Montreal is no stranger to Brutalist architecture. The iconic utopian housing complex that overlooks the St Lawrence River (Habitat 67 by Moshe Safdie for Expo 67) is just one of many, albeit the most famous. During the 6 years that I lived in the city, my time was marked by raw, unfinished concrete—from Concordia University’s Hall Building to Place Bonaventure Metro station, and many others. In fact, much of the architectural landscape of the city bears the weight of its brutalist forefathers. It’s in this context that Montreal-based culinary studio Menu Extra crafted a gastronomic experience rooted in brutalism, local flavours and immersive design.

“After our activation at Habitat 67, we felt compelled to highlight other, perhaps lesser-known gems of Montreal’s modernist built-heritage. There’s a grounding quality to brutalist architecture that creates a striking backdrop for an experience exploring fine dining as ritual. The raw materiality and monumental character of these spaces naturally lend themselves to a sense of contemplation,” shares Creative Director Samuel de La Courtemanche.

Designed as part of Montréal en Lumière, an annual winter festival set in the city’s downtown core, Menu Extra transformed Chapelle des Franciscains in Rosemont into a cinematic, chartreuse-tined stage for a multi-course tasting menu of Québec’s finest flavours. Created by a multidisciplinary team of sommeliers, chefs, designers and other creatives, the soiree was dubbed Efflorescence—a name that aptly combines art and brutalism, referencing both the chalky powder excess that appears when water evaporates from concrete and a state of flowering.

Designed by Menu Extra and Montréal-based design studio Martha, the graphic identity of Efflorescence is anchored in architecture, with an elongated typography and logotype that references the geometry of its setting.

Blooming from within the stark, but soaring, vaulted ceilings, a 40-foot-long, communal dining table draped in sultry green fabric—with a hollowed diamond motif that mirrors the ceiling—emerges as the central focal point. In its center, guests can discover a fluted-acrylic lightbox full of live plants, designed to mimic Canada’s boreal forest. Other design touches included aluminum chairs designed by LESORR to complement the raw surroundings, steel stands displaying the menu’s core ingredients (scallops from the Magdalen Islands, among other local delicacies) and a soundscape by local artist KROY paired with two futuristic speakers designed for the event by MYCOAUDIO. Designed by Creative Director Samuel de la Courtemanche with Creative Producer Amanda Prow, the immersive set design was meant to inspire interactions between guests and foster a sense of exploration and discovery.

“Our experiences are ephemeral in nature, which inspires guests to be truly present, knowing the moment cannot be repeated,” says Co-Founder and Sommelier Alexis Demers.

Illustration by Nicolas Lapierre.

With the chefs cooking on full display and a choreographed service—which included an aromatic hot towel and scented smoke to complement select dishes—Menu Extra channelled fine dining as ceremony. And like a call to prayer, the sound of a bell guided guests to their seats.

Rooted in seasonality, the menu—created by Francis Blais, Co-Founder and Executive Chef of Menu Extra with selected wines from Co-Founder and Sommelier Alexis Demers—featured Nova Scotian lobster, scallops from the Magdalen Islands, citrus grown by Vyckie Vaillancourt in Laval, and more.

Photography by Vanessa Cassar and Jeremy Dionne.

An international family of four, described simply as collectors, commissioned Bergman Design House to design their second home in London. They came with a brief that was precise in its ambitions: refined, personal, and enduring. They wanted a space that would function as a living archive – where every object carried weight and every material had been chosen with accumulation in mind.

That brief shaped everything visible in the apartment. The London studio co-founded by Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund, organized the 4000 sqft listed residence around the logic of the collection rather than the logic of decoration. While decoration fills a space, a collection builds over time, and the objects in this apartment were selected for their capacity to mean more in twenty years than they do today.

Materials played a similar part. Take travertine, for example, which improves with use. The stone’s open pores collect light differently as surfaces wear, and the material’s inherent variation becomes more legible over years of contact. It is one of a small category of materials that rewards the passage of time rather than resisting it, and Bergman Design House built an entire apartment around this principle.

For the furnishings, Marcin Rusak’s bar cabinet – his practice suspends botanical matter, flowers and plant material, within resin – is an object whose surface contains a kind of preserved time. The three-dimensional wall installation by Swiss studio Beyond works through geometry and depth, holding attention across repeated encounters in a way that purely visual objects do not. Custom joinery by James Wellesley and stonework by Marco Pacitti connect the apartment to London’s specialist craft networks.

Bespoke plasters and natural marquetry cover the walls – both chosen, in Soliman’s framing, for tactile beauty and the ability to age gracefully. Fromental’s hand-painted wall coverings introduce a layer that only a human hand could produce, with the variation that comes from that process built into the surface from the start.

View more information on Bergman Design House’s website.

Photography by Vigo Jansons.

Highlights at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026: Day 3

Every day, Design Milk editors bring you the best to see, learn, and do during the UK’s leading design festival. Here are our picks for Thursday, May 21.

