its familiar venues, with exhibitors at the Farmiloe Building including Pinch Design, Bark Furniture, Young and Norgate, Jennifer Newman Ltd, DeadGood Trading Ltd, Amtico and Material Lab.

Farmiloe Shed CDW 2012

The House of Detention and the Order of St John have also been confirmed with additional sites at key points across Clerkenwell.

Photo courtesy of Philip Vile

Last year over 35 showrooms successfully participated and are involved again this year, these include Domus, Knoll, Moroso, The Poltrona Frau Group, Vitra and Porcelanosa, along with a number of showrooms new to the event including Kinnarps, Camira, .it and Connections.

CDW Photo courtesy of Philip Vile

There will also be a number of designers specialising in sustainable, recycled and salvaged furniture and design – who I will of course endeavour to single out in the coming week.

Photo courtesy of Philip Vile

Colombia: Colours and Adobe Architecture

Two cyclists in a street in Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

I recently visited Colombia and was amazed at the astounding beauty of the country. It’s huge, diverse culturally, ethically and geographically it connects Central and South America. One side of the country is on the Pacific Coast, the other on the Caribbean and the climate seems to change dramatically depending where you go.

A street in Cartagena.

What struck me as soon as I arrived, apart from the people being incredibly lovely and welcoming, was the old colonial architecture. The adobe style houses are prevalent in the old towns of many Colombian cities. Built in the typical Spanish style, they ooze character and simplicity. The thing that separates them from European buildings however is their vibrant colour.

A street in Cartagena.

Walking through the gorgeous streets of Cartagena’s old walled city, I was blinded by bright blues, pinks, neon greens and orange. The abundant green creeper plants blossoming in pink and violet only added to the mix.

A street in La Candelaria in Bogota

In Bogota, among the low hanging clouds and the towering lush green mountains, the old town – La Candelaria is filled with street art and colour. The city is gigantic but wandering through the little cobbled streets of La Candelaria you would hardly realise. Old churches and small cottage style adobe houses create an atmosphere which feels a lot more like a village than a city of 10 million. The colours and street art show that creativity and art is rife in this amazing city.

Going there for a holiday simply wasn’t enough, I realised it would take several visits and a number of months to get a real feel for this beautiful country. So I decided I would have to come back.

A street in La Candelaria

‘Evolve or die’: Hendzel + Hunt at Green Week

Back in March of this year, Hendzel + Hunt hosted a spin off 24HR Design Challenge, open to students at London College of Communication, during the University’s Green Week. The range of events sought to champion intelligent and ethical creativity with a selection of workshops, exhibitions, screenings, lectures and design challenges taking place throughout the week.

The University’s annual Green Week is full of interesting ideas and innovative designs.

“A platform for showcasing current good practice, Green Week will see students, staff and guests collaborators utilize design and media thinking to unpick this year’s themes of waste, transport, consumption, biodiversity and water”.

This years theme was ‘evolve or die’ and the video shows the diverse results of the challenge. The video featured on Hendzel + Hunt’s website was created by Netta Peltola.