Milliken Floors has been a showroom partner of Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) every year since the event’s inception 15 years ago. For 2026 Milliken will focus on reuse, circular design and reducing waste.
A headline event will take place on the first evening of CDW when businesswoman, broadcaster, author and activist Mary Portas OBE and Katie Treggiden (author, journalist and communications strategist) will be in conversation at Milliken’s Clerkenwell showroom.
Mary and Katie will explore what the commercial interiors sector can learn from fashion’s evolving relationship with resale, repair and reinvention. 2026 marks a significant milestone for Milliken, as the company commemorates 40 years of manufacturing flooring products in the United Kingdom. Milliken’s Clerkenwell showroom will be transformed into an exhibition space that highlights the company’s distinguished history in UK manufacturing and features displays paying homage to 1986, the year Milliken started manufacturing floor coverings in the UK.
Milliken has consistently promoted the reuse of its carpet tiles over recent years, implementing manufacturing processes and selecting materials that facilitate both recycling and reuse. At CDW 2026 Milliken will be running workshops focused on promoting practical approaches to reuse. Textile artist Isabel Fletcher will deliver two different workshops on creative mending and repair as well as how to elevate an ordinary tote bag using decorative waste textiles and intricate hand embroidery techniques. Thursday will end with a relaxed ‘Stitch It, Wear it’ Embroidery / Sip & Sew Workshop, where participants will learn with tutor Katy Horwood how to use embroidery to embellish and enhance clothing and other fabric items.
On day one Ren DeCherney, Director of Built Environment at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, will talk about how Cradle to Cradle Certified® supports circular design, material health and carbon reduction in the built environment. This talk will share practical insights into the updated certification framework, why circularity matters now, and how designers can specify products that are healthy, circular and equitable – without adding complexity to their workflow.
Day two starts with ‘Designing for Neuro-Inclusive Workspaces (RIBA approved) CPD. A hands-on creative workshop led by the Milliken design team will follow. Learn how inclusive design thinking translates into real spaces. During the afternoon there will be a Lino Printing Workshop with Lavender Print School: A beginner-friendly lino print workshop creating repeat patterns that echo the linework, texture and geometry running through Milliken’s latest collections Open Studio and Quiet Statement.
For day three a RIBA accredited CPD: ‘The Journey to WELL Platinum – Showroom Tour.’ Milliken’s showroom is the only WELL Certified Platinum showroom in Clerkenwell. Share Milliken’s real-world journey to WELL certification, insights, challenges and all, hosted by one of Milliken’s in-house WELL AP’s.
