Exhibition: The Monkey Puzzle Tree Unveils Innovative Full-Colour Cork Wallpaper at Clerkenwell Design Week in London

British design house The Monkey Puzzle Tree is set to unveil a new full-colour cork wallpaper design, Up Hill Down Dale, at Clerkenwell Design Week (May 19 - 21, 2026) in London.

The new wallcovering marks a significant technical development for the Leeds-based company, which is traditionally known for embracing heritage craftsmanship and artisanal production methods. The design has been created using an innovative digital printing process capable of printing white and full colour directly onto real cork wallpaper

'Up Hill Down Dale' is the result of a collaboration between The Monkey Puzzel and Yorkshire artist Olivia Beau
who uses acrylic paints and found items such as old maps to depict
the beauty of the Yorkshire countryside where she grew up.

Created in collaboration with Yorkshire painter and multimedia artist Olivia Beau, the panoramic design celebrates the changing beauty of the English countryside throughout the seasons. The artwork depicts sheep sheltering on the moors as spring blossom gives way to snow, while the vivid greens of summer transition into autumnal tones beneath circling red kites. Graphic contour lines inspired by vintage maps add a bold visual layer to the large-scale composition.

According to the company, the design was created entirely without the use of artificial intelligence and instead relied on traditional artistic techniques combined with extensive experimentation and sampling.

The wallpaper is produced in England using a highly specialised printing technique on natural cork, with production limited to just three metres per hour. The wallcovering measures 130cm (51 inches) wide and is sold by the metre, with installation carried out using a paste-the-wall application method and standard pre-mixed wallpaper paste.

Company founder Charlotte Raffo said the printing process requires patience due to the delicate nature of the machinery involved.

“‘Walter’ the printer is a little temperamental and doesn’t like to be rushed, and it takes an hour to print just 3m of this wallpaper, but we think it’s worth the wait,” she said.

Raffo added that development of the design began more than a year ago, starting with hand-drawn concepts before inviting Beau to help realise the final artwork.

“Olivia uses acrylic paints and found pieces such as vintage maps in her work. I particularly love the graphic elements created by the map contours,” Raffo said. “With a natural background like real cork, it’s quite challenging to make the colours complement and stand out, so there have been weeks of behind-the-scenes work and sampling to get the design just right.”

The Monkey Puzzle Tree has previously received widespread recognition for its cork wallpaper collections, including the award-winning Hit The North, created in collaboration with graphic artist Drew Millward, known for his psychedelic poster artwork for bands including Foo Fighters and Arctic Monkeys. The design seen above, inspired by Northern industry and creativity, received the prestigious Design Guild Mark Award in 2021 for excellence and innovation in British design.

The company has also won accolades including Best in British Product Design at the Brit List Awards and several subsequent Design Guild Marks. Its cork wallpapers gained further national attention following appearances on the BBC Two interior design programme Your Home Made Perfect.

Based in Leeds, The Monkey Puzzle Tree is an independent British design studio known for its artist-led fabrics and wallpapers.

Images from The Monkey Puzzle Tree.

London Festival: Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 to mark 15th anniversary with major new installations and expanded programme - 19 – 21 May 2026

Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) will return to London’s EC1 district from 19 to 21 May 2026, celebrating its 15th anniversary with an expanded line-up of international exhibitors, new venues and a flagship series of large-scale installations.

Clerkenwell is a vibrant district located in the borough of Islington in London. It holds a rich history and is significant to the creative industries with its concentration of design showrooms, studios, and galleries. 

Organisers have announced the launch of Design Interventions, a curated programme of immersive structures created by both emerging and established designers and architects. Selected from an open call, the installations will be placed in Clerkenwell’s streets, parks and public spaces, encouraging interaction and dialogue around materials, architecture and the built environment.

Fountain of Technicolour Beads by One Bite Design

Among the highlights is Fountain of Technicolour Beads by Hong Kong-based studio One Bite Design. The terrazzo installation explores colour vision deficiency through an interactive spatial experience. Nearby, The Crinkle-Crankle Bench by StudioFolk will be installed beside St James’s Church, offering sculptural seating crafted from natural stone.

The festival will also showcase an expanded international presence, with design collections from six European countries — Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany, Austria and the UK — making the 2026 edition the most globally diverse in the event’s history.