Editors’ Pick | Talks | All-Day Happenings | Products

Highlight of the Day

Fountain of Technicolour Beads
In collaboration withLeigei Stone, onebite design studio transforms the open space at Clerkenwell Green into a vibrant sensory experience titled “The Fountain of Technicolor Beads.” This installation is a call to action regarding inclusivity in design, specifically raising awareness for Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), commonly known as colour blindness. READ MORE

Design Dialogues

Photograph by Sam Frost ©2026 – www.samfrostphotos.com

True to You: Building a Design Brand with Integrity
Design practices and product brands today need to build lasting identity in a fast-cycle, visibility-driven market. In an era of constant exposure, this session examines how firms define and protect their brand DNA beyond logos and visual identity.
11:00 – 12:00

Designing for a Workforce That Doesn’t Fully Trust the Office
Autonomy and flexibility are reshaping workplace expectations across the UK. This discussion explores how choice is becoming a central design principle, shaping environments that better reflect how people actually want to work.
12:00 – 13:00

Beyond Biophilia: The Next Phase of Nature-Integrated Design
How can we move past decorative greenery toward measurable wellbeing, biodiversity, and climate impact? This talk looks at how nature-integrated design is evolving into a more rigorous and measurable practice, focusing on health outcomes and neuroarchitectural benefits.14:00 – 14:00 – 15:00

The Post-Neuro Office
How can we design workplaces around cognitive load, focus, and long-term mental stamina? As workplace expectations shift, this session examines how environments can better support attention management, particularly in hybrid settings.
15:00 – 16:00

Happenings

Photograph by Sam Frost ©2026 – www.samfrostphotos.com

Norwegian Collection
Presenting ‘The Norwegian Boutique Bedroom,’ a showcase of materiality, sustainability, and Norwegian comfort. The collection features Eikund’s revived mid-century furniture icons, Jensen Beds’ world-leading sleep solutions, the tactile coolness of Lundhs Real Stone, and the luxurious warmth of Norsk Dun’s ethical, circular goose down. LEARN MORE

Brew House
Studio Egret West presents the “Brew House,” a pavilion constructed from 600 innovative Brew Bricks. Over several months, approximately 300kg of waste coffee grounds were collected from London coffee shops, which were then delivered to the specialist brickmakers at York Handmade, who incorporated the organic waste into their clay-firing process. The resulting product is an aerated brick that reduces the use of finite clay resources by 10% and is 5% lighter than a standard brick. LEARN MORE

Austrian Collection
Taking over The Crypt in Detail, Austrian Collection brings together a leading selection of Austrian interior brands. Participating brands include Advantage Austria, Austriawood, Braun Lockenhaus, HUSSL, Kohlmaier, mafi, Studio Palatin, and Woka Lamps Vienna. LEARN MORE

Products

Teknion Aarea
Aarea blends tailoring with engineering, using second life materials and minimal components. Its mélange knit back, made from retrieved marine plastic, flexes naturally and creates zero waste.

Nordlux Akeno Pendant
Designed by Bjørn + Balle, the Akeno has a sleek, minimalist silhouette that feels effortlessly modern, while warm wood accents and elegant brass elements add a soft, tactile richness.

Corston Cotswold Lighting Collection
Corston’s first collection of easy-to-install lighting includes the Cotswold table lamp and desk lamps, which are free-standing and require no professional installation. Each piece is topped with a beautifully crafted shade, and is either available in scalloped porcelain, pleated fabric or fluted glass.

Dornbracht Coya
Created by Seiger Design, Coya’s complex combination of circle and square results in a transitional style: a mix of traditional and contemporary elements. Coya is available in a variety of finishes and customisation options, such as interchangeable handle inlays.

The Clerkenwell Design Week Awards, presented in partnership with Design Milk, celebrate the most innovative products at the UK’s leading design festival, as well as the creative leaders in London who are shaping the future of design. Click on the categories below to read more about each of this year’s winners:

BEST OF: Best of Clerkenwell + Best Craftsmanship | Best Material Innovation | Best for the Planet | Most Inclusive Design | Best Product for Healthcare | Best Product for Homes | Best Product for Workplaces

PRODUCTS: Accessories | Acoustics | Bath Fixtures | Carpet and Rugs | Cladding & Surfaces | Commercial Furniture | Hard Flooring | Lighting | Residential Furniture | Technology

PEOPLE: Interior Designer of the Year | Product Designer of the Year | Studio of the Year

This year’s Awards were sponsored by the American Hardwood Export Council. Photograph by Sam Frost ©2026

Best of Clerkenwell + Best Craftsmanship

Woodbender Scoop 33 Chair
An elegant steam-bent timber chair formed fthrough thirty-three carefully executed bends, Scoop 33 is designed by Jordan Bailiff. Providing sculptural, intuitive support to sitters, Scoop 33 embodies honesty, elegance, and enduring craftsmanship.

Best Craftsmanship Finalist: Dovetailors Flow Chair

Best Material Innovation

Cosentino Éclos
Éclos is a groundbreaking mineral surface featuring zero crystalline silica, recycled content, and patented through-body veining technology. It provides realistic aesthetics and a natural touch and feel for interior surfaces.

Finalist: Andreu World BIOThermopolymer

Best for the Planet

Andreu World Bolete Armchair
Designed by Patricia Urquiola, Bolete stands out for its ergonomics, thanks to the distinctive shape of the seat and its generous width. The upholstery is applied on a 100% recycled and recyclable Pure ECO® thermopolymer shell.

Finalist: Herman Miller Bound Sit-Stand Desking

Most Inclusive Design

One Bite Design Studio The Fountain of Technicolour Beads
In collaboration withLeigei Stone, onebite design studio transforms the open space at Clerkenwell Green into a vibrant sensory experience titled “The Fountain of Technicolor Beads.” This installation is a call to action regarding inclusivity in design, specifically raising awareness for Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), commonly known as colour blindness.

Finalist: Herman Miller Bound Sit-Stand Desking

Best Product for Healthcare

Interface noravant timber
noravant timber is the first PVC-free resilient flooring to combine high performance, bold design flexibility, and enhanced sustainability. Available in ten wood-inspired colors, it is designed to soothe.

