This was the third successive time that The House of Detention was used as a venue for Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) which was held from 21-23 May in London.
Launching at CDW, Buster & Punch showcased Hooked Light and Hooked Wall. Designed to stand out from the crowd, these designs were showcased amongst statement furniture pieces inspired from a world of custom motorbikes and rockstar lifestyles. All objects in the Buster & Punch collection were designed and developed by Massimo Buster Minale.
Italian-Dutch architectural duo, Federico Minarelli and Julie Janssen of Fred & Juul, presented a collection of lights and tables handcrafted in Tuscany from iron, brass, bronze, glass and solid oak. The collections included the star-shaped brass Raffaele pendant and the coloured mouth-blown glass Petrona lights.
Three-dimensional designer Roey Hunt created a handcrafted collection of furniture using a mixture of found and new materials. Hunt’s experimentation with materials created this suspension light, cast from a mold previously used to manufacture mirror balls. The material jesmondite, water based resin, was instrumental in creating a lamp so thin that it glows and retained its strength.
Aline Johnson produces chandeliers and lighting using kiln formed glass components at her Central London studio. With most of her work made to order for site-specific projects, Johnson works in collaboration with designers, architects and interior designers. Her inspiration comes from rural retreats to Dorset, which provides a source of inspiration for her vibrant colour palette. She also showcased her collections at CDW.
Emerging Irish furniture and lighting designer Donna Bates introduced her limited edition range, Parlour Lighting, under her own brand, I Do Cartwheels. Inspired by Bates’ upbringing on a dairy farm, Parlour Lighting makes reference to the receiving jars used to collect milk. Each lamp is created in close collaboration with craftspeople local to County Down, including master wood-turner, Mark Hanvey.
The winners of the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award 2012 were also presented at the House of Detention, with Tom Foulsham and Philippe Malouin showing their winning designs together for the first time. Under the design brief From Spark to Finish the designers were encouraged to create works that shed light on their own creative process.
