Ceramics of Italy takes centre stage at Clerkenwell Design Week

(May 2025) | Set in the vibrant Clerkenwell neighbourhood – the beating heart of London’s creative scene – Clerkenwell Design Week is a well-established contemporary design festival spanning more than 15 exhibition venues and 160 showrooms and featuring eye-catching installations, topical conferences with leading creatives and hundreds of scheduled and fringe events hosted by local design studios.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Italian ceramic industry will be present in a collective exhibit housed in a temporary pavilion in St John’s Square, right at the centre of the neighbourhood.

Ceramics of Italy will showcase the latest collections of Italian tiles, surfaces and ceramic solutions for architecture and interior design in an exhibition space designed with meticulous attention to detail. The aim is to build a bridge between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design culture, connecting Italian producers with architects, designers and international industry professionals.

A total of 17 Italian associated companies will exhibit under the collective brand: ABK Group Studio, AcquarioDue, Casalgrande Padana, Ceramica Sant’Agostino, Ceramiche Keope, Ceramiche Marca Corona, Ceramiche Refin, CE.SI. Ceramica di Sirone, Ceramiche Supergres, Etruria Design, Gruppo Bardelli, Imola Ceramica, La Faenza Ceramica, Paul&Co Ceramiche, Settecento – Manifattura Ceramica, S.I.M.A.S., Tonalite.

The initiative is promoted by Confindustria Ceramica and the Italian Trade Agency ITA as part of their efforts to support Italian-made products in international markets. The three-day event will feature workshops, meetings with designers and networking sessions and will offer visitors a valuable opportunity to explore the quality and versatility of Italian ceramics in a dynamic international setting.

One of the highlights of the programme will be a talk organised by ITA entitled Italian Ceramics: A Responsible Choice for Contemporary Architecture, moderated by Lorenzo Pandolfi, founder of FORMA. Scheduled for Wednesday 21 May at 6.30 pm at YOTEL London City, it will see the participation of Consuelo Manna, Head of Project Management at Heatherwick Studio, and Kenneth Graham, Sustainability Manager at SOLUS Ceramics. The discussion will explore the role of ceramic surfaces in transforming public and architectural spaces, with a focus on the relationship between material innovation and sustainability.