Best Product for Homes

Knoll International Morrison Hannah Chair
This 1973 seating design by Andrew Morrison and Bruce Hannah has been updated for modern hybrid living and working. The thoughtful revival is available in contrasting color for a joyful design or monochromatic neutrals for an elegant edge.

Finalist: Corston Architectural Detail Cotswold Lighting Collection

Best Product for Workplaces

Andreu World Velo Chair
The Velo collection responds to the latest needs of flexible working with this lightweight, ergonomic, and easy-to-use chair designed by Benjamin Hubert. Its backrest follows the sitter’s movements without the need for adjustments.

Accessories

Corston Architectural Detail Premium Hardware.
This beautifully engineered collection of spring lever handles, designed by David Gray & James Duffy, combes elegant detailing with a patented self-returning mechanism that balances performance and refinement.

Acoustics

Acoufelt Skipping Stones Ceiling Clouds
Inspired by stones skipping across water, these sculptural acoustic ceiling forms impressed the jury for transforming sound control into an expressive architectural statement.

Bath Fixtures

C.P. Hart Slide
A beautifully intuitive tap system designed by Fima, Slide replaces the traditional lever with a smooth horizontal movement designed for both elegance and ergonomic functionality.

Finalist: Dornbracht COYA

Carpet and Rugs

Shaw Contract Poetic Form Carpet Tile Collection
Inspired by poetry and geometry, Poetic Form combines texture, metallic accents, and elegant forms while optimizing for low embodied carbon.

Finalist: Ege Carpets Matter by Snøhetta

Cladding & Surfaces

Ecoscape UK Ltd Forma Click Cladding
Composite profiles click into a Grad aluminium rail substructure for a clean, fixing-free wall covering. It cuts installation labour by up to half, and is suitable for use across a wide range of both wall and ceiling constructions.

Commercial Furniture

Arper Aom
Minimal and unconventional, Aom adapts effortlessly to different contexts without changing its language. An innovative construction system eliminates the use of glue or staples, so Aom is designed for circularity.

Finalist: Teknion Aarea

Hard Flooring 

Parador Harmonia Collection
Harmonia is a beautifully textured engineered wood collection inspired by the balance of nature and modernist architecture. Each of the seven surfaces draws inspiration from the tactile signatures of the world: grain, stone, and bark.

Finalist: Shaw Contract EcoWorx Resilient Flooring Art + Science

Lighting

Chelsom Groove Reading Light
A compact reading light for hospitality interiors, Groove combines precision engineering with elegant architectural detailing. It was designed by Will Chelsom and James Bartlett.

Finalist: Nordlux Akeno Pendant

Residential Furniture

Leandesk
A folding sit-stand desk that’s infinitely adjustable in height and angle, Leandesk lets you work sitting or standing with ease. It folds to just 50mm for effortless storage, and is crafted from sustainable materials.

Technology

Yellowbox Global Smart Locker System
The leading smart locker system for modern workplaces, Yellowbox is
delightful to use and effortless to manage. It offers self-serve locker access and management through an app, integration with workplace software, or a touchscreen.

Interior Designer of the Year

Asia Miari, Kettle Collective
Asia is an Interior Designer, originally from Milan, with international experience across residential, commercial, and hospitality, working with leading developers in Europe and the Middle East. Her projects stand out for their emotional sensitivity and material richness while being centered around calm, connection, and human experience.
team/asia-miari

Developed by Aldar with interiors by Kettle Collective, The Row Saadiyat is a contemporary landmark within Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District in the UAE.

Product Designer of the Year

Kerry Deffley, Design Manager, Shaw Contract EMEA
With over 20 years of experience in commercial interior design, Kerry Deffley, is a passionate advocate for customer-driven design. Her distinctive approach is grounded in her hands-on understanding of the manufacturing process. In 2025, Kerry designed the successful Creative Connections carpet tile collection, manufactured in Scotland, showcasing her ability to blend a craft-inspired vision with contemporary design thinking.

Shaw Contract’s Creative Connections collection

Studio of the Year

Oriel is a new home for the Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity.

Perkins&Will London
Perkins&Will is a global collective of designers and changemakers aspiring to create places where humanity thrives in harmony with nature. The 199-member London studio creates functional, beautiful and sustainable places through a distinctive, collaborative design process. The office also provides pro bono professional services to non-profits for whom such services would otherwise be out of reach, addressing human needs like affordable housing, childcare, healthcare, and education. With every project, the studio seeks to achieve positive social and environmental outcomes.

Much of design is conversation between what is and what isn’t—in binary code, the specific weave patterns in fabric, and the weight found in negative space. RAD Furniture brings this sensibility of contrasts to life in the Post Collection, devised in collaboration with Los Angeles-based designer Sam Klemick. An adaptation and expansion of Klemick’s wooden Bell Chair into furniture made out of metal, Post Collection features hefty metal legs that ground each piece firmly in space. The collection was on view at Afternoon Light during NYCxDESIGN this year.

In the past, each Bell Chair was made to order and crafted entirely by the designer. Wood and metal require different design approaches, though, so both teams had the opportunity to foster an appreciation for what the other does well—RAD’s commitment to craft and process, with Klemick’s integrated approach to comfort and form.

“Collaborating with RAD felt like hanging out with friends in design school— it was effortless. Metal is very different from wood. From my point of view, metal has more limitations, which pushes you to make smart, specific decisions and really consider design from a production standpoint. I often start with an impractical idea I’m not sure how to make, but with RAD, the focus was on creating something that worked, as well as comfort and simplicity.” says Klemick.

