New Designers 2010 ended on Sunday after a vibrant and enjoyable event, showcasing the best of the newest graduate design talent in Britain. Filled with creativity, innovation, and an once of anticipation, graduates from all over the country came, exhibited, and now await their fate in the realm of what we know to be the ever-evolving, increasingly provoking design industry that shapes and dictates the way we live.
mydeco was at the opening nights of both Part 1 and Part 2 of the show, where we video interviewed an exclusive group of award winners (coming to the mydeco blog soon), at the same time as keeping one eye open to spot the hottest designs on the floor. Here are our favourite picks from both shows – it’s enough to make your mouth water, OK, OK, it’s enough to make you drool with envy.
1.
I’m going to start at the top, why not eh? Our absolute favourite from the show was this ingenious Sit Stool design by Jack Wilesmith from Bucks University.
image credit: Jack Wilesmith
We are noticing more and more design coming onto the market which expresses humour as a response to the recession, so this piece is bang on trend. Adding comical value to such a commonplace piece of furniture is brilliant fun and widens the boundaries of use and practicality, well done Jack.
2.
Another piece which really made me smile was this Telephone Table by Lucy Bradshaw from Manchester School of Art. I was initially drawn to the piece as it suggested using an old-fashioned telephone receiver in conjunction with an i-phone, which is again, very funny.
image credit: Lucy Bradshaw
Lucy explained that the purpose was to encourage people to slow down a bit and take time to talk to people in the comfort of their own homes. Which made me think; the only time I ever sit down to make a call is on the bus – nothing like a bit of privacy!
3.
We love green design, living a more sustainable life and buying products with strong eco credentials. We do however, still struggle with the concept of the urban garden. Yes you can get an allotment, or join a community garden, or even plant up some veggie boxes on the balcony, but what if you just don’t have the time (or energy) to go to an allotment or communal garden at the weekend, or even worse, what if you don’t have a balcony!
image credit: mydeco
Well design graduate Lucian Boatright-Roberts from London Metropolitan University has designed these beautifully tactile and wonderfully practical Herb Pot Tiles for the kitchen, or any room in the home which has a wall. Forget the conventional spice rack for those pots of dried herbs, go fresh ‘n’ wild with this space-saving solution for the ultimate indoor garden.
4.
Another designer from London Metropolitan University who wants us to get in touch with our natural environment is Dominic Williams. Dominic developed an interactive piece for this year’s show; the Rain Horn, which captures the sound of pouring rain outside.
image credit: mydeco
As rain passes down a drainpipe, the sound is transmitted into a large wall mounted speaker resembling an old fashioned gramophone. Forget your conventional DJs, or even the silent disco, the future of live music looks like a load of people stood round the edges of the room with their ears pinned to a hole in the wall – love it!
5.
Bringing eco design back to basics, another of our favourite pieces from the show touches on the issue of recycling. Lorna Wilby from Plymouth University created this incredible Seat of Learning made from recycled books.
image credit: Lorna Wilby
Lorna explained that the glue used to bind a lot of books is actually unrecyclable, so one way to re-use them successfully is to use them as a material in furniture construction. We love the way she has given such a familiar object a bold and theatrical second life.
6.
Katy Thorogood is an illustrator and surface designer from UCCA Rochester. Her prints jumped out a mile to greet us as we walked into the applied arts section of Part 1 of the show. Capturing the delights of childhood, her drawings reflect bustling scenes from the Bestival festival held in her homeland, Isle of Wight.
image credit: Katy Thorogood
Keen for everyone to hold onto that nostalgic feeling, Katy creates bespoke objects that reflect personal memories in her cheerful, contemporary style.
7.
And last but by no means least, our favourite pick from the One Year On part of the New Designers show is Cloud 9 by Samuel J Wilson. Bringing the ever-popular ancient craft of origami well and truly into the 21st century, Samuel created this masterpiece using a precise cutting and slotting technique.
image credit: Samuel J Wilson
Not only does this piece create a striking focal point in any room (or garden), it also folds flat in less than a second, making it innovative and multi-functional, not to mention an objet d’art.
Further reading: Read the mydeco blog for a list of all the award winners from this year’s show.
Useful links;
www.jackwilesmith.com
LucianWorld.Wordpress.com
www.dominic-williams.com
www.wix.com/katyrose88/Katy-Rose-Designs
www.weplaygod.com
