The Design Guild Mark Awards Ceremony 2026 took place last night in the Arper UK showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week, celebrating the latest designs and the pioneering designers shaping the industry across Furniture, Interior Design Elements, and Lighting.
The Design Guild Mark is a non-profit awards programme established in 2008 by The Furniture Makers’ Company to champion British industrial design and recognise outstanding achievement within the sector. Originally focused solely on furniture, the programme has since expanded to include other categories.
Entries are evaluated by a diverse panel of judges against a series of key criteria including innovation, functionality, form, brand impact and environmental responsibility.
The ceremony was hosted by Alexander Crofts, the CEO of Crofts & Assinder and chairman of the Design Guild Mark, with honourary guest Andrew Tanner, head of design at Habitat, who celebrated design excellence with the presentation of The Jonathan Hindle Prize, which recognises the most innovative and creative entries from the year.
"While sustainability continues to be viewed as an essential standard within the industry, this year’s submissions demonstrated that environmental responsibility does not need to compromise innovation, aesthetics, or creativity," state the awards' organisers.
"What sets the Design Guild Mark apart is its hands-on judging process. Applicants are required to present their physical product in person, allowing for detailed discussion and direct engagement with the judging panel. Comprised of internationally respected industry leaders, the independent panel brings extensive expertise and insight to the evaluation of every submission."
This year's Furniture recipients were: FLW, Samuel Wilkinson for SCP; Work, Matthew Hilton for SCP; Archer, Marcus Long for SCP; Levity Collection, Gaze Burvill; Leandesk, Henry Swanzy for Leandesk; The Chanterelle Collection of low tables, Staffan Tollgård and Filippo Castellani for Giorgetti; Knit One, Paul Crofts of Paul Crofts Studio, for Isomi (pictured); The Ayton Collection, Michael Mcintosh for Treske; The Canopy Collection, Sam Cooper and Richard Platt for The Marchmont Workshop; Mollu, Sophie Concadoro, Nare Manuelyan and Ross Mclean for Pineapple Contracts; Sail, Studio Webb for Glimarka of Sweden; Alta, Jones + Partners for Workstories; Sylva, Jones + Partners for Stiwood; Panda System, Monica Förster for Modus; PLC Tube, Pearson Lloyd for Modus; Dowel Table, Ed Carpenter and André Klauser for VG&P; Genie Chair, Mentsen for VG&P; and Aarea, Pearson Lloyd for Teknion.
This year's Interior Elements recipients were: The White Hart Collection, Emma Sims Hilditch and Marlborough Tiles for Marlborough Tiles; Fenchurch Handle Range, Zoran Matijevic for Crofts & Assinder; Skomer Handle Range, Zoran Matijevic for Crofts & Assinder; and Pattern Play, Heather Lloyd for Milliken Carpets.
This year's Lighting recipient was: The Modernist Collection, Joe Armitage.
Alex Crofts comments: “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Design Guild Mark Awards programme – two decades dedicated to championing UK design as a leading global creative force. The calibre and diversity of this year’s entries once again demonstrate the strength of British design talent, bringing together designers at every stage of their careers through a shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and craftsmanship.
"As we celebrate this milestone year, each Design Guild Mark recipient should take great pride in having their work recognised as part of the gold standard for British design.”
Pictured: Knit One, Paul Crofts of Paul Crofts Studio, for Isomi
