Be quick - submit your entries for the Design of the Year Award before June

It's your time to shine and show off that creative flair you've got! Entries for The Design Awards are flowing thick and fast so if you fancy your chances and want your design to be crowned Design of the Year, get those creative juices flowing and submit before it's too late!

Organised by the publishers of  Designer magazine, the award scheme is supported by over 30 UK suppliers (including Siemens, SMEG and Candy) and celebrates innovative design across the home.  The competition categories include:

1. Kitchen Design of the Year
2. Bathroom Design of the Year
3. Living Space Design of the Year
4. Sustainable Design accolade Award for the best environmentally friendly design

The 2010 winner for Kitchen Design of the Year (over 25k) was  Ainhoa Bilbao, Bulthaup Mayfair and for under 25k Kieron Bell, Kitchens International. Joe Burns & Geraldine Maurice, Oliver Burns Interiors were the winners of the bathroom of the Year Design and Paul McAneary, Paul McAneary Architects scooped Living Space Design of the Year.


As well as the above, an additional category opens tomorrow (1st April), Product Innovation Awards which champions real innovative design and highlights the importance of driving creativity and forward thinking.

To enter the Design Awards you need to download and entry form PDF from the Designer magazine website and send your submission before 1st June 2011.

Good Luck!

 

Image By NDA Student Karen Lane- http://autographinteriordesign.wordpress.com/

The Spring edition of VISION is out!

Hot off the press, the Vision Profile Edition explores how designers represent and market themselves and how over time, their image changes.  Inside you'll find articles on Kelly Hoppen, Jonathan Ive and  NDA student Joanna Ford, who's set up her own interior design business down under.

As well as gripping articles, tutors here at The National Design Academy, have chosen an object and favourite quote which personally represents themselves and is beautifully captured by photogropher Liam Kerrigan.

Open publication - Free publishing - More design

Liam wanted to push VISION to new heights; "the profile edition is a great way to introduce you all to our new look - design-led and dynamic."

There's also PR advice for business newbies and tips on how to break into the blogosphere. So don't waste anymore time, get yourself up to date with whats happening at the NDA and in the world of design!

Thousands of free Grand Designs Live tickets up for grabs

Hurry! There are 10,000 free tickets for the home improvement show up for grabs. Simply enter code FTGDL11 at the Grand Designs Live online booking page. Select when you want to go, how many tickets (max two) and the tickets will be sent to your email for you to print.

There are 500 available for the April/ May bank holiday(Sat 30th April – 2nd May) and the remaining 9,500 for Tues 3 May – Fri 6 May. Weekend tickets usually cost £14 but are £18 on the door, and weekday tickets £11 and £15 on the door.

The tickets are valid from Sat 30 Apr – Fri 6 May 2011, you can book online with discount code FTGDL11. The offer expires  Tuesday 31 Mar or when 10,000 tickets have gone. Maximum 2 tickets per household.

Pick the perfect Mother's Day gift

NDA student sets up successful interior design business in Australia

Joanna grew up in Australia and trained as an accountant for many years, but she couldn't suppress her creative hunger anymore. She took the plunge and enrolled on a National Design Academy Professional Interior Design Diploma and within a week she was hooked! 

Now finally doing something she's loves and enjoying every minute, Joanna runs her own interior design business Joanna Ford Interiors Design , based in Australia, which celebrates honest and thoughtful design. Joanna is proof that successfully changing careers can be achieved and lead to positive things. Read our interview with Joanna and find out how she set up her business, why she chose the NDA and much more - well done Joanna!

Spring Fair 2011 review

By James Pilling NDA Private Clients Practise Manager

Held at the NEC, Birmingham, the Spring Fair­ is the biggest UK retail trade show. Over 3,000 exhibitors displayed their products throughout 17 halls across 12 different sectors including kitchen, dining and housewares, art and framing, floral supplies and gadgets. This year an impressive 300,000 new products were launched.

The Spring Fair is a valuable resource for sourcing those all important decorative accessories such as; artwork, vases, artificial flowers, sculptures, table ware and kitchen and bathroom gadgets.

Design duo push interiors business from strength to strength

Sharon Kearney had read every curtain making book she could find, but wanted to take her skills to the next level. She enrolled on a Professional Soft Furnishings and Curtain Making diploma course at The National Design Academy, where she teamed up with old friend and fellow student Debbie.   


The two decided to take the plunge and set up their own business, Grasshoppers Interiors. Two years on, the business is flying and team Grasshopper is still going strong. Put your feet up and enjoy Sharon and Debbie's story of success.

MyDeco Mother's Day give away

MyDeco Boutique are giving away a gift every week to competition winners as a way of celebrating this years mothers day. Up for grabs this week is Digitex Union Jack wallpaper and a roller blind! All you need to do is log onto MyDeco.com and design a mood board based on the two items above, and whoever gets the most votes from the public wins the prizes!

Kim Moore, a tutor at The National Design Academy  has created a board inspired by urban chic;

"My main inspiration for this board was retro urban chic "The London Vibe". I envisaged that it would be a hallway, as I think this space is often neglected but is a place where you can have a bit of fun and be quirky. My niece is currently studying for her GCSE's so if I win then I would like to give her room a surprise makeover as a treat."

If you want to flex your creative fingertips and be in with a chance of winning some beautiful gifts for yourself or a loved one, visit www.mydeco.com and get cracking!

Click here to vote for Kim’s mood board or to have a gander at other submissions. You do need to register to vote or design a board, it is free, so follow the site instructions then you can get starte

Up-cycling is the hottest new trend

NDA student Karen lane loves restoring old and unused furniture, she often looks for second-hand goods "up-cycle". With times of austerity upon us, "up-cycling" is becoming the hottest new way of re-decorating without the huge price tag.

Here, Karen gives us some examples of pieces she's restored and how she went about doing it! So if you fancy re-vamping a room or particular piece of furniture check out Karens tips below. Or, if you'd like Karen to sprinkle some of her design magic on your old furniture, you can contact her through her website Autograph Interior Designs.

If your inspired by Karens designs and fancy sprucing up on your design skills and want to gain credible qualifications, you can visit our website www.nda.ac.uk. You can also check out our tutor team and read interviews from our past and present students for more information about what the NDA can offer you.

Jamie Oliver's Italian cave of toilets

Yesterday evening, after a busy day, the NDA team went to the new Jamie's Italian restaurant in Nottingham. Our PR Executive had been very impressed with the one in London and was curious how the Notts branch would compare - food and interior wise!

When we arrived we had a great surprise and were all amazed by the high ceilings, Victorian colour scheme, and our favorite part - the toilets!!! Click to see more!