iStyle: Bright young things

This week’s New Designers exhibition offers visitors the chance to buy a future design classic. Trish Lorenz tracks down the names to watch

The New Designers graduate exhibition and its satellite post-graduation show One Year On both opened at London’s Business Design Centre this week. Now in their 28th year, the events showcase the work of more than 3,000 of the UK’s design graduates.

Part Two of the show, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday next week, is worth a visit to spot the potential furniture and product-design stars of the future, while the One Year On exhibition is a good place to find interesting pieces for the home at relatively affordable prices. It is also a chance to buy products before they hit the high street.

“One Year On is a good reflection of the trends we’re likely to see in 2014,” says Joanna Feeley, director of interiors forecasting agency Trend Bible. “Next year, we’ll be seeing more products that have a tactile quality and that contrast natural with synthetic, such as Ben Esthop’s wood and acrylic bowls and Leigh Cameron’s furniture, which blends wood with concrete.”

Participants in One Year On are all in their first year of business and are selected by a design jury based on the quality of their work. This year’s line-up includes pieces ranging from Brittany Delany’s taxidermy-inspired ceramics (brittanydelany.co.uk) to Sheep of Steel, a collective of spinners who create experimental ranges of hand-spun yarn (sheepofsteel.com).

Others pieces to look out for include Katharina Eisenkoeck’s concrete and boiled leather nomadic lights (katharinaeisenkoeck.com), Serge Sanghera’s sculptural ceramics (sergesanghera.com) and Sian O’Doherty’s knitted and printed textiles (try notonthehighstreet.com). newdesigners.com