The Post Collection features a bench, ottoman, and lounge chair, all outfitted with gorgeously plush cushions, held on to the frame with solid, sturdy ties. The pieces give off a distinct air of solidity, even without the cushions, so one feels that these chairs are quite well equipped for flopping down upon, dramatically, after the end of a long day.

Choices of color and fabric make all the difference: a gorgeous burgundy Corduroy paired with a glossy black powdercoat makes the pieces lustrous and even luxurious, while the form remains quite playful, large ties and all.

The only color in the collection that may rival that beautiful burgundy is a deep brown, warm and inviting, orange notes turning the cool metal warm. The textured fabrics that take the curves of the upholstery to the next level are all Greenguard Gold Certified.

RAD Furniture is committed to bringing craft, durability, and delight to everyday moments in life. Founded in 2010, they have demonstrated a consistent penchant for creating objects to be used, and used well for many years. For her part, Sam Klemick spent 15 years working in fashion before harnessing her love for fabrics and quilting and focusing that energy into woodworking. Teaching herself how to turn, carve, and sculpt, woodworking opened up a new sense of pliability in her work. This collaboration brings out the best in both teams, using specific skills to work smarter, and create honest objects with a sense of style.

To learn more about the Post Collection by RAD Furniture and Sam Klemick, visit radfurniture.com.

Photography courtesy of RAD Furniture.

Itineraries are already filling up for the commercial interior design industry’s premier annual event, NeoCon 2026. With more than 450 established and emerging exhibitors, this year’s programming includes engaging exhibits, collaborations and more—plus a new lighting showcase, Illuminate at NeoCon. But one thing you won’t want to miss? NeoCon Talks, presented in partnership with Design Milk.

Located in the 7th Floor Exhibit Hall of The MART, 2026 NeoCon Talks will take over the NeoCon Talks Stage for a two-day run with 12 thought-provoking 20-minute conversations from leading voices. The talented list of speakers includes Elettra De Pellegrin, Architect Founder and CEO, SLALOM Acoustics; Janet Simpson, President and CEO, TVS; Dwayne MacEwen, Founder, Principal & Creative Director, DMAC Architecture & Interiors, and more. Sponsored by Slalom Acoustic Systems, Garden on the Wall, MOCKETT, Andreu World and Keilhauer—and hosted by Design Milk Assistant Editor Sophie Sobol—these inspiring talks and informative discussions will be too good to miss.

For its fourth year, NeoCon Talks has teamed up with Design Milk to platform influential and emerging voices that are sharing bold ideas about the future of commercial interior design. And after a successful call for talks and submissions period, this lineup represents the cream of the crop.

Monday, June 8th

12:45-1:05PM — Designing for Neurodiversity: Two Perspectives that Rethink Inclusivity. SPEAKERS: Arnold C. Levin, Principal, CWI & Zoe Levin Student, University of Washington.

1:15 – 1:35PM — A Practical Framework for Circular Interior Design. SPEAKERS: Brittany McNairy, Senior Technical Coordinator, Senior Associate, Perkins&Will & Timothy Anscombe-Bell, Fitwel Ambassador, ASID Director, Sustainable Design Collective.

1:45 – 2:05PM — Diving Deep: Designing What Isn’t Written—but Felt. SPEAKER: Dwayne MacEwen, Founder, Principal & Creative Director, DMAC Architecture & Interiors.

2:15 – 2:35PM — Teamwork Wins: Culture as Strategy. SPEAKER: Janet Simpson President and CEO, TVS.

2:45 – 3:05PM — Grassroots & Grants: Designing a Better Chicago. SPEAKER: Tanner Woodford, Founder, Iterative Work.

3:15 – 3:35PM — Why Nature’s Patterns Heal Us: Understanding Fractals and Biophilia. SPEAKER: Mette Shenker, LEED AP, IIDA Senior Principal, Design Director, SmithGroup.

Tuesday, June 9th

12:45 – 1:05PM — Being Invisible: A Design Journey. SPEAKER: Kristin Cerutti, ID+C Regional Design Leader, Workplace, NELSON Worldwide.

1:15 – 1:35PM — Designing for the Way We Feel, Think, and Experience Space. SPEAKER: Laura Guido-Clark CEO, LOVE GOOD COLOR PBC.

1:45 – 2:05PM — The Future of Furniture: How Disruption Creates Opportunity. SPEAKER: Lisa Gralnek Global Head of Sustainability & Impact, US Managing Director, iF Design.

2:15 – 2:35PM — Work & Wellness: Designing to Heal, Engage and Endure. SPEAKERS: Quána Madison Multi Disciplinary Artist, ArtLifting & Stephen Brown Senior Vice President of Global Market Development, International WELL Building Institute (IWBI).

2:45 – 3:05PM — Design for Wellness: How Sound and Color Shape Experience. SPEAKER: Elettra De Pellegrin, Architect Founder and CEO, SLALOM Acoustics.

3:15 – 3:35PM — Salutogenic Spaces: Designing Workplaces that Thrive. SPEAKERS: Jill Stewart President, Office Revolution & Kelly Colón Founder, Coach, Educator, and Author of “Life Interrupted”, Eledex Consulting.

Don’t miss the 2026 NeoCon Talks! Register for NeoCon, or find out more details here: https://neocon.com/programming/neocon-talks.

2026 NeoCon Talks sponsored by Slalom Acoustic Systems, Garden on the Wall, MOCKETT, Andreu World, Keilhauer.

Photography courtesy of NeoCon.

