On display at the Show are the finalists and winning design of the inaugural Young Designer Furniture Award (YDFA) -  Australia’s first furniture design competition to commercially produce the winning design for sale across Australia for a 12-month period.

The unique competition, sponsored by Dunlop Foams, was created to encourage new ideas and innovation in the design and production of foam-based furniture in Australia. The criteria for the YDFA is that the furniture be specifically designed to meet the lifestyle needs of the young adult market (mid teens to late 20’s).

 “We are seeing some interesting designs which reflect how young people think about the space that they live in and what they want their furniture to do,” said Adriana  Rios, product development manager for Dunlop Foams.

Younger generations are spending more time on the internet, watching cable television, playing video games and using mobile phones. They are a technologically savvy generation. This has influenced how they sit, lounge, recline, sleep and ultimately how they furnish their rooms.

“Space and surrounds are also becoming increasingly important as their activities become a refection of how they live and what they do,” said Ms Rios.
“Many young people are creating living zones which roll recreation, wellbeing, social life and individual expression all into one.. As a result, one of the main characteristics being incorporated into the YDFA award designs is multi-purpose functionality.”

Among the finalist selection is a range of flexible furniture designs that can be turned from a seat while working at the computer to a bed for relaxing and watching a DVD.
“We are seeing great designs reflecting the generational needs of young Australians - designs that accommodate the activity being conducted in these living spaces, ” said Ms Rios.

With inner-city and apartment-living increasingly becoming home to students and young people, another trend noted among the YDFA design entries was the creation of easy-to-transform and compact-to-store furniture that can be adapted to different living arrangements.