iStyle: Capital ideas

Who needs to fly off to Milan? Clerkenwell Design Week is a fabulous showcase for British design talent, says Trish Lorenz

Now in its fourth year, east London’s three-day design festival Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) – an increasingly important showcase for young British designers – takes place from next Tuesday.

Buying pieces from up and coming designers at shows such as CDW is a relatively affordable way to own a designer piece and give your interiors a touch of individuality.

Names to look out for at the festival include Magnus Pettersen Design Studio (magnuspettersen.com), whose work marries materials such as steel and concrete with gold finishes and sleek wood for an industrial yet luxurious feel.

Devon based Bridger and Buss (bridgerandbuss.co.uk) is worth a look for its debut furniture range – simple, elegant hand-crafted wooden pieces including a table, chair, sideboard and coffee table. For those hankering after rock’n’roll, Buster and Punch (busterandpunch.com) launches a glamorous and edgy first collection at the show.

Several of the festival venues will play host to pop-up shops with a design focus. At the Farmiloe Buidling, Shake the Dust (shake-thedust.co.uk) has partnered emerging British designers with ethical producers in developing countries to create an interesting range.

Also in the building are specially curated pop-up versions of the online design stores Clippings.com and Bruno and Bean.

Or pay a visit to Craft Central (craftcentral.org.uk) for Design to Serve, a selling exhibition featuring the work of several interesting young designers. The venue also hosts Made In Clerkenwell open studios, where you can browse and buy the work of 90 designer makers.

And when all the shopping is done, there’s plenty of culture to consume, too: British architect and local resident Zaha Hadid will open the doors of her Design gallery to the public for the first time and there is a selection of talks over the three-day event, with such guest speakers as the French designer Erwan Bouroullec and the big-name Spanish talent Patricia Urquiola.