The play of light on reflective surfaces, rust and melted toy cars. All of these could be influencing the way we decorate our homes in the future.
These are just a few of the diverse inspirations that have sparked the imaginations of students at Birmingham City University who will be taking part in Interiors Birmingham next week.
Running at the NEC from Sunday to Wednesday, it is the biggest event for the interiors industry in the UK, attracting thousands of retailers, designers and contract specifiers.
A total of 120 students – on MA Interior Design and BA (Hons) Lighting and Textile courses – from BCU will be contributing to four trend pavilions.
They have been working in partnership with Global Color Research – Mix Publications, who tell the professionals what colours will be in vogue in the future, publishing their forecasts in the Mix Trends book and Mix magazine.
The Birmingham showcase is just the beginning for the students whose work will then be toured round the London interiors shows then onto Interiors UAE in Abu Dhabi.
This is the second year that students from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD) have participated in the event. Their success last year resulting in an even bigger presence this year with examples of their work also on display at the entrance area to the halls housing the show and in the VIP lounge.
Marlene Little, the course director and lecturer in textile design at the university says: “Global Color Research ™ provide us with the trends and then our students interpret them.
“You wouldn’t go to an interiors show to look for the latest chair upholstery covering specifically. You look for ideas to take away and develop. It provides a starting point.”
Printed textiles lecturer Jean Ensell says: “What we are trying to do is make some extreme statements. Like when you do a catwalk show. The fashions on the catwalk show are not necessarily accessible. But they show the new look while making a dynamic visual statement.
‘‘That is sort of what we are doing in the trend area. There will be things in there that will put the statement across in a very big way so it has impact. You can’t walk past it without being a little bit intrigued and taking a closer look.”
Global Color Research furnished the students with four trends for spring summer 2011 – Whisper, a soft smoky palette that draws inspiration from elements of nature; Spirit, an homage to the coming of spring, steeped in folklore; Genteel, a journey through a traditional domestic setting; Risk, toxic colour and science fiction references as a ‘post industrial society embraces the beauty of dereliction’.
“There is a curation team at the university who pull the trend strands together,” says Marlene.”It is not just a student free for all. Ideas are produced, looked at, discussed and some are developed further forward.
“We are always surprised at what the students come up with, which is one of the delights of our job.
“The brilliant thing about current students is they are able to embrace a range of materials. They can move back and forth between craft and digital and I think, in design terms, innovation is coming through the harnessing of those two elements.
“Britain is still acknowledged as a leader in design. We continue to maintain that reputation for creativity and innovation. Internationally you will find a lot of designers are from British art schools.”
The exhibition also highlights the potential of collaboration between industry and education.
Joanna Birch, head of enterprise at BCU, says: “The project has engaged with floor wall and fabric manufacturers and moving forward will be engaging with furniture and lighting designers.
“The businesses have benefited from lateral thinking, innovation and new ideas. The students from addressing real industry challenges and making important connections from which to build their careers.”
* For more information go to www.interiorsbirmingham.com
