The May Design Series exhibition – taking place at ExCeL London from 19th-21st May – is set to bring together the design community and provide a platform for up-and-coming interior designers.
Ten student groups from the Royal College of Art‘s MA Interior Design programme have been shortlisted in a competition to design two public spaces at the event: the DX Bar and the Champagne Bar.
Tasked with designing lively hubs with a distinctive aesthetic, the brief stated that the bars must serve an essential practical role, allowing visitors to meet up, relax, reflect and re-energise. The aspiring interior designers were challenged to create dynamic spaces with visual impact, while considering temporality and sustainability.
Project groups were guided by guest tutors and experts in architecture and interior design, including Tomoko Azumi, Chiara Ferrari, Rachel Forster and Ian Higgins. The groups were led by Ab Rogers, head of the RCA’s interior design programme, whose studio Ab Rogers Design is devising the overall exhibition concept for the May Design Series.
Andrew Vaughan, brand director at the event’s organiser, UBM, comments: “We’re thrilled to be working with the designers of tomorrow to create two stand-out spaces within our show. We want the May Design Series to be an experience like no other, innovating and improving the worn-out trade show concept.
“The idea behind the DX Bar and Champagne Bar was to create environments for our visitor community that celebrate our design industry, and we’ve seen a really fresh perspective from each of the finalists. The students have all drawn on their individual skills and cultural backgrounds to create something new and exciting that also reflect London’s position as a global design influence.”
The judging panel includes UBM’s Andrew Vaughan and Kali Nicholson, alongside Ab Rogers, Richard Greenwood and Louise Martin from Ab Rogers Design. The two winning designs will be revealed at the opening of the May Design Series on 19th May.