Highlights at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026: Day 2

Every day, Design Milk editors bring you the best to see, learn, and do during the UK’s leading design festival. Here are our picks for Wednesday, May 20.

Editors’ Pick | Talks | All-Day Happenings | Showroom Events | Products

Highlight of the Day

The Secret Garden by La Erreria
This sensory installation that reimagines the traditional English garden as a reflection of materiality in architecture, featuring Tile of Spain ceramics from the brands Adex, Cevica, Cifre Cerámica, Cristacer, Decocer, El Barco, Harmony, Inthetile, La Platera, Porcelanosa, STN Cerámica, Undefasa And Wow Design. READ MORE

Design Dialogues

Designing for Gen Alpha
AI-native children will reshape expectations of education, housing, and public space. This forward-looking panel discussion explores how hybrid physical and digital environments will define the next generation’s experience of space.
12:00-13:00
RSVP HERE

Circular Pathways to Certification
The panel explores how ECONYL® regenerated nylon and the R2R® program facilitate obtaining international sustainability certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, and WELL through a circular economy approach.
14:00 – 15:00
RSVP HERE

Turn It Upside Down: The Iterative Advantage
Iteration — from prototyping to AI-assisted workflows — is becoming a competitive design strategy. This session explores how rapid experimentation improves outcomes and how communicating throughout the process can build stronger client understanding and trust.
15:00 – 16:00
RSVP HERE

Happenings

The Italian Hospitality by Giulio Cappellini
The Italian Trade Agency introduces The Italian Hospitality, a curated installation conceived by architect Giulio Cappellini, Design Ambassador for Italian Design Day 2026. The project reflects Italy’s distinctive ability to combine industrial production with artisanal craftsmanship, offering a cohesive vision of contemporary living rooted in quality and innovation.
READ MORE 

Recreatura
What if you could hear a building? Recreatura is a binaural sonic installation by Alicia Waibel, Evina Kat, Michael Wagner, Ritu Kittur and Samia Kapadia of the 4-8 Collective that reimagines Charterhouse not as something to be seen, but something to be heard.
READ MORE

The German Collection
The German Collection brings together a leading selection of acclaimed German brands and furniture. Participating brands: Brunner UK, Dresdner Zimmer, Express Küchen, HEWI, Indorama Ventures, JUNG, Krall + Roth, Sundrape, ter Hürne, Thonet, TREWA GmbH, and Wineo.
READ MORE

Showroom Events

What Does It Mean to Design for Belonging?
What would it look like to design for true belonging – for people and planet health? This is more than a panel talk. Instead of passive listening, this session is an invitation to an interactive conversation shaped by you. Bring your questions, ideas, and challenges as our panelists respond in real time, creating a dynamic and collaborative dialogue. For more information or to secure your place, please get in touch: londonshowroom@shawcontract.com
09:00 to 11:00
Shaw Contract, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX

Designed to Return: The Beauty of Circularity
Circularity offers a different kind of beauty: one rooted in care and continuity. This talk pauses to explore closed‑loop design as a creative opportunity. Join us to rethink waste, redefine value and consider how circular thinking can shape your design approach.
12:00 to 12:30
Tarkett, 47-53 St John Street, EC1M 4AN

Spacestor Late Night
Celebrate innovation and creativity in style at Spacestor featuring music, food & drink, and vibrant conversations. RSVP HERE
17:00 to 20:00
Spacestor Design Centre, 49 Cowcross Street, EC1M 6AL

Products

Luum Beyond the Surface Collection
Dorothy Cosonas’ Beyond the Surface collection for Luum explores the depth of color, texture and pattern by drawing inspiration from the world around us: nature, art, fashion and the streets of NYC. The collection translates these influences into 7 new products: three woven upholsteries, one nonwoven upholstery, one multipurpose, and two draperies.
https://www.luumtextiles.com/beyond-the-surface-collection

Naturtex Ciudadela
This 100% natural sisal rug celebrates the strength of a material in its most honest expression. Its herringbone weave introduces rhythm and depth, creating a subtle pattern that shifts with the light and enriches the space without overpowering it.
https://naturtex.es/rug/ciudadela/

Moventi Tor
Named after the solid, enduring rock formations that inspired its design, Tor has a chunky silhouette that can anchor any office space. Its multi-faceted base is engineered for enhanced cable management, keeping workspaces tidy and functional.
https://www.moventi.co.uk/

Fritz Fryer Lugg collection
This lighting collection is entirely British made, celebrating British engineering heritage and antique lighting. It is maintainable, repairable, built from solid materials that will not fail with time, and has a finish that cannot be rushed or artificially replicated.
https://fritzfryer.co.uk/

Workbench Flight desk
At the heart of Flight Deck is a modular architecture that allows power and connectivity components to be easily removed, upgraded, or replaced as technology evolves. It helps meeting spaces transition seamlessly between formal business and social gatherings.
https://www.workbenchltd.co.uk/

ROOM’s Designers on Design series, an ongoing video platform pairing influential designers in unscripted dialogue about process, inspiration, technology, and the future of the built environment.

Following its inaugural launch at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in 2025, the series returns with a third episode featuring Becca Roderick, Executive Director of Interiors at Morris Adjmi Architects, in conversation with Laurent Lisimachio, Director and Principal at Gensler. Filmed this spring at Front & York, Morris Adjmi Architects’ multifamily development in DUMBO, Brooklyn, the episode captures the pair discussing inspiration, technology, and the evolving role of design today.

