Blinds Direct Student Designs Challenge 2021 winner
CLOSED | Blinds Direct Student Design Challenge returns for 2022
The Blinds Direct Student Design Challenge 2022 offers aspiring designers the chance to see their your very own fabric design available to everyone on blinds, curtains and cushions.
To get fired up for the challenge, take a look at the inspirational winning design from the 2021 challenge. Contestants explored the theme Who Am I? and the winner, chosen by a panel of experts including guest judge Good Homes editor Karen Walker, was Marna Alberts of Norwich University of the Arts, whose new design for blinds celebrated her South African heritage.
As a leading manufacturer of quality home furnishings Blinds Direct was delighted to showcase Marna’s exceptional design.
Blinds Direct Student Designs Challenge 2021 winner Marna Alberts
African influences
‘I’ve been so lucky to have been exposed to a nation of people whose creativity knows no bounds,’ says Marna. ‘In Africa, art is for everyone, not just the educated or ‘talented’, and is how we, as a multinational and multilingual nation, express ourselves.’
Connecting with nature
What Marna misses most about her homeland is the connection with nature, which inspired her design. ‘I love walking barefoot and climbing trees, so moving to a concrete jungle like London has often left me feeling deprived of Mother Nature’s touch, and this has been exacerbated by Covid 19,’ she explains.
‘My design strives to re-establish not only my own connection with the natural world, but that of the consumer.’ Judge and Blinds Direct trend specialist Ana Zuravliova loved Marna’s design. ‘We’re sure she has a successful future in design ahead of her, and if entries for the Blinds Direct Student Design Challenge 2022 are as bold and dynamic, we’re sure to have another excellent challenge.’
Explore Marna’s design
Inspired by nature and her South African heritage, Marna’s winning print design would be a great starting point for any design scheme. To add an element of pattern to a bathroom or kitchen, bring in a simple roller blind, from £19.83. For a softer touch in a bedroom, consider a Roman blind, from £21.12.
Marna’s design lends itself beautifully to the loose folds of curtains, from £23.73, ideal for a living room or bedroom. And by linking in those all-important finishing touches, such as cushions, from £50, and lampshades, from £58.96, the entire scheme will come together.
Marna Alberts’ winning design from the Blinds Direct Student Designs Challenge 2021
Find out more
If you’ve been inspired by Marna’s story and would like to try your hand at designing, why not enter Blinds Direct’s Student Design Challenge 2022?
‘Our 2022 challenge, Visions of the Future, offers a treasure trove of inspiration,’ says Ana. ‘Entrants should pick an exciting topic that considers how life will be in the future. The winning entry will be one that creatively expresses it in a way our customers will love.’
Details of how to enter will be posted in early 2022 on Blinds Direct’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. In the meantime, find out more at see blindsdirect.co.uk