Clerkenwell London opens as a multifaceted design destination

Milan has 10 Corso Como, Paris has Merci, Manhattan has the all-new Chamber. Now, finally, London has its own bona-fide design destination of note in the 10,000 sq ft shape of Clerkenwell London, a space (don’t call it a ‘concept store’) opening officially this month on Farringdon Road.
Combining eatery, bar, wine library, design gallery, furniture floor, event space, spa, tailoring boutique, gold-parqueted fashion space, perfumery, and jewellery rooms, Clerkenwell London’s remit is to showcase niche and established designers, creatives and artisans. Mixing contemporary and vintage hand-picked homewares, fashion, jewellery, stationery, art, music and literature, it’s a celebration of innovation and craftsmanship across many industries.
Clerkenwell London was originally founded and has been newly recreated by David J Brown – a trained tailor, classical pianist and fine-wine enthusiast who also happens to be co-founder and CEO of what is now Europe’s third-largest tech company, Ve Interactive. With an impressive team on the ground to continually and expertly curate the space, the aim is to make the most of the location and its resident talents as well as the heritage of the architects, watchmakers and other designers the area has historically attracted.
Within a warren of different rooms over two floors, much of what is available is specific to Clerkenwell London. The on-site perfumery, for example, features their own in-house brand, ‘Synesthesia’, and customers can create their own bespoke fragrance, candle or body product. The appointment-only personal tailoring service with an experienced in-house tailor offers bespoke and made-to-measure clothing, including their very own signature suit – the ‘Clerkenwell’.
Showcased designers hail from all over the world, however: the space stocks stationary from Akoto; blankets from Andreas Engesvik; ornamental glassware from Dechem; and geometric tableware from Ewelina Wisniosvka. In the neon-labelled Undressing Rooms, customers can try pieces by Stutterheim, Zoe Jordan and Hannibal.
The team behind the space have every intention of ensuring it is recognised as much more than a store or a restaurant, too. A busy calendar of events, workshops, tastings and classes include hands-on butchery, wellbeing sessions and scent-making master-classes.
The design space (don’t call it a ‘concept store’) combines eatery, bar, wine library, design gallery, furniture floor, event space, spa, tailoring boutique, gold-parqueted fashion space, perfumery, and jewellery rooms
The space's remit is to showcase niche and established designers, creatives and artisans
Clerkenwell London was originally founded and has been newly recreated by David J Brown – who also happens to be co-founder and CEO of the major European tech company Ve Interactive
The space stocks myriad international designers, from stationary by Akoto, to Bunad blankets from Andreas Engesvik and ornamental glassware from Dechem
Mixing contemporary and vintage hand-picked homewares, fashion, jewellery, stationery, art, music and literature...
... it’s a celebration of innovation and craftsmanship across many industries
With an impressive team on the ground to continually and expertly curate the space, the aim is to make the most of the location and its resident talents as well as the heritage of the creatives and architects the area has historically attracted
The space's 155 Bar and Kitchen is open and taking bookings now, testing recipes for the permanent menu
Across a warren of different rooms over two floors, much of what is available at is specific to Clerkenwell London – from an on-site perfumery to a personal tailoring service
ADDRESS
Clerkenwell London
155 Farringdon Road
London, EC1R 3AD
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Henrietta Thompson is a London-based writer, curator, and consultant specialising in design, art and interiors. A longstanding contributor and editor at Wallpaper*, she has spent over 20 years exploring the transformative power of creativity and design on the way we live. She is the author of several books including The Art of Timeless Spaces, and has worked with some of the world’s leading luxury brands, as well as curating major cultural initiatives and design showcases around the world.
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