The premise behind Designers on Design is deceptively simple: pair designers together and let the conversation unfold organically. ROOM built the platform around the belief that “no one gets a designer quite like another designer,” a philosophy that becomes immediately apparent in Episode 3 as a casual exchange about New York expands into a broader discussion about creativity, mentorship, and emotional connection within design practice.

Throughout the episode, both designers return repeatedly to the idea that inspiration rarely arrives fully formed. Lisimachio, who moved from Paris to New York more than two decades ago, describes finding beauty not in overt grandeur but in the city’s grit: fleeting patterns of light across infrastructure, layered textures glimpsed during a subway ride, and unexpected urban collisions. Roderick similarly frames New York as a perpetual sourcebook, recalling how even a stranger’s color combination on the subway can spark an entirely new design direction.

That openness extends directly into their methodologies. Both reject rigid stylistic formulas in favor of contextual approaches shaped by client, site, and culture. Roderick explains that Morris Adjmi Architects aims to “stand out by fitting in,” while Lisimachio describes his process as one rooted in careful listening—not only to what clients explicitly ask for, but also to the quieter ideas that emerge between the lines of conversation.

Some of the episode’s strongest moments stem from creative disagreement. A spirited internal debate at Gensler over pairing deep red marble with navy textiles becomes a larger meditation on productive friction and the importance of defending design decisions. Elsewhere, both discuss adaptive reuse and architectural constraints not as obstacles, but as opportunities for invention.

The conversation also captures a profession navigating rapid technological and cultural change. Artificial intelligence (AI) inevitably enters the discussion, though neither designer approaches it with fear. Instead, both position AI as a tool capable of supporting efficiency while freeing designers to focus more deeply on emotional experience, community, and human behavior. As Roderick puts it, “A beautiful space is just baseline.”

That emphasis on human connection aligns closely with ROOM’s broader editorial ambitions. “ROOM has never been just about designing and building product. Our mission is to make more room for people, and conversation and community is a quintessential part of that. This series lets ROOM step out of the spotlight and instead shine it on the individuals and firms that inspire us.”

Since launching its blog, entitled tomorrow, and The Workspace of Tomorrow podcast series in 2019—featuring figures including David Rockwell, Mauro Porcini, and Yves Béhar—the company has steadily invested in storytelling platforms exploring the evolving relationship between people, work, and design. Designers on Design feels like a natural extension of that mission: less concerned with polished conclusions than with surfacing the conversations, uncertainties, and evolving perspectives shaping contemporary practice.

Perhaps most striking is the episode’s underlying optimism. Despite economic instability, rising expectations, and accelerating technological change, both designers maintain that the future of design lies in mentorship, collaboration, and collective elevation. By the conversation’s conclusion, Designers on Design reveals itself as something more substantive than a branded interview series. It positions design itself as an ongoing exchange—between generations, disciplines, technologies, and competing perspectives—foregrounding the messy, conversational process behind meaningful work.

One of the most vexing problems for those of us chasing a clutter-free aesthetic in the modern world is the mess of charging cords. We all have them—crisscrossing our otherwise perfect living rooms, and somehow getting more in the way each day than previously thought possible. With wireless, we can remove this pain point entirely. San Francisco-based Gantri has long been changing the lighting game, offering 3D printed, considered lighting for the home, office, and beyond. The innovation continues with Gantri Wireless by Ammunition, a new product category that will feature 10 original designs as well as five new colorways as part of their 10th anniversary celebration.

Drift is composed of two distinct components: a cylindrical base, slender in proportion, supporting a smooth satin form on top, organic in nature. A river rock sitting just atop the surface of the water, light instead shines down upon the surroundings below, creating a warm glow from a cool source.

Eave features a nifty little handle, a beautiful and portable way to light up the night. With a translucent shade, light is both diffused through the shade, and down on to it’s resting surface. A distinct patterning creates a rippled effect, concentric circles cascading in regularity for an elegant yet approachable finish. This lamp carries echoes of the porches of Craftsman bungalows, cornices of bright Victorians, and the Chinatown gate—all nods to the fabric of San Francisco where where Gantri and Ammunition were founded.

With Pier, you can have it all. A task light, mood lighting, and a statement piece – all in a playfully abstracted support beam. Each iteration is meant to support the architecture of a life in motion, and as modern humans, we’ll need a bit of light to do that.

With Gantri Wireless, 5 new colorways enter the mix. A rich green Spruce, a burgundy red Manzanita, bright and botanical Lilac, refined Magnolia, and an electric yellow Lichen are inspired by details drawn from the California landscape.

“Throughout human history, we conceived of ways for light to move with us, whether through candle, torch, or lantern. Then, we tethered it to the wall. With Gantri Wireless, we’re returning light to its older state—something
that lives with you, moves with you, and shapes how you experience a space in a more human way”, says Gantri founder Ian Yang.

Gantri Wireless is powered by Gantri Helia. The first iteration of the platform offers two different battery sizes, each capable of a wide range of lighting and performance options. Each slim casing houses a battery, drivers, and connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and connects to an LED array, capacitive touch interface, and charging base. Each stainless steel base is designed to be unobtrusive and intuitive, simply placing the lamp on the base to charge. Not magnetized, it is meant to offer as similar an experience as if you had just lifted it off of any surface. This intuition of human behavior, along with intentional feedback loops that our bodies crave, are essential to the Gantri design ethos. As they complete ten years and look beyond, we’re excited to see what’s next.

To learn more about Gantri Wireless, visit gantri.com.

Photography courtesy of Gantri.

