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Formica 2006 Student design competition winners revealed

Iconic Furniture for the 21st Century
Formica Limited is delighted to announce the winners of its 2006 Student Design Competition. Giving students an opportunity to work to a real-life brief, Formica Limited teamed up with the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, London, to challenge Furniture and 3D design students from across the UK to design “21st century“ furniture for the retail and café space of this striking Museum.

Students were asked to produce innovative and interesting design concepts using materials from the Formica Limited product range and to present their ideas on concept boards. Designing for a specific space gave the students a taste of working to a brief and meant that they had to show an appreciation of the Museum, its retail requirements, aesthetic style and philosophy, and an understanding of the products that Formica Limited offer and their applications.

Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Northumbria University, Nottingham Trent University, Loughborough University, Northbrook College, the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and London Metropolitan University elected to take part in the competition, with many incorporating it into their curriculum.

Judges for the competition were: Zandra Rhodes, renowned and daring fashion designer and founder of the Fashion and Textile Museum; Garry Mason, editor in chief of FX and idFX; and Simon Wild, Marketing Manager for Formica Limited in the UK and Ireland.

Winning a cash prize of £1000 the overall winner was:
Lilyana Piskunova
2nd Year BA (Hons) Interior Design and Technology - London Metropolitan University

Influenced by the “sumptuousness” of stiletto heels and the different materials they can be made from, the judges felt her design captured the essence of the Museum, while creating a solution that worked well in the small retail space with its low ceilings. Providing plenty of different display options as well as good storage, the design used interesting shapes and colours to create an intimate atmosphere without overcrowding. The use of textured and iridescent Formica® High Pressure Laminate gave extra dimension to the surfaces and by carrying the core shapes across the different items of furniture – a retail counter, display units and tables and chairs for the café – she unified the space.

Winning £500 the runner-up was:
Tanja Schlierkamp
2nd Year BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design - London Metropolitan University

It was the innovative use of Formica® products and the flowing lines of her design that caught the judges’ attention. Tanja proposed the use of structural compact grade laminate decorated with a striking repetitive pattern developed from the Fashion and Textile Museum logo, in the construction of a retail counter and a flexible interconnectable series of display units. She also clad some of the walls with Formica® Blackboard, so fashion imagery could be drawn onto them offering a fun and quirky way of updating the look of the space easily. The judges were also impressed with the detailing and general presentation of her entry.

This year, the judges also awarded a highly commended prize of £250 to:
David Roberts
1st year HND Furniture studies Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College

David’s design for a Café table and chairs, though not fully formed as a detailed design, particularly impressed the judges with the standard of the conceptual idea developed at this early stage in his course. They particularly liked the shape of the chairs which took inspiration from the female form, while taking into consideration the properties of Formica High Pressure Laminate. Using faceted triangular sections to reflect the desired movement, the furniture was clad in digitally printed laminate emulating rippling red and white silk.

Other shortlisted students included:
John Mackenzie-Hasler – BA Furniture Design and Craftsmanship, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (year 2)
Matthew Robards – HND 3D Design, Northbrook College Sussex (year 2)
Dan Battaglia – BA 3D Design, Northumbria University (year 2)
Lisa Sandale – BA Furniture and Product Design, Nottingham Trent University (year 1)

Email: edwinac@thinktank.org.uk