In conjunction with the 2024 edition of Clerkenwell Design Week—an animated coming together of brands, professionals and visitors in London—international contemporary furniture brand Andreu World opened the doors of its latest monobrand showroom in UK's capital city. Spanning an area of 400 square metres in the Clerkenwell district, the new space is brought to life by renowned Spanish-born architect and designer Patricia Urquiola solely using materials that form a circular economy. On the occasion of its opening, the showroom hosted an inspiring conversation moderated by Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director, STIR, between Urquiola, her partner Alberto Zontone, Julia Lodes, head of the interior design division at Studio Urquiola and Jesús Llinares, CEO, Andreu World. "We aimed to create a space that reflects the essence of Andreu World, its heritage, identity and mission. To achieve this, we worked with renewable resources and sustainable materials to create a space where visitors can enjoy a playful and exploratory experience while flowing through the space, discovering different areas defined by translucent panels,” Urquiola said.

Urquiola and Andreu World have collaborated closely for a range of projects and furniture designs, for more than a decade. The London showroom, their latest collaborative endeavour, expands on the narrative of the Milan showroom that Studio Urquiola previously conceived for the Spanish brand. Shedding light on the links between the two distinct projects, Lodes said in the conversation with Nadeem, “The biggest challenge was the difference of spaces—all spaces had totally different characteristics. We developed a concept for the first showroom in Milan which probably had the most difficult architecture. That was a base to develop a project that was adaptable and very flexible to very different architectural spaces.” The designer’s intent with the new showroom was to inject the identity, legacy and mission of Andreu World into the spaces, embodying the brand’s authentic essence. 

The project is spread across two floors and conforms to the brand’s image, the materials and colour palette mirroring the Milan space. Timber, a signature material for the brand, appears as a protagonist across the retail store design. A coherent design language aims to enhance the depth of the space without compromising on the complete view of the showroom. The flexible and adaptable space invites visitors into a long open area on the ground floor—various contemporary living settings segregated using screen walls. An array of living configurations utilise the brand’s collections, spotlighting product designs by established names such as Philippe Starck, Alfredo Häberli, Benjamin Hubert, Jasper Morrison and Urquiola herself. “The approach that Patricia has for innovation, ethically speaking, is very high performance. Today, as we are transforming the world with sustainability and circularity, we need ethics as one of the pillars; we share this mission that Patricia has,” Llinares pointed out during the conversation with Nadeem.

Andreu World’s commitment to sustainability echoes in the interior design by Urquiola where renewable resources and sustainable materials contribute dominantly to the ambience. “Each material we introduce, we try that it is clean and has a narrative behind it. It is not a lot, but it is enough,” the Italy-based designer noted during the opening event. Smile Plastic, a material made out of waste plastics from post-consumer and post-industrial sources, makes an appearance in the showroom’s shelving. For the flooring, the designer chose compact stone for its ability to reduce carbon emissions. Since the stone is laid dry, it allows for possible dismantling and reuse in the future. “We work in different fields and so we see the problems from different positions,” Zontone reflected on the synergy of the design team. “The market is more intelligent than we think—presence is important but it is possible to spread messages like sustainability in a faster and easier way today,” he added. 

The conversation moderated by Nadeem delved further into Urquiola’s vision of design and sustainability. The panel dissected the criticality of circular design and the need for durable and responsible products in the current times. Through the conversation, Urquiola elucidated the journey of realising the London space for Andreu World and the role design plays in the functionality and aesthetics of a project. “What I like about Patricia is her leadership. I think as a company and as professionals, the best thing we can do is have more leaders around us because they are going to influence you to do many things,” Llinares shared.

Continuing the discourse on sustainability, the opening event also became the venue for a panel discussion on Circular Design and Positive Impact. A cross-pollination of ideas and thoughts surrounding a sustainable future, its challenges and opportunities. Hosted by Women in Office Design and moderated by Joanna Knight, WOD Sustainability Manager and co-founder of the Sustainable Design Collective, the dialogue brought together Ana Rita Martins, MCM Sustainability Leader; Lydia Randall, ESG Director, BDG architecture + design; Samantha Allen, associate director and sustainability leader at M Moser Associates; and Julia Hardy, Business Development Manager of Andreu World.

On the occasion of the Clerkenwell Design Week, when the city of London morphs into a nerve centre for the creative community at large, Andreu World reaffirmed its relevance in the British market and the design world. The newly unveiled retail store, adding to the brand’s 30 locations globally, comes forth as not only a reflection of Andreu World’s identity but also a shell that epitomises Urquiola’s and the brand’s shared tenets of environmental consciousness and ethics across its components.