A hand places a reddish-brown ceramic cup among a row of wooden and ceramic cups on a glass shelf against a gray background, capturing the artisanal spirit of London Craft Week.
Photography by Alexander Pope.

May 21, 2026

Words: Jennifer Ring

London Craft Week: Contemporary Artisans In The Age Of Automation

An antidote to the increasingly digitized world around us, the analog revolution is powering up, and nowhere more so than in London where a city-wide celebration of the artisan took place last week. For the 12th edition of London Craft Week, held May 11-17, the U.K. capital showcased new makers and British heritage brands at pop-up exhibitions, showrooms and unexpected venues around town, championing handmade techniques with a new contemporary approach. With a focus on material, provenance, and sustainability, the event highlighted the significance of human creativity and craftsmanship in the age of automation.

Design Highlights From London Craft Week 2026

British Glass at Paul Smith

  • Two glass pitchers with abstract, colorful patterns and green handles, set against a plain white background.
    Photography courtesy of the Paul Smith Foundation.
  • Three colorful glass mugs with uniquely shaped and patterned handles in yellow polka dots, beige stripes, and yellow stripes are arranged against a white background.
    Work by Jochen Holz. Photography courtesy of the Paul Smith Foundation.
  • Three glass pitchers with wavy handles—one pink, one clear, one red—stand on an orange background. The handles are yellow, white, or marbled in color.
    Work by Jochen Holz. Photography courtesy of the Paul Smith Foundation.
  • A person in a red sweater holds a glass-blowing pipe with molten glass, forming a yellowish glass object inside a workshop.
    Glass work by Jochen Holz. Photography courtesy of the Paul Smith Foundation.
  • Two pink goblets with orange bases sit on a wooden shelf next to a transparent pitcher with an orange tint and a black-and-white patterned handle.
    Gather Glass. Photography courtesy of the Paul Smith Foundation.

British heritage brand Paul Smith presented an exhibition of British Glass at their Mayfair showroom, featuring newly commissioned works from five glassblowers; Jochen Holz, Gather, Emsie Sharp, Stewart Hearn, and Bristol Blue. Supported by Paul Smith Foundation’s annual design grant, ‘British Makers’ provides a platform for early career creatives, celebrating exceptional craft from the British Isles. Based on a brief to “reimagine the water jug,” the show offered a distinct point of view, telling the story of each maker’s journey, from design development and process, to finished object.

Among the selected artists, Jochen Holz is a London-based master glassmaker known for his distinctive approach to lampworking. Working with borosilicate glass, he creates one-off objects, lighting and sculptural pieces that marry fluid forms with contemporary color palettes. Meanwhile, a duo of vessels with a striking use of color were presented by Gather, a glassmaking studio creating handblown glassware and contemporary lighting, shaped by hand in their London workshops.

New Makers at Toast

  • A round plate with a red and white geometric pattern and an oval platter with a yellow, black, and white 3D cube pattern on a dark surface.
    Work by Hannah Watts. Photography courtesy of Toast.
  • Close-up of a geometric tile pattern featuring alternating orange, black, and white diamond shapes arranged in a three-dimensional cube effect.
    Work by Hannah Watts. Photography courtesy of Toast.
  • Six handcrafted clay vessels of varying shapes and sizes are arranged on a dark, textured surface viewed from above.
    Work by Yuichi Romita. Photography courtesy of Toast.
  • Five small, dark-toned ceramic vessels are displayed on two rectangular concrete blocks against a plain white wall and a black floor.
    Work by Yuichi Romita. Photography courtesy of Toast.
  • A dark wooden table against a white wall displays ceramic vases, bowls, a decorative plate, and small sculptural objects arranged on and around stone blocks.
    Toast Makers. Photography courtesy of Toast.

British lifestyle brand TOAST, celebrated the launch of their New Makers 2026 program, supporting emerging talent and the enduring value of craft. Now in its eighth year, the project provides a platform for the next generation of craftspeople, providing mentorship and an opportunity to reach new audiences. The showcase brought together works by five makers, including Hannah Watts, who utilizes the sgraffito technique to carve geometric patterns into ceramic tableware, and potter Yuichi Romita, who unites “Nanban Yakishime”—a traditional form of unglazed wood-fired ceramics—with innovative new techniques. Trained in Japan, Romita creates his own clay blends, before firing the piece over an extended period, producing soft, matte surfaces marked by flame and mineral variations. The New Makers collection will be available at selected Toast stores and online.

