How to become a designer – our video of New Designers 2011

New Designers 2011 had a lot to live up to. Having been cited by mydeco’s features editor Ellie as her ‘highlight of the year,’ (direct quote), we had high expectations heading down to the event and awards presentation at the Business Design Centre in London last week.

We weren’t disappointed – and not just because of the free cocktails! The show was a hub of activity brimming with newly graduated, fresh fashion, furniture and textile design talent. There was so much to see that is was quite overwhelming but we’ve managed to collate a list of our top show spots:

Our top spots at New Designers:

Amidst all the new talent we soon spotted a familiar face – mydeco boutiquer Laura Olivia was showcasing her products from mydeco, as well as her new line of designs in the event section  One Year On.

Image credit: thedesignhub.wordpress.com

Last year at New Designers 2010 we saw Laura Olivia showcasing her stunning velvet printed and embroidered cushions and wallpaper lampshades and instantly snapped her up for the mydeco boutique.

Her bold and bright digital prints are the perfect quick-fix for jazzing up any room, and this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the mydeco users. Veeveenatyisy used Laura Olivia’s printed lampshade to add a burst of colour to her purple and white themed moodboard, proving that all you need is one statement piece to lift a room.

Another friendly face at ‘one year on’ was designer Katie Procter better known as Katie and the Wolf . mydeco’s Ellie predicted that she was one to keep an eye on in 2010 and she was right. You can follow Katie on her mydeco profile to keep up to date with what she is doing.

We also spotted a future trend – one that we’ve had been aware of for some time now! Textures, ruffles and textiles are taking over, most recently added to mydeco in the form of Lorna Syson’s cushions and wall art.

The moodboard below was made by lorna_syson (the  designer herself!) and proves that introducing frills to your decor doesn’t need to be a faff!

The mydeco community members are, as usual, on the ball when it comes to current and future trends. This years top New Designer award went to wallpaper designer Louise Tilner – who chats to us about her work in our New Designers vide0 -  but mydeco users have been getting creative with wallpaper in their room designs for a while.

mydeco user jamez has made a room that is a great example of how wallpaper can pull together a room theme. The different patterns on the wallpaper and the rug clash against each other but work to break up the repetition of each others motif.

richardsbm has made this beautiful patchwork moodboard showing us how different wallpapers can sometimes work together. Mixing and matching multiple wallpapers in one room can look really beautiful and often you will be surprised at which ones work best side by side.

Our last top spot was an Ercol original chair used in one graduates display – the very same kind that we saw Ellie making in our recent video of the Ercol factory and showroom. The designer from Bath Spa university  was extremely excited to have found it for her display – but seemed a tad confused as to why we were so excited – see if you can spot it in our video!

Image credit: mydeco.com

To get a sneaky look at all the new designers on show on the day plus interviews with the award winners, mydeco boutiquer Laura Olivia, and some new faces take a look at our New Designers video and let us know if you like what you see!

We were lucky enough to attend New Designers part 1 but there is still part 2 to enjoy from 6-9 July, with plenty more product design and furniture on show. Head down to the business design centre to get a look up close, and if you just can’t wait, browse though my New Designers inspired folder for some design ideas from the newest talent around.