Clerkenwell Design Week 2022 – A Sensory Experience

Here at Mansfield Monk the team were incredibly excited that CDW is back after a two year hiatus. With so much to cram into our day trip it was difficult to decide which of the many showrooms, tents and pop ups we were going to visit so we started the day early at Interfaces new showroom, Pennybank, St Johns Square where we joined their morning seminar with Oliver Heath to hear his views on ‘Designing for Cognitive and Sensory Wellbeing’. Our big take from this? Humans are sensory beings constantly receiving input. Did you know we receive 11 million bits of sensory information a second? Only 50 of which we can process consciously! Thus there are not five human recognised senses, but seven. In addition to sight, sound, touch, smell and taste we also have vestibular (balance and sense of gravity) and proprioception (position of the body in space derived from muscle and joint feedback).

With these seven senses in mind we pressed on in comfy shoes to tread the pavements of Clerkenwell – here are our sensory highlights.

1. Sight

These hidden lights in the iconic USM Haller shelving system really brought the product to life. We had to look closely to see the light source – a stunning and clever detail.

2. Sound

Acoustics are still a hot topic and Abstracta were showing off their new Zen pod range – beautiful quiet pods where you can take calls, meet virtually or just spend some down time in a tranquil environment.

3. Touch

We couldn’t wait to get our hands on these gorgeous new fabrics from Camira – Quest, made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester and extra colours in our favourite textured fabric Craggan.

4. Vestibular

Abstracta’s Holly acoustic light appears to defy gravity with its floating spheres of light and fabric. A beautifully balanced product which is both functional and sculptural.

5. Proprioception

At Flokk we were introduced to Sofi, the ultimate task chair with in-built HAG in Balance technology that ensures more subconscious movement. Great for ergonomics and posture.

6. Smell

A unique atomiser smell blended specially for sixteen3 hit our nostrils the minute we arrived at their gorgeous smelling showroom! We also enjoyed taking the weight off our feet on their new modular seating range Sedir.

7. Taste

We rounded off the day with a trip to Vescom and a well earned glass of Prosecco! Their showroom was filled with colour and a totem installation reminiscent of Liquorice Allsorts!