Highlights at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026: Day 1

Every day, Design Milk editors bring you the best to see, learn, and do during the UK’s leading design festival. Here are our picks for Tuesday, May 19.

Editors’ Pick | Talks | All-Day Happenings | Showroom Events | Products

EDITORS’ PICK:

Clerkenwell Design Awards at Haberdasher’s Hall

The Clerkenwell Design Week Awards celebrate the most innovative, visionary products and, new for 2026, the people shaping the future of design. Discover this years winners at a ceremony hosted by AJ Paron, EVP and Design Futurist, SANDOW, and Joseph P. Sgambati, Deputy Editor, Design Milk. Honorees will receive a special award created in collaboration with the American Hardwood Export Council.
17:00 – 18:00
RSVP here

TALKS:

This year’s Design Dialogues by Design Milk are being held at the Charterhouse Chapel, Charterhouse Square, Barbican, EC1M 6AN

Beyond the Spectrum: Designing for Four Cognitive Profiles of Autism
A practical framework for moving neuroinclusive design from intention to precision.  This session introduces four distinct cognitive profiles and their associated sensory needs, offering designers a more nuanced and actionable way to approach neuroinclusion.
19 May 2026
11:00 – 12:00

Craft Collaborations: Designers and Artisans Cross-Pollinate
Partnerships between contemporary designers and skilled makers are redefining authorship and sustainability.This discussion highlights how craft is evolving as a driver of innovation rather than nostalgia, bringing new value to the design process.
19 May 2026
12:00 – 13:00

Immersive Spaces: Technology, Empathy & the Human Experience
Immersive technology is reshaping public, workplace, and cultural environments — beyond spectacle, toward responsibility. This conversation explores how designers are creating empathy through multisensory environments, leveraging AI and spatial computing to shape more responsive built experiences.
19 May 2026
13:00 – 14:00

The Art of Earth
Natural stone is more than a surface material—it carries memory, emotion, texture, and a deep connection to place. Join Design Milk and Aria Stone Gallery for a conversation exploring how designers are using stone to create spaces that feel grounded, sensory, and emotionally resonant.
19 May 2026
14:00 – 15:00

Future Nostalgia: Reinventing Materials
Reuse, memory, and low-carbon innovation are reshaping material culture in the UK and beyond. This session examines how circularity and adaptive reuse are influencing the next generation of material thinking.
19 May 2026
15:00 – 16:00

HAPPENINGS

Foundations in Flow
Foundations in Flow is a sustainable, playful and immersive reimagination of St John’s Gate, creating a moment of respite for locals to sit and enjoy the wonders of the arch. It encourages a moment of pause to appreciate Clerkenwell’s unique architecture, while reimagining the use of public space. Foundations in Flow is a collaboration between Magnus Mulvany, Gabi Spangenthal and Julio Manchón Campillo. Sponsors: Brett Martin, Shoots, Second Home. LEARN MORE

The Pulse of Becoming
A living outdoor installation at Haberdasher’s Hall explores the cyclical nature of death, rebirth, and life. Originating from the hourglass shape, cellular mitosis, and the yin-yang concept, two opposing crescent shells that represent dependency and balance seem poised in tension. LEARN MORE

INTERIORS FROM SPAIN presents El Salón
El Salón is a Spanish design installation at the Museum of the Order of St John. Produced by Disegno, the London-based design journal, and taking place in the Chapter Hall of the Museum of the Order of St John, the installation will engage with the building’s historic fabric while offering a striking platform for contemporary Spanish design. Participating brands: A Emotional Light, Ape Grupo, BPM Lighting, Huguet, Ideatec, Joquer, RS Barcelona, Sanycces, and Sellex. LEARN MORE

The Luxury Edit
The Luxury Edit showcases high-end contemporary design brands from around the world, presenting products crafted for premium commercial interiors in a new home within the opulent courtyard of Haberdashers’ Hall. LEARN MORE

SHOWROOM EVENTS

Arper Annual Cocktail Party
Join us in celebrating CDW at a special cocktail evening in our showroom!A momento to (RE)CONNECT – through design, new perspectives and inspiring conversations. Kindly note that booking is necessary, please RSVP.
18:00 to 21:00
Arper UK Ltd, 11 Clerkenwell Road, Clerkenwel, London EC1M 5PA
RSVP

The U-Type Chair by Barber & Osgerby for Kettal

Because Sit Matters | Creativity, Collaboration and Contemporary Design with Jay Osgerby
As part of Clerkenwell Design Week 2026, Kettal presents “Because Sit Happens”, a special conversation with Jay Osgerby exploring contemporary design practice, creative process and collaboration through the evolving relationship between furniture, architecture and the environments we inhabit. Limited Capacity. RSVP required.
17:30 to 18:30
Kettal, Paulton House, 8 Shepherdess Walk, Clerkenwell, London N1 7LB
Enquire here

Mary Portas in conversation with Katie Treggiden; Reuse Reframed
Join Milliken for Reuse, Reframed – an evening of sharp conversation with Mary Portas, hosted by design journalist Katie Treggiden. Together, they’ll challenge how the interiors industry values reuse, asking what it takes to make the already-loved desirable, credible and commercially viable – without sacrificing creativity or quality.
18:30 to 19:30
Milliken Floors, 5 Berry Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 0AA
RSVP

PRODUCTS

Laufen Volta Sink
Designer Yves Behar has created VOLTA. A washbasin made of Saphirkeramik, that presents water in the bathroom in a completely new way.
https://www.laufen.com/collections/product-solutions/volta

