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The School of Built Environment at UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture has partnered with online furniture and homewares retailer to give students in the Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) program a chance to see their design concepts produced and sold nationwide.

Seven students were challenged to create products that reimagined bedroom furniture to elevate sleep quality and nurture wellbeing as the needs of Australian sleep spaces evolve. The students presented their research and ideas in several critique sessions with Temple & Webster buyers and designers, aiming for their concepts to be considered for further development and potential future sales.

At the end of the three-week program, the students presented their final design concepts for multi-purpose bedroom furniture and lighting, including a customisable bedhead with storage, a bedside table charging station, and an intelligent wall light. Temple & Webster also chose two students to intern with their Design and Product Development team to continue developing product designs for the Temple & Webster bedroom range.

Dr Mariano Ramirez, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Director of Industrial Design at the School of Built Environment says creating opportunities for students to gain real-world exposure and outcomes increases their ability to transition into the working world after their studies.

“At UNSW, our process to select industry partners is guided by alignment to our education goals which are innovation, commitment to sustainability and real-world impact,” Dr Ramirez says. “We seek partners who share our commitment to these values and who can offer tangible learning experiences that complement our academic rigour.

“The partnership with Temple & Webster was particularly compelling due to their leadership in the online furniture and homewares market and their commitment to design excellence.”

Ed Ko, convenor of the IDES4111 Advanced Studio course in which the collaboration took place, worked with the students over the 3-week program, guiding them in developing their ideas.

“This is real-world experience but done in a safe way where we get to try things that the students have never necessarily done or experienced before,” Mr Ko says.

Working with emerging designers is essential for Temple & Webster’s commitment to supporting local talent and growing its own Design and Product development team.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support the next generation of designers and offer them real-world experiences of what it’s like to work in the online furniture and homewares industry,” says Roger Wei, Head of Design & Product Development at Temple & Webster. “We’ve been blown away by the innovative thinking and quality of the responses and hope to bring a number of them to life for these talented students.

“Partnering with UNSW has enabled us to share our expertise with the next generation of homegrown talent and tap into a cohort brimming with innovative ideas.”

Industrial Design student and Temple & Webster intern Matthew Rajchert recognises the opportunity for the partnership to connect retailers with emerging talent.

“Entering into any career can be challenging, so I’m thrilled to have a pathway into a role in Industrial Design,” Mr Rajchert says. “Partnerships like this are invaluable in helping students develop essential aspects of their careers beyond the classroom, advancing skills and gaining a deep understanding of business imperatives and networking that are critical in the workplace.”

As part of the internship, Matthew and fellow Industrial Design student Hongjun Qian will also work across other furniture and homeware categories and meet buyers, category managers, and suppliers to experience the complete cross-functional product design process.

“We’re thrilled to welcome our new colleagues to the team,” Mr Wei says. “They’ve shown great promise and will be able to help bring their creations to life and hopefully add them to the thousands of products available at Temple & Webster.

“We look forward to seeing their success and hope to work with UNSW again to offer more students these types of real-world experiences and opportunities.”

The collaboration will continue next year, with Temple & Webster partnering with the School of Built Environment for a full-semester program.

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