Winning students at the worlds biggest home show

Award-winning innovative furniture designed by three talented students at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester is to be showcased at the biggest home show in the world.

The DeMontfort University Design students will feature within the Innovation Nation feature at the EDF Energy Ideal Home Show which opens on Friday (20 March) and runs until 13 April at Earls Court , London .

The Ideal Home Show wanted to draw attention and celebrate the role of the designer and through the Innovation Nation initiative it aims to recognise imagination, creativity and technical expertise amongst design students at Britain ’s universities and colleges, and to reward innovation at the earliest stage of a young designer’s career.

Too often young British designers and innovation go unnoticed in the UK , yet British product design and innovation is the envy of the world. Many of the best designers graduating from British design courses are being snapped up by international companies to work abroad.

For the past ten years Karoline Newman has worked closely with the EDF Energy Ideal Home Show in bringing together the brightest new designers and their intriguing ideas for the annual Concept Products feature.

Her work, as part of her company ‘Articulate Communication’, begins almost as soon as each Show is over, visiting graduate shows, universities and colleges all over the UK to ensure that the most talented young designers get a chance to be seen by the public.

Impressed by their creativity, Karoline chose final year Furniture Design students from De Montfort University to address a project brief on the subject of Compact Living, asking them to come up with innovative solutions to cater for the decreasing size of homes in the UK . Three projects stood out and it was decided that each of their designs was so good that she wanted them all made and showcased at this year’s Show.

Winner Tommy Williams, 22, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, was awarded first prize of £300 for his ‘Micro kitchen’, a unit which folds away to save space.

Phil Crook, 23, from Stantonbury, in Milton Keynes , was awarded £200 for his compact sofa system which changes from a two-seater sofa into two armchairs plus another two-seater sofa. 

Craig Haggart, 22, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset , was awarded £100 for his stylish under-stairs storage units.

The Ideal Home Show has also supported the projects, providing a contribution towards the manufacture of the product prototypes.

Stuart Lawson, Programme Leader for Furniture Design at the University, said: “De Montfort’s Furniture BA has a strong emphasis on research-led innovation and so the Compact Living brief was ideal for our students who are interested in developing innovative, user-centred products. The winning designs demonstrate real insight into living within restricted spaces.”