Giving Clay a Form at The Conran Shop:

  • A group of ceramic vessels with bulbous, spiked surfaces in varying shades of brown and black, arranged against an orange background.
    Photography courtesy of Ottanio Malles.
  • Various handmade clay pottery pieces, including bowls, jugs, and animal-shaped vessels, are arranged on a textured stone surface.
    Photography courtesy of Ottanio Malles.
  • Ceramic vessels and a horse figurine sit on a concrete surface near piles of ash, straw, and a metal grate, suggesting recent firing or pottery-making activity.
    Photography courtesy of Ottanio Malles.
  • Hands shaping a small clay pot on a wooden surface, with clay smudges visible on the fingers and pot.
    Photography courtesy of Ottanio Malles.

The Conran Shop partnered with non-profit association Malles Design Mediterraneo, to showcase a collection of hand-formed ceramics created by female artisans in Sejnane, a rural community in northern Tunisia. The pieces celebrate a living craft tradition recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, while the organization works directly with artisans to ensure fair trade and sustain the historic craft through exhibitions and cultural events. Each vase, pot, and sculptural form is shaped entirely by hand using techniques passed down through generations. Working with clay derived from the surrounding landscape, the ceramics are smoothed with sea shells, fired in traditional kilns and decorated using natural pigments, with some pieces finished with a distinctive straw-firing process, creating deep black tones and smoky textures.

Rattan Weaving at SOANE

  • Shelves display various wicker and rattan furniture and decor items, including chairs, baskets, lampshades, stools, and tables in a storage or workshop setting.
    Photography courtesy of SOANE.
  • A person weaving thin strips of material to make or repair a wicker chair, with only their hands visible.
    Photography courtesy of SOANE.

British design company Soane creates furniture and lighting underpinned by craftsmanship and materiality. Each of their collections are developed by artisans, from blacksmiths and cabinet makers, to ceramicists and rattan weavers, via collaborations with more than 42 independent workshops across Britain. During London Craft Week, Soane demonstrated the art of rattan weaving, with expert weavers took up residence in its Pimlico Road showroom, showcasing skills that have been passed down through generations over a 150-year weaving tradition in Leicester. Having established the last remaining rattan workshop in England, Soane are reinvigorating the practice with a rattan furniture apprenticeship scheme training the next generation of makers and keeping specialist skills alive.

Studio Brocky X New Forms

A dimly lit lounge with a sectional sofa, glass coffee table with a floral arrangement, drinks, large speakers, and framed photos on the wall. Warm orange lighting fills the space.
Photography courtesy of Studio Brocky x New Forms.
A warm-lit room with a mushroom-shaped lamp on a dark wooden shelf, a vase with dried flowers, and a wall display of vinyl records in the background.
Photography courtesy of Studio Brocky x New Forms.

London based furniture and lighting designers Studio Brocky made their London Craft Week debut with an installation referencing retro futurism with handblown glass table lamps and cast metal side tables displayed at New Forms listening bar and record store in Chelsea.

Future Icons Selects

  • A hand picks up one of several modern, differently sized wooden and ceramic cups arranged in a row on a glass surface.
    Work by Alexander Pope. Photography courtesy of Future Icons Selects.
  • A white, abstract sculpture composed of stacked, rectangular open boxes arranged unevenly on top of each other, displayed on a white pedestal against a plain background.
    Work by Julian Leedham. Photography courtesy of Future Icons Selects.
  • Close-up of stacked, white, rectangular structures made from a textured, paper-like material, arranged in a geometric pattern.
    Photography by Julian Leedham.
  • A wall hanging of three vertical woven ropes with looping patterns, ending in fringe-like strands at the bottom, displayed against a white wall.
    Work by Sarah Simmonds. Photography courtesy of Future Icons Selects.

Future Icons Selects returned to London Craft Week for its fourth edition, taking place at 83 Rivington Street in Shoreditch, one of London’s most creative neighborhoods. The show continued its mission to champion experimentation in contemporary craft, bringing together more than 40 artisans, working across ceramics, textiles, metalwork and collectible design. Designer Julian Leedham presented furniture made with paper waste from the printing industry, while cabinetmaker Alexander Pope showcased a series of solid wood vessels made with traditional woodturning techniques.

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