Five things we learned at Clerkenwell Design Week 2024

Following our debut showing in 2023, we were delighted to once again exhibit our latest fabrics at the UK’s leading design festival, Clerkenwell Design Week. From 21st-23rd May, we welcomed friends both old and new for three days celebrating the best of British design. Our new collection Zephyr was on full display, and the friendly Agua sales team were on hand to show people through our range. CDW was our first exhibit of 2024, and it was a great chance to catch up on current trends, both for this year and the next. Here are five things we picked up on at the 2024 Clerkenwell Design Week.  

The power of community

Unfortunately the weather was not too kind on days one and two. But this didn’t dampen the mood and thankfully Clerkenwell was really busy with the architecture and design community out in big numbers. It’s  always great to connect with existing and new clients and there is nothing like a design festival to bring everyone together. Community plays a big part in our industry and it is always lovely to network and see familiar faces. Our fingers are crossed for more sunshine next year. 

Sustainability

This topic is not going anywhere and everyone was showcasing products that are kinder to the environment and made as sustainably as possible. We were delighted with our collaboration with Deadgood. We took the brand’s Working Lounge chair, which boasts 99% recyclability and 80% recycled content, and upholstered it with our VerdEco fabric. A 100% recycled textile, it has zero water in the production of the fabric, yet it still handles and performs to the highest level. The combination worked perfectly, proving that sustainable product can look good and perform in the commercial market. Check our updated Sustainability and CSR brochure to read more on our sustainable practices.

Form and functional design

As we know, whether it be furniture, fabric or lighting, design is crucial and it must be aesthetically pleasing. However, the three days proved functionality plays a big part as well. If something doesn’t perform, especially in the commercial sector, it doesn’t matter how good the product looks. It is a must to pair form and function in design and this is the priority for Agua with the launch of any collection. 

Textured fabrics

It was great to see all the textured fabrics on offer at this year’s CDW. It’s an industry wide trend right now, and something that we at Agua have been working on over the last couple of years. The architecture and design community is craving lots of lovely texture on fabrics, and they’re particularly popular in the hospitality and workplace sectors. Bouclé is still a big hit in the commercial world and we get many compliments on ours even with it being more than a year old now. Textured fabrics are here to stay. 

Cool grey and green/blue tones

Walking around the fair, we noticed lots of furniture upholstered in some very nice and sophisticated cool greys, but also some lovely jewel green and blue tones. We were one such brand with the fabulous Ocee & Four Design chairs featured on our stand upholstered in our new Zephyr Forest colour. The launch of Zephyr for CDW went better than expected. We had such lovely compliments on the weave and colour selection and look forward to this becoming a staple in the Agua collection for years to come. Indoor-outdoor fabrics have never looked so good while performing so well.