The finalists have been announced for the 2014 New Design Britain Awards, which run in conjunction with Interiors UK, organised by UBM Live Built Environment. The judges revealed which entrants have made it through to the final, and will be displaying their designs at the event, where the winners will be announced.
Now in its 10th year, the New Design Britain awards celebrate young design talent, giving them a platform from which to reach the industry. The awards are judged according to four categories – Furniture, Furnishing Accessories, Fabrics and Surfaces. Shortlisted from 150 entries, the 2014 finalists are as follows:
Furniture: Elizabeth Ret, You Have Been Framed, desk chair; Joe Buttigieg, Red line chair; Alexander Mueller, Woven easy chair; and Charlotte Millett, Ercol Burst roll-up bed.
Furnishing Accessories: John Hollington, Elica pendant light; Juliette Bigley, Whirling beakers; Bilge Nur Saltik, Share food containers: and Clea Jentsch, Desk tidy.
Fabrics: Clair Whyman, Urban Perspectives; Chloe Atkins, Hunger Games; Liz Ramsey, Cool Heat; and Joanna Hughes, Geometric Constructions.
Surfaces: Rebecca Tudor-Price, Barbules Paradise; Eleanor Walton, Hand-printed throw; Elizabeth- Jane Winstanley, Illusions; and Seema Shah, Wooden Tiles.
Judging the awards are a host of experts from the design and retail industries. Overseeing the Furniture and Furnishing Accessories categories are furniture designer and previous New Design Britain winner Rob Scarlett, designer Anthony Rayworth of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, and Heal’s furniture buyer Elaine Boyle.
Presiding over the Fabrics and Surfaces categories are Diane Goode, buyer at Fromental, John Lewis buyer Anna Rigby, and the director of Rubelli, Vivienne Griffin. Barbara Chandler, Evening Standard, and Dids Macdonald, ACID, will be joining the judging panel at the show in January.
Heal’s buyer Elaine praises the awards as a platform for emerging design talent. “Going to Interiors UK will be a fantastic opportunity for new designers to meet the right people within the industry, and that’s invaluable to a new designer,” says Elaine. “I’ve already seen some products that we could easily take to production and move forward to retail.”
Fellow judge Anthony also recognises the awards’ potential for aspiring designers. “It shows that they’re being recognised by an independent group,” he says. “It’s one thing to be put forward by your tutor, but it’s another thing to have been taken to that next stage by people you’re actually working with in the industry.”
The New Design Britain finalists’ designs will be displayed in hall 2 at Interiors UK in January, before visitors including key decision-makers from the retail buying, contracting and interior design industries.
The awards run within Interiors UK, the largest interiors trade show in the UK, which takes place between 19th-22nd January at the Birmingham NEC. The overall winners will be announced on the afternoon of Monday 20th at the show.
Visit www.interiorsuk.com to register for a complimentary ticket to the event.
