The next generation of designers across the UK have been recognised by the New Designers awards. The show saw more than 2,500 design graduates from over 100 university courses take part.
Here are the interiors winners.
Grace Holden (pictured) of Heriot-Watt University received the Laura Ashley Lifestyle Award for Stories in Bloom and Jessica Parker, Norwich University of Arts was runner-up.
Holden’s collection of luxury interior fabrics and wallcoverings explores how the meaning of home evolves from childhood through to adulthood. Inspired by Victorian floriography, each floral motif tells a different chapter of the story, while digitally printed wallcoverings preserve expressive brushstrokes and tactile fabrics add depth and warmth.
‘It’s such a privilege to receive this award. It’s a wonderful culmination of my time at university,’ she says. Laura Ashley’s judges praised the collection’s strong commercial appeal and its ability to translate seamlessly into the Laura Ashley lifestyle.
Parker’s Treasure the Thoughts Collection of prints and surfaces capture the warmth and familiarity of retro interiors and objects celebrating personal and emotional connections to the spaces we once called home.
Lauren Stokes (pictured) of Swansea College of Art won the Romo Award for Innovation in Design and Colour for The Tale of Twynnoy and the Tiger. Inspired by the story of Hannah Twynnoy, who was killed by a tiger in Malmesbury in 1703, the collection combines rich storytelling with hand-drawn artwork influenced by the decorative worlds of Mind the Gap and Fornasetti.
Stokes says the award is the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition, having hoped to collaborate with Romo since childhood.
‘The vibrant wallcovering collection is original, with a compelling narrative and beautifully executed illustrations,’ says Becky Brown, Romo design and brand manager.
Laura Nunn of Manchester School of Art received the Sage Automotive Passion for Textiles Award for Steel City. It aims to explore the architectural, structured nature of woven textiles that feature wire in the weft and warp, in conjunction with the more organic, shapely properties of overspun wool.
Judges commented on her exquisite use of colour and innovation weaving techniques.
Tyler Lambert of Bath Spa University won the Allermuir Next Generation Furniture Award for Modo, a contemporary luxury armchair developed in response to a Porada brief. Moving away from foam-heavy upholstery, Modo features a refined, stripped-back aesthetic with off-the-shelf fixings to reduce manufacturing costs and make high-quality furniture more accessible to a younger market. The chair is crafted from ash sourced from felled campus trees and finished with unbleached cotton canvas, demonstrating a thoughtful approach to sustainable design.
‘This award is a real stepping stone into the industry. I’ve long admired Allermuir, so receiving this recognition means even more,’ he says.
The judges praised the chair’s commercial viability, sustainable material choices and the professionalism of its presentation at New Designers.
Becca Panter of Nottingham Trent University won The Conran Shop Design Award for ReFrame, an innovative clothing storage system addressing the realities of compact student living.
Panter challenged conventional flat-pack furniture by prioritising repairability, longevity and ease of assembly. Constructed from folded sheet metal with perforated side panels that allow clothing to be displayed face-forward, the design requires only an Allen key to assemble or repair.
Manufactured using water-jet cutting and press-brake folding techniques, ReFrame combines low-cost production with circular design principles. Its bold red finish was chosen to brighten often uninspiring student accommodation while complementing the clothing it stores.
‘The four years of ups and downs have paid off. Receiving validation from a major brand is incredibly rewarding,’ she says.
Judges described the project as ‘a well-executed product with excellent material choices and a genuine commitment to circular design,’ praising its sophisticated understanding of consumer needs and manufacturing processes.
Elora Faley of Northumbria University received the John Lewis Award for Design Innovation for the Terrace Cafe Chair.
Inspired by European cafe culture, the lightweight stackable chair reinterprets the classic Parisian café chair using powder-coated steel and a solid ash seat. Designed specifically for hospitality settings, it offers a compact footprint while allowing components to be refurbished or replaced at the end of their life.
Available in a palette including Merlot, Cobble, Smoke, Pinot, Martini, Verdigris, Terracotta and Pigeon, the collection reflects the atmosphere and colour of contemporary cafe culture.
‘I’m so happy to have spent so much time developing this project. I love the product, and it’s wonderful to have the thinking behind the design recognised,’ she says.
Judges described the chair as ‘beautifully proportioned and thoughtfully resolved, ready to sit alongside today’s leading minimalist furniture designs.’
James Murphy of Nottingham Trent University won the Habitat Future Design Award for Casul Chair, a transformable chair and playset for children that provides an interactive analogue play and experience that encourages imagination. From fort building and role playing to storytelling and drawing, Casul is a fun imaginative piece of furniture that supports children developmentally through play.
‘James presented a thoroughly considered project that consistently put the end user first. We were particularly impressed by the way he balanced playfulness with functionality,’ says Georgina Dawson, Habitat head of buying.
Twig Searle of Falmouth University received The Sanderson Award for a contemporary interpretation of traditional Welsh blanket weaving. Developed over the course of his degree, the body of work draws inspiration from a fairy tale about a dyer who loses access to all of his trade routes and is forced to rediscover his craft using only the natural resources available within a five-kilometre radius of his home. By foraging locally for natural dyes and materials, the project explores themes of resilience, resourcefulness and reconnecting with traditional making practices, revealing that what was thought to be lost had simply been forgotten.
Judges commented on the work’s outstanding craftsmanship, thoughtful storytelling and commitment to natural dyeing and sustainable textile practice.