A further key feature is the enlarged CDW Awards, presented in partnership with Design Milk. The awards will recognise not only new products and innovations but also individuals and teams driving change within the design sector. The ceremony will take place at Haberdashers’ Hall, a new venue for 2026, which will host The Luxury Edit, a showcase of high-end design brands and a talks programme titled Design Meets.

The Pulse of Becoming will animate the space outside The Luxury Edit.

Additional installations include The Pulse of Becoming, a living outdoor work created by recent graduates based in Portsmouth, UK. Incorporating chia seeds embedded within crescent forms, the piece will evolve over the course of the festival to reflect themes of growth, decay and renewal.

Historic venues will once again play a central role. The Museum of the Order of St John will host a contemporary Spanish design exhibition, while St Bartholomew the Great will become the “Church of Design”, featuring a talks programme curated by Katie Richardson and sponsored by Dulux. The church will also house a suspended installation, CONFLUENCE, inspired by origami.

Elsewhere, the House of Detention will present a lighting exhibition, with visitors welcomed by Loom Light, a 3D-printed sculpture influenced by Op Art.

Resonance by
Fung+Bedford 

The 2026 programme introduces several new venues, including Material Source Studio and Workplace on the Square, alongside returning locations such as Old Sessions House, The Charterhouse and The Goldsmiths’ Centre. Exhibitions will span furniture, lighting, textiles, surfaces and product design, with confirmed participants including leading international brands and studios.

A new digital app will replace printed guides, enabling visitors to plan personalised itineraries and navigate the festival more efficiently. Attendees will also have access to guided tours, workshops and offers from local hospitality partners.

Organisers expect tens of thousands of visitors from the UK and abroad to attend the three-day event.

One of the many Design Interventions selected for this year will be on Clerkenwell Green. 

The Museum of the Order of St John above St John’s Gate (originally built in 1504) - one of the great hidden historical treasures of London - is another new venue for the festival. The atmospheric space, steeped in history, will be the temporary home to INTERIORS FROM SPAIN for contemporary Spanish design produced by London-based design journal Disegno.

Material Source Studio, which showcases products and materials for architects, interior designers and

property professionals, and Workplace on the Square outside The Zetter hotel, a platform for design

brands catering to offices, are two new additions to CDW’s wide range of venues for 2026. Office design brands will also be exhibiting at Workplace at Goldsmiths’ at The Goldsmiths’ Centre which returns as a festival venue this year.

Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 takes place across EC1, London, from 19 – 21 May. For more information, please visit clerkenwelldesignweek.com – registration is now open.

St Bartholomew the Great, one of London's most ancient and atmospheric churches once again becomes the Church of Design, this year’s venue for the coveted Conversations at Clerkenwell programme curated by PR and Brand Consultant Katie Richardson, which will include discussions with leading and emerging designers on topical subjects.  Design studio Fung+Bedford will present Resonance, a luminous, large-scale installation suspended within the nave of St Bartholomew the Great.

Dulux, sponsor for Conversations at Clerkenwell, is launching a student-focused competition to design the backdrop of the talks stage using a palette of on-trend colours.

Roche Bobois, DEDON and MAGIS Spa are among the many leading international brands exhibiting at

the Church of Design, and CONFLUENCE, a monumental origami-inspired installation by Fung+Bedford, will be suspended from the ceiling of the 900-year-old Grade I listed medieval church.

The House of Detention returns as the host of Light, showcasing a selection of exciting local and global lighting brands. Visitors will be greeted at the entrance with Loom Light, a 3D-printed light sculpture drawing on the optical language of Op Art, designed by MIMStudios, AI Build and SEAM Design. 

“We’re thrilled to be back in Clerkenwell this May with our new Design Interventions initiative which acts as a creative platform for the incredible talent and imagination of the participating architects and designers,” says Marlon Cera-Marle, Design Division Director at Media 10, the organiser of the annual design festival. 

“These thought-provoking installations are set to bring a new interactive dimension to

the show. We’re looking forward to another successful year welcoming tens of thousands of people from the UK and abroad to EC1 to discover the latest that global design has to offer.”

Across all venues, CDW will feature hundreds of design brands, showcasing furniture, lighting, textiles,

surfaces, home accessories and product design. Confirmed exhibitors include String Furniture, Moroso,

Swedese, Dornbracht and Vincent Sheppard. Collections from Austria, Denmark and Italy will also

return.