Parador Harmonia
Each of the seven surfaces in this flooring collection draws inspiration from the tactile signatures of the world around us and reinterprets them through technical mastery and contemporary design language.
https://parador.de/en/harmonia-collection

Expormim Leku
Inspired by the work of Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, this outdoor collection by Javier Pastor turns emptiness into a gesture that is both habitable and everyday.
https://www.expormim.com/us/outdoor-furniture/families/leku/

Chelsom Portables
Portables is a curated collection of wireless, battery-powered table lamps, specifically designed for fast paced hospitality environments.
https://chelsom.co.uk/portables-by-chelsom-coming-soon/

Cosentino Éclos
The next generation of mineral surfaces featuring a layered 3D body integrated design and superior heat resistance.
https://www.cosentino.com/eclos/

Mdd Linka
Linka was designed with the changing needs of users in mind. The segments of the sofa can be freely combined to create arrangements tailored to the requirements of the moment and the interior design.
https://mdd.eu/en/seating/linka-sofa/

Trajectory defines our world. As energy ebbs and flows, particles bounce in every way imaginable, forming the structures and bodies we see today. Even though they may seem static, the same is true for paper and textiles—their fibers are positioned in a specific directionality, unique to their content and circumstances of creation. In this way, every material contains its own terroir: one of a kind, just like us. This sensitivity to the unique nature of fiber is at the heart of Taiwan-Lantern’s first lighting collection, which builds on ancient techniques and fuses them with modern forms.

Showing at ICFF this year, the warm glow of the lanterns falls softly on to the floor below. Nine artisans work on each facet of these designs: layers of stone, lacquer, and light merge into an overall balanced and beautiful composition.

Taiwan-Lantern’s lamps are designed by founders Pei-Ching Hsiao and Jean-Marc Daniëls in Amsterdam. Collaborating closely with one of the last remaining traditional lantern factories in Taiwan, they are working to keep ancient arts alive. Asian traditional techniques for fabric, bamboo, wood, and ceramics are used to craft contemporary forms, extending the longevity of this crucial artisanal knowledge.

The slight satin sheen on the form of the luminaires, in contrast with the glossy porcelain and matte stone, is quite welcome—a chance to contemplate the layers of history summed up in a singular object. These quiet contemporary translations of time-honored craftsmanship are refreshing in our era of planned obsolescence.

To learn more about Taiwan-Lantern’s new collection of luminaires, visit taiwan-lantern.com.

Photography courtesy of Taiwan-Lantern.

As AI, spatial computing and immersive technologies rapidly move from experimental novelty into the fabric of everyday life, a new question is emerging for designers, architects, technologists and cultural institutions alike: What does it actually mean to design for humans in an increasingly immersive world?

As part of the Design Dialogues by Design Milk at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026, the conversation “Immersive Spaces: Technology, Empathy & the Human Experience” explores a shift already underway: from designing spaces people simply look at toward designing spaces people emotionally inhabit.

From AI-responsive retail environments and adaptive workplaces to immersive cultural experiences and multisensory public installations, the next generation of spatial design is no longer only concerned with aesthetics or efficiency. It is increasingly concerned with behaviour, feeling, participation and responsibility.

As immersive technologies become increasingly embedded within public spaces, workplaces and cultural environments, the conversation is shifting from novelty toward responsibility. The question is no longer simply how immersive a space can become, but how intelligently, ethically and humanly it responds to the people moving through it.

Image courtesy Adipat Virdi

Designers are now exploring how AI, spatial computing and multisensory storytelling can create environments that are more adaptive, empathetic and emotionally aware and become spaces capable of responding to human behaviour, attention, mood and need in real time. From workplaces that foster wellbeing and collaboration to cultural spaces that deepen participation and reflection, immersive design is beginning to redefine how people relate not only to technology, but to one another.

At the same time, this evolution challenges creators to think more carefully about the systems they are building:

• How do we create experiences that feel genuinely inclusive and accessible?

• How can immersive environments encourage reflection, connection and presence rather than distraction and overload?

• What does it mean to design spaces that do not simply capture attention, but actively support human experience in more meaningful and responsible ways?

Rather than treating immersion as spectacle alone, the conversation explores how emerging technologies can create responsive, participatory and emotionally resonant spaces designed not just to impress audiences but to understand and support them.

The discussion will explore how emerging technologies are reshaping the relationship between people, story and space and why empathy may become one of the most important design principles of the next decade. Central to the conversation then is the idea that immersive design should not be treated as spectacle alone but as a form of behavioural and emotional architecture.

Image courtesy Adipat Virdi

Drawing on my Empathy Engine Framework methodology, I argue that the most powerful immersive experiences are not those that overwhelm audiences with technology but those that reposition people as active participants within meaningful systems of interaction.

Developed through years of work across immersive theatre, XR, AI-driven storytelling and spatial experience design, the framework explores how empathy can be operationalised within environments, thus, transforming audiences from passive observers into emotionally and ethically engaged protagonists.

This approach reframes immersive space not as a layer placed onto architecture but as a living relational system capable of shaping attention, behaviour, memory and social connection.

At a time when AI-generated environments, responsive interfaces and intelligent spaces are rapidly becoming commercially viable, the conversation asks whether the future of immersive design will simply optimise engagement or whether it can help cultivate understanding, reflection and belonging.

Ultimately, “Immersive Spaces: Technology, Empathy & the Human Experience” is not simply a conversation about technology but becomes a conversation about what kind of human experiences we want to build into the spaces of the future and what responsibilities come with designing environments that increasingly think, respond and feel alongside us.