Newport Girls High School Student Wins Bloor Homes Design Competition
Newport Girls’ High School student Ionee Waters has won the opportunity to have her interior design ideas brought to life when Bloor Homes launches its new showhomes at its nearby Hutchison Gate development located in Newport, Shropshire this April.
‘A Level’ Product Design students at the school were invited to enter the competition, and all the entries had excellent ideas and ‘mood boards.’ But it was Ionee’s design that was selected as the winning entry by Michele Rose, Sales Director at Bloor Homes’ Midlands region, and Lydia Southwell, Client Service Manager at the company’s design partner, Artspace Interior Design.
Lydia visited the school to talk about interior design and provide a brief to the Year 12 students, based on the layout of the 4 bedroom ‘Dorneywood’ showhome.
Lydia said: “It was lovely to see the students’ creative ideas come together. They had all maximised the use of space and thought practically about storage too. We loved the mix of patterns and well thought out and concise themes, but Ionee’s design was chosen overall because she had put a lot of thought into every detail, with colours and textures working well together. We are really looking forward to bringing Ionee’s ideas to life and can’t wait for her to see the result before the showhome launches in the Spring.”
Ionee, who is considering a career in architecture or interior design, said: “I was really excited to be given the opportunity to put my thoughts and ideas into practise in the real world. The brief gave ample scope for creativity and original ideas which I used in my final design. Learning about how the interior design industry approaches projects was invaluable. It has really helped me to understand the actual processes and steps taken to create vibrant exciting spaces.
Winning the competition will definitely help with my portfolio and any future university applications - to be able to say I won as well is an added bonus! I can’t wait to see the finished room to see how my design translates into the actual setting. I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition and didn’t expect to win so to do so was the icing on the cake!”
Ionee and her classmates have been invited to visit the new development during the showhome decorating phase, and Ionee will be able to see ‘her’ room in real life before the showhomes launch in April.
Robert Williams, Head of Art and Design and Technology at Newport Girls High School said: “We are very lucky to have this opportunity of participating in a design challenge and competition with Bloor Homes and Artspace Interior Design. This has provided our A Level Product Design students with a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience and see first-hand how the creative industry works.
Working with real clients and companies allows students to gain practical experience in the field, which can help them to better understand the design process and the challenges that they may face in the industry. It also allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the creative sector and market trends which is vital for a designer. The opportunity to work with real clients can give students a better understanding of the client's needs and preferences, which is essential in the product design industry.
This opportunity will also help them to build a strong portfolio of design work to showcase their skills and abilities, which can be beneficial for applying to further education or pursuing a career in the field later.”