The fragility and
beauty of the Royal Bluebell flower inspired COFA student Anne Nguyen’s
winning design for the 2011 RUG UP design competition.
RUG UP, is a
collaboration between third-year
Bachelor of Design students majoring in textiles and Australian
design company, Designer Rugs.
Nguyen was one of 60
students briefed to design a rug for an organisation or company.
She designed her rug
Whispers in the Wild for the Visitors Centre at the National Botanical
Gardens in Canberra.
“I was drawn to the
burst of colour that the Bluebell, an emblem of the ACT, added to the
Australian bushland. The splashes of orange in my design are a
reflection of this lovely characteristic.”
Seeing her sketches
transformed into a commercial product was an invaluable experience for
Nguyen.
“I have never had the
opportunity to have something produced at such a large scale. I was
blown away when I saw my tiny A4 design recreated as a huge rug. It was
great to work on a brief that provided the possibility of real life
outcomes and the opportunity to see my concept realised,” she said.
Lia Pielli, Senior
Designer at Designer Rugs said winners were chosen only after the
designs were produced.
“Sometimes the
interpretation works fantastically but when its made into a product it
doesn’t work as well. It’s important to see the actual product before
making a final decision,” she said.
Pielli said Nguyen’s
floral inspired rug bucked the current trend of strong, symmetrical
patterns and designs.
Nguyen joins the ranks
of prestigious Australian artists and designers such as Akira Isogawa,
Alex Perry, Catherine Martin, Dinosaur Designs and Easton Pearson who
have all contributed to the Designer Rugs collection.
Nguyen’s winning rug
design and that of the five other finalists are on display at the
Designer Rugs Edgecliff
showroom and are available for purchase and re-order.
