Karen out-smarts Box project rivals
UCLan interior design student wins creative competition
Thinking inside the box has proved a winning formula for a University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) interior design student.
Karen Smart scooped top prize in The Box Project, a competition created by north west designers Nochintz and backed by 100% design, which challenged the region’s creative community.
The 22-year-old, from Formby near Liverpool, designed a box that could use its own form to furnish the space with sections of the walls folding down to make shelves, tables and seating with its function suited to many interior uses.
She will now get the chance to see her unique design made up and showcased at the world-renowned 100% design exhibition in London in September.
She said: “I can’t wait to see my vision for the box created and to have it displayed at the show. 100% design is one of the most prestigious design shows in the country and to have my work displayed there will be amazing and a fantastic addition to my portfolio.”
A panel of leading industry experts, which included Martin Stockley, from Stockley Associates, and Urban Splash came together to make the final decision. The Piccadilly Partnership gave its full backing to the project and Argent Group PLC, which is currently developing The Hive in the Northern Quarter, donated sponsorship money to help kick-start the project.
Commenting on the design Martin Stockley said: “It was strong on budget thinking and created a space for people to think about design. The use of sustainable materials, in particular, its own form to fulfil its objective, was impressive. Karen followed the brief well and the design is feasible to build and assemble, which was a major strength of the entry."
Nigel Simpkins, UCLan’s Course Leader for the BA(Hons) Interior Design, added: “Winning this competition is a fantastic achievement by Karen. She has produced a clever and creative response to the brief and her design is both innovative and practical. It shows a strong interest in materials and detail typical of her work on the degree course in Interior Design at UCLan where emphasis is placed on creative ideas and the real life application of design. The judges have spotted a genuine talent in Karen and I expect we will be hearing more of her in the future.”
100% design takes place in London on the 24th-27th September. All details of the wining entry can be found at http://www.theboxproject.co.uk/
15 September 2009
