Renew, refresh and re-imagine

Ikea has invited design students from Middlesex University to transform battered and broken pieces of furniture into cutting-edge pieces as part of its Renew, Refresh and Re-Imagine campaign.

In an attempt to shed its image as a purveyor of disposable homewares and inspire its customers into up-cycling, the student’s work will be on display at Ikea Wembley this month.

The students raided the bargain corner at Ikea and selected a variety of materials to chop, stick, weld and screw into new pieces of furniture or, in the case of Interior and Applied Arts student Sