Design classics of the future at the Ideal Home Show 9 March – 1 April 2007, Earls Court
Get up close and personal with the future of furniture and gadgets at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show’s unique Concept Products exhibition.
Created by some of the UK’s most talented young design graduates, Concept Products comprises prototypes of 30 short-listed designs – including pillows that tune in to your partner’s heartbeat and the ultimate Singletons’ chair, which supplies hugs on demand.
Show visitors will be invited to vote for the winning design, to be announced at an awards ceremony on 21 March – one of the highlights of the inaugural National Interiors Week (19 – 25 March).
Further design inspiration can be found at the Show’s 2020 Living feature, which sees students from six of the top UK Universities present their vision of the products and furniture of the future. Meanwhile, young inventors’ ideas for Junior Concept Products which would improve home-life will also be on display.
The Ideal Home Show’s Concept Products short-list:
Just the two of us…
Cardiac Rest: unwind at night to the beat of your partner’s heart! With Laurence Dawes’ ‘his’ and ‘hers’ pillows you’ll have the ultimate bonding experience as they allow you to listen to your partners heatbeat. Laurence Dawes, from Fordingbridge (Plymouth University)
Pet Plus: cosy up with your pampered pooch and Alice Wang’s quirky designs, which include matching plates for both of you, bibs, and ‘your’s’ and ‘dog’s’ wine glasses. Alice Wang (Central St Martins College – London University of the Arts)
Inclusive bed linen: put your days of mis-matched bed-linen behind you, and create a dream boudoir with this all-in-one sheet, under-sheet, duvet cover, and pillow cases set. Suzie Bowman’s design uses folding and fastening actions, rather than the usual stuffing. Suzie Bowman from Selkirk (Glasgow University)
Morpheus Baby Chair: Designed for babies up to the age of nine months, Robin Chilton’s design mimics the vibrations of a car, thereby encouraging sleep. Robin Chilton from London (Royal College of Art)
Flying fish bowl: they’re every bit as important as four-legged friends, so give your fish an ever-changing view of the world, with Shay Alkalay’s rotating wall-mounted design.
Take a seat…
K-SU: hugs are on tap with this ‘hug chair’, which is aimed at the Singleton. Richard Warren’s design wraps around you to create the ultimate cosy seating system. Richard Warren from Wolverhampton (Nottingham Trent University)
Illustration seating: titillate your senses with Elina Smith’s ‘continuous line-drawing’ chair, coat stand and waste basket, made of hardwearing fibre glass rope. Elina Smith from London (Brighton University)
Daybed Bench: Comprising numerous seating permutations, including a bench with magazine storage and a day-bed, Laura Beirne’s versatile space-saving furniture
can be adapted to any occasion. Laura Beirne from Hampton, Middlesex (Nottingham Trent University)
8’ x 4’: Cut out the pieces of Richard Broom’s flat-pack ply sheet and create a complete living environment, comprising a chair, table, lamp and picture frame. – Richard Broom from Carshalton (Brighton University)
Love Seat: sit at a distance from your partner, and a cold blue pattern appears - move closer, and this is replaced by pink petals. Danielle Sobik’s interactive sofa is an
ever-changing visual feast. Danielle Sobik from Edinburgh (Napier University)
Culinary delights…
Dustpan and brush: proving that everyday objects can be a sight to behold, Rebecca Livesley’s beech wood and aluminium-coated dustpan and brush has more than a touch of flair to it. Rebecca Livesley from York (Northumbria University)
Chill Store: designed for office-use, David Coxhead’s invention keeps individual portions
of food and drink fresh. Energy efficient, air tight containers can be taken directly from
the fridge at home and put straight into the Chill Store. David Coxhead from Maidenhead, (Nottingham Trent University)
Condo Composter: Bring home-composting indoors, with Chris Huntley’s compact, odour-free unit, which quickly transforms decomposing rubbish in to nutritious compost. Chris Huntley from Weybridge (Royal College of Art)
Clear the clutter…
Bara bookshelf: put an end to books cascading off your shelves with Katharina Mischer’s special unit, which incorporates soft bristles on the underside of each shelf to support tomes of any size. Katharina Mischer from St Georgen Hart, Austria (Kingston University)
Bedside storage: hide the clutter with Hannah Huffadine’s wall-mounted storage system, whose three shelves slide together to conceal the contents in seconds. Hannah Huffadine from Richmond, North Yorkshire (De Montfort University)
Pushme-Pullme: a truly multifunctional coffee table, whose sides swing open to reveal padded footrests, which also act as storage space. Designed by Emily Hatfield. Emily Hatfield from Middlesborough (Teesside University)
Hangman: bid farewell to the heap of clothes on your floor with Waseem Mubarik’s illuminated design, offering storage for your garments, without the need for hangers. Waseem Mubarik from Huddersfield (Leeds Metropolitan University)
Peace of mind…
Ecosave: the water equivalent of a smoke alarm, William Stuart’s device ‘listens’ to sound vibrations in household water pipes – sounding an alarm upon sensing anunusually long period of flow, such as a dripping tap. William Stuart from Knutsford (Brunel University)
Fireye: simply clip this battery-operated smoke alarm to the cable of your ceiling light, or any other slender object, for instant peace of mind. Designed by Matteo Signorini. Matteo Signorini from Munich, Germany (Royal College of Art)
SafeHinge: make doors safer for little fingers with Philip Ross’s innovative design, which eliminates the gap associated with conventional hinges. Philip Ross from Glasgow (Glasgow University)
Trident Home Energy Monitor: Samuel Nutting’s design assists in the reduction of energy consumption in the home, detailing the amount of energy used, time in use and the cost of this through interfaces. Samuel Nutting from London (Nottingham Trent University)
Wherever I lay my: Tom Stables’ set of covers screw over standard light switches using the existing screws, to facilitate home-making rituals such as ‘Where did I leave my keys?” Tom Stables from Chichester (Central St Martins College – London University of the Arts)
Light up your life…
Book Light: Open the special book to reveal Moko Sellers’ stunning lampshade fanning out from the leaves. This design is the ultimate reading light, which automatically switches on and off as you open and close the book. Moko Sellars from Tokyo, Japan
(Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College)
Magnet Lighting: Pedro Silva’s floor lamp uses magnets to attach the L-shaped lampshade to the structure, allowing for easy repositioning according to its location. Pedro Osorio Silva from Portugal (London Metropolitan University)
Al fresco living…
Socialite barbecue: incorporating an elegant barbecue, table and heating unit in one, Rosalie Alice Eustace’s design is a must-have for any English garden. Rosalie Eustace from Tring (Loughborough University)
Jelliefish: bring your garden pond to life with Ellie Bishop’s ambient silicone lighting, which draws inspiration from the amazing glow of jellyfish. Ellie Bishop from Croydon,
Surrey (Nottingham Trent University)
Aurora Style: Eleanor Loe’s storage unit camouflages unsightly tools, whilst also providing ambient atmospheric lighting in the garden. – Eleanor Loe from Portslade (Brighton University)
Living Brick: transform grey urban structures by creating vertical gardens, with David Aaron’s special bricks, containing a built-in irrigation system. David Hood from
Newtonabbey, Northern Ireland (Brighton University)