At Clerkenwell Design Week 2026, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard presented the London iteration of its installation Design Continuum, transforming their Clerkenwell showroom into a space for material exploration, professional exchange and inspiration.
First introduced during Milan Design Week, Design Continuum explores how design shapes perception and how our senses influence the way spaces are experienced. In London, a series of curated display installations showcased key dimensions of contemporary bathroom design – from material innovation and enduring form to tactility, interaction and craftsmanship.
“At Milan, Design Continuum introduced a broader conversation about how bathroom spaces can be experienced through the senses,” says Sven Ullrich, executive VP marketing, R&D and product management at Villeroy & Boch.
“At Clerkenwell, we brought that idea into a more applied and collaborative setting – creating opportunities for even closer exchange with architects, designers and planners, and translating those ideas into tangible inspiration for real projects.”
Antao 3D was at the centre of the Design Continuum presentation. A material study developed with Design Studio KASCHKASCH. Produced using advanced 3D printing from 100 per cent internally recycled ceramic, the prototype reveals the expressive potential of new manufacturing technologies.
Alongside it, Antao Earth, also designed by KASCHKASCH, showcased the expressive possibilities of reactive Artisan Glaze finishes.
“Ceramic is one of the oldest materials, yet 3D printing opens completely new possibilities – not only in production, but also in design,” say Design Studio KASCHKASCH.
“Both Antao 3D and Antao Earth explore material as a starting point – one through technology, the other through craftsmanship. In both cases, the making process remains visible and becomes part of the final object. That connection between creation and perception is central to our work.”
Another display focused on the Atelier Collections by Roberto Palomba, demonstrating how strong geometry allows forms to evolve over time without losing their identity.
Artis Sense explored how texture and subtle relief can influence the perception of space. Designed by Christian Haas with a colour concept by Gesa Hansen, the refined basin introduces a delicate tactile quality that invites closer interaction.
“Design used to focus primarily on form, but today surfaces and textures have become equally important,” says Christian Haas.
“They add a sensual dimension that invites interaction and subtly shapes how we experience an object and the space around it.”
With more than 400 years of combined design heritage, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard continue to translate craftsmanship, material innovation and design expertise into a new perspective on the bathroom – one shaped not only by function, but by perception, interaction and experience.