Visitors should note that a new state-of-the-art app replaces the printed, paper guide and tickets in 2026. The CDW app will be helping them to tailor their visit and navigate the venues, exhibitors, participating showrooms and much more according to their specific interests.

Festival-goers can also enjoy exclusive discounts and offerings from local food and drink partners.

Architects and interior designers will have the opportunity to join guided specialist tours covering topics

ranging from sustainability to emerging design talent and more.

Images from Clerkenwell Design Week website.

Interior Design News: British Interiors Brands Collaborate on Limited-Edition Paint Collection Unveiled at Clerkenwell Design Week 2025

Two prominent names in British interiors, Kirkby Design and COAT Paints, have launched a collaborative, limited-edition paint range, marking Kirkby Design’s debut in the paint sector. The new collection, unveiled during the 2025 Clerkenwell Design Week (May 20–22), introduces 12 bespoke shades tailored to pair with Kirkby Design’s latest textile line, HEIR.  

During Clerkenwell Design Week, Kirkby Design unveiled its new collections at Old Sessions House with a vibrant, contemporary display. 

Painted pillars and bold upholstery pieces formed the centrepiece of the stand, visually illustrating the concept behind the brand’s collaboration with COAT Paints. 

Visitors were able to see firsthand how the complementary and contrasting paint shades paired seamlessly with the HEIR textile range, bringing the collection’s layered, characterful aesthetic to life.

Rooted in the stately charm of British heritage interiors, the HEIR collection offers a modern reinterpretation of vintage design. Each fabric in the range is matched with two COAT Paints shades—one muted and complementary, the other bold and contrasting—intended to give homeowners and designers alike flexible options for layering tone and texture in interior schemes. Click HERE for details. 

Photo by Lucia Carpio

The resulting palette ranges from rich, saturated colours to refined neutrals. 

According to the brands, the combinations are designed to allow for both calm, tonal harmony and dramatic, high-contrast styling. The collaboration is positioned as a fusion of innovation and tradition, reflecting both companies’ shared emphasis on characterful design and sustainable practices.

Kirkby Design’s HEIR textiles
Photo by Lucia Carpio

Kirkby Design’s HEIR textiles feature a playful yet sophisticated aesthetic, evoking the idiosyncrasies of historic British estates through graphic geometrics, organic forms, and tactile finishes. Materials include cut and uncut velvets, soft chenilles, and dense weaves, many crafted from recycled or responsibly sourced yarns.

The collection channels what Kirkby describes as a "young royal vibe"—a nod to aristocratic whimsy and eclectic elegance—while remaining firmly rooted in contemporary design. Colour choices draw on regal jewel tones and retro hues, offering a visual narrative that bridges nostalgia and modernity.

Led by Brand Director Jordan Mould, Kirkby Design has gained recognition for its bold use of pattern and colour, as well as previous collaborations with cultural icons such as Transport for London and fashion label Eley Kishimoto. The brand operates under The Romo Group, a fifth-generation family business with a global footprint in textile and interior design markets.

The limited-edition paint collection is now available through COAT Paints and selected design retailers, offering a fresh resource for interiors that blend tradition with a twist.

Design, Lifestyle and Interiors: Clerkenwell Design Week Returns May 20 - 25 2025

London’s annual Clerkenwell Design Week is back from May 20 - 22 2025, celebrating its 14th edition with its largest programme to date.

CDW is a distinctive platform for showcasing leading interior brands and emerging talents, with a wide-ranging programme of showroom events, curated exhibitions, installations, as well as informative discussions, design hotspots, fringe events, culinary delights, and more. 

Spread across the district's exhibition venues, the event curates a global array of furniture, lighting, textiles, surfaces, accessories, and product design, solidifying its status as the UK's premier design festival.

The allure of Clerkenwell - London EC1 -  lies in its fusion of historical heritage and contemporary flair. Characterized by cobblestone streets, repurposed warehouses, and industrial edifices transformed into modern workspaces and galleries, the district exudes an inspiring ambiance. 

This year CDW introduces three stunning new venues for the festival: the historic Charterhouse, the iconic St Bartholomew the Great, and Studio Smithfield, a creative space above the legendary Smithfield Market.

A standout feature will be a major public artwork by British artist Alex Chinneck, installed in Charterhouse Square, alongside outdoor living displays and curated talks. Inside the Charterhouse, top design names like Geberit, Colefax & Fowler, and Victoria + Albert Baths will showcase their latest collections.

Over 350 design brands will exhibit across 16+ venues and 160+ showrooms, including Roche Bobois, Ercol, Kasthall, and Ultrafabrics, with talks, workshops, and product launches throughout. Returning favourites like Design Fields, British Collection, and Light will host global talent, while the new Church of Design venue will stage a special programme by US design publisher Sandow.

“We’re thrilled to be back in Clerkenwell this May with our largest programme yet, both in scale and content,” says Marlon Cera-Marle, Design Division Director at Media 10, the organiser of the annual design festival. “The new venues, including some of London's most historic landmarks, will provide a stunning backdrop for presenting some of the world’s most exciting design brands. We’re also partnering with incredible international names, from country pavilions to leading media outlets from the UK and US.”

Cera-Marle adds, “This year, we’re especially excited to announce one of our headline features: a surreal public artwork by the acclaimed British artist Alex Chinneck. As one of the most attended specification events on the A&D calendar, CDW 2025 will once again serve as a platform for discovering new trends, talent and ideas. We look forward to sharing more details about the programme in the coming months.”

Visitors can also enjoy exclusive food, drinks, and guided design tours, plus a brand-new interactive map to help navigate EC1 with ease.

The New Venues:

Dating back to the 14th century, The Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings, courtyard gardens and green spaces reflecting over 600 years of British history. This May, this heritage site will serve as a striking backdrop for contemporary furniture, decorative lighting and luxury finishes. It will feature an array of global bathroom brands, from Geberit and Toto to Bette, C.P. Hart and Victoria and Albert Baths.

Also joining them will be British fabric and wallpaper company Colefax and Fowler. In addition to design brands, the venue will host Conversations at Clerkenwell, the festival’s official talks series. For 2025, the talks will take place in a theatre designed by the London-based design studio Kapitza, known for its colourful public art installations for British Land, wayfinding designs for the Royal London Hospital, as well as public and leisure architecture projects. 

Outside, Charterhouse Square will showcase products for outdoor living and hospitality, alongside Alex Chinneck’s new sculpture. 

Studio Smithfield is a 27,000-square-foot Grade II* listed building above Smithfield Market, Studio Smithfield is a new creative event space and will be home to commercial and workplace interior brands during CDW, including Houzz Pro and Bandalux.

Church of Design is set within St Bartholomew the Great, a 900-year-old Grade I listed medieval church, Church of Design will offer a breathtaking setting for modern design showcases. 

In addition to the new venues, existing locations will house a variety of product-focused exhibitions, including:

● Clerkenwell Green and Installations – Structural stone will take centre stage in the recently refurbished Clerkenwell Green, where Albion Stone and Hutton Stone will reveal a special new commission by Hawkins\Brown, demonstrating the durability and beauty of British stone bricks.

Nearby, the ambitious Stone Tapestry structure by the Stone Federation will be featured, along with showcases from exhibitors specialising in contract and workplace interior products and solutions.

● Project – Focused on contract furniture and surface design.

● Design Fields – Showcasing contemporary furniture, lighting and product design with an

international focus. The Design Meets talks series will also return, inviting representatives from

trade bodies and associations to engage in a range of intimate, industry-led discussions.

● Light – Home to global lighting companies. Darc Thoughts, Darc’s talks series, will also return.

● Elements – Dedicated to architectural hardware and finishes.

● British Collection – Taking over the whole of St James’s Church again and highlighting the best British design talent and brands.

● Detail – Featuring luxury interiors.

● Platform – Spotlighting emerging design talent and companies.

● Ceramics of Italy – Hosting Italian ceramic and porcelain tile brands at VaynerMedia’s headquarters on St John’s Square. This exhibition is organised by the Italian Trade Agency in collaboration with the Ceramics Association of Italy.

● Old Sessions House – Home to brand activations, presentations and the festival hub (free access for CDW visitors, 20 – 22 May).

● The Goldsmiths’ Centre – Presenting products for commercial and workplace interiors.

● Cowcross Pavilions and Brewhouse Yard – Both presenting leading commercial interiors from the UK and abroad.

For registration and more information click HERE. 

Images from CDW 2024