From industry icons to the future of dynamic seating. Wilkhahn’s London showroom becomes an immersive exhibition – 19–21 May 2026.
LONDON, May 2026 – Wilkhahn, the German design and furniture manufacturer with over a century of heritage, will showcase its NEW award-winning WiChair alongside a curated retrospective of its most celebrated seating icons at Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW). Transforming its ‘heart of Clerkenwell’ showroom into an immersive exhibition, visitors are invited to step into Wilkhahn’s legacy through the themed experience: ‘A Journey of Dynamic Seating’ – including a Build A WiChair To Win competition.
The WiChair — ‘Understated Until You Sit’. Photo: Wilkhahn
A Century of Dynamic Seating, Under One Roof
At Wilkhahn, over 100 years have been spent perfecting the balance between design, innovation, and uncompromising quality. The CDW exhibition traces this evolution through a curated presentation of the brand’s industry ‘heroes’ — the iconic IN, ON, AT and ME series — each a landmark in the science of healthy, three-dimensional sitting, powered by Wilkhahn’s patented Trimension® technology — together with the brand’s newest innovation, the WiChair.
Introducing the WiChair: ‘Understated — Until You Sit’
Taking centre stage is Wilkhahn’s newest innovation: the WiChair — a compact, minimalist task chair that distils decades of dynamic seating intelligence into its most stripped-back form yet. Designed by Alina Schnizler, its aesthetic is defined by ‘timeless transparency’ – a design language that celebrates structural logic rather than concealing it behind bulky covers.
The WiChair’s primary innovation is its patented 3D range of motion, achieved through radical simplicity: a single, maintenance-free, torsion-elastic steel swing-arm replaces the complex mechanical systems found in conventional task chairs. It automatically adjusts to the user’s weight and posture without manual knobs or levers — the ideal companion for agile workspaces.
The WiChair — ‘Understated Until You Sit’. Photo: Wilkhahn
Key features include:
- Radical Reductionism: Constructed from just 34 individual components, eliminating typical failure points and extending product lifecycle.
- Infinite Repairability: A screw-based modular construction eliminates permanent adhesives, allowing easy replacement and supporting the circular economy.
- Material Integrity: Prioritising infinitely recyclable steel and FSC-certified plywood over petroleum-based plastics, achieving a low carbon footprint of just 31kg CO₂ eq.
- Award-Winning: Winner of the German Sustainability Award 2026
- Dynamic Performance: High-performance steel construction supports up to 120kg, providing active lumbar support and a characteristic ‘floating’ sensation.
- Expressive Colour Palette: Available in Soft Lemon, Blush Pink, Mint Green and more — an attractive addition to any creative studio or home office.
Pop-up ‘zones’ throughout the showroom will highlight the WiChair’s materiality, comfort, and innovation documenting the chair’s design journey from concept to reality, inviting visitors to experience it first-hand in a range of configurations and colourways.
Meet the Icons: ON, IN, AT and ME Series
As part of the exhibition, Wilkhahn presents the industry icons : the IN, ON, AT and ME series.
IN and ON Chair — Wilkhahn. Photo: Wilkhahn
ON — (2009) The chair that introduced Trimension® to the world. Two independently moveable swing plates respond to the lightest postural shift across task, visitor, and 24-hour configurations.
IN — (2015) The same intuitive 3D Trimension® movement in a dynamic die-cast aluminium shell. Upholstered in ‘ReForm’ shape-knit cover, crafted from 100% recycled polyester in a lighter more colourful form, with ten colour options.
AT — (2018) The AT’s self-centreing seat shell and automatic weight adjustment provides effortless healthy movement using Trimension®, with an Elevated Sitting Position (ESP) for seated to near-standing postures transition. iF Design Award winner 2019.
ME – (2023) A modular ergonomic task chair that combines a patented ProgressiveMotion module with an exceptionally wide configuration range: one of the few industry chairs on the market to meet the stringent European standard EN 1335 type AX.
“Clerkenwell Design Week is the perfect stage for this exhibition. We’re not just showing chairs — we’re telling the story of how Wilkhahn has spent over a century understanding what the human body truly needs from a seat. The WiChair is the most compelling expression of that yet: beautifully minimal, intelligently engineered, and a joy to sit in’. Alan Gazzard, Country Manager UK & Ireland, Wilkhahn.
Wilkhahn’s presence at Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 marks a defining moment in the brand’s UK journey. One hundred years of purpose-driven design, arriving at the heart of the world’s most celebrated design neighbourhood.
Build a WiChair to Win: The WiChair Speed Challenge
Think you’re faster than the pros? Visitors are invited to put their skills to the test in the WiChair Speed Challenge — assembling Wilkhahn’s newest hero chair against the clock. The fastest time wins a WiChair ! A fitting demonstration of the chair’s celebrated 34-component simplicity.
Details
Wilkhahn, 45 Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 0DE
19–21 May 2026 | 9:30am – 5:00pm daily | Free to attend | No booking required.