Crown Paints hosts inclusive design panel at Clerkenwell Design Week

Crown Paints is bringing together leading experts in neurodiversity and dementia for a panel discussion exploring how colour and design can create more inclusive environments.

The Inclusive by Design: Colour, Lived Experience and Inclusion panel will take place at Material Source Studio London during Clerkenwell Design Week on 20th May, chaired by Emily Jeffers, Diversity & Inclusion Specialist for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The panel builds on Crown Paints' recently published Designing for Neurodiversity report, which revealed that while 62% of architects and specifiers say neurodiversity is being cited more prominently in projects, 79% admit their practice has a knowledge gap when it comes to designing for neurodivergent needs.

The session features:

• Magda Mostafa - Founding Partner and Principal of StudioTM, a design consultancy specialising in Autism and Neuro-Inclusive Design
• Dave Wilson-Wynne - Dementia care specialist at the University of Stirling and thought leader
• Kelly Grainger - Autistic and ADHD neurodiversity consultant and co-founder of Perfectly Autistic, specialising in inclusive workplaces and neurodiversity-informed design
• Kathryn Lloyd - Colour specialist at Crown Paints with experience of utilising colour within inclusive designs

The panel will explore how colour, contrast and materiality influence behaviour, comfort and navigation across shared environments from workplaces and healthcare settings to public spaces, before taking audience questions, encouraging collaborative dialogue around designing for diverse needs.

Claire Fenton, Head of Trade Marketing at Crown Paints, said: "This panel reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting architects and designers with the insights they need to create spaces that work for everyone. Our Designing for Neurodiversity report highlighted a clear appetite for more knowledge in this area and by bringing together experts with lived experience alongside design professionals, we're fostering the kind of meaningful conversations that drive real change in how we approach inclusive design."

Crown Paints will also host Paint Your Possible, an interactive workshop at Material Source Studio London where visitors have the opportunity to step away from the busy festival to create artworks using Crown's 'Disrupt' colour palette, contributing to a collective installation within the studio.

Throughout the week, Crown's space at Material Source Studio London will be open for visitors to explore real paint samples, experiment with colour under different lighting conditions and speak with Crown's Architect & Design consultants. The studio features Crown's Colour Edit collection of 160 curated colours and displays of high-performance coatings including Crown Trade Clean Extreme.

Spaces for both the panel discussion and creative workshop are limited. To book your place, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/clerkenwell-design-week-4822084

ENDS

About Crown Paints

As one of the UK's leading paint manufacturers, Crown Paints has been helping designers, specifiers and decorators create beautiful, transformative spaces since 1777. With nearly 250 years of expertise in quality coatings, we understand that the right paint does more than cover walls – it shapes how people feel.

Today, Crown operates across manufacturing sites in Darwen and Hull, supported by a network of more than 150 Crown Decorating Centres throughout the UK and Ireland. Our comprehensive portfolio spans residential and commercial applications, from the premium CRAFTED range to the professional Crown Trade suite, including our newly launched Clean Extreme range and innovative Clean Air technology, which actively purifies interior environments.

We're also proud guardians of the Sadolin and Sandtex brands, both developed with advanced technology to protect and enhance exterior materials.

As an industry leader in sustainability, we're committed to making a genuine difference to people and the planet. Our environmental and social strategy, Project Possible, sets ambitious targets including carbon neutral manufacturing operations by 2026, full circularity across products and packaging, zero waste to landfill, and 100% use of recycled and recyclable materials.

Crown is part of Hempel Group, a global coatings company majority owned by The Hempel Foundation – dedicated to supporting biodiversity, empowering children and driving positive change worldwide.

When you choose Crown, you're supporting a business committed to making possibilities real for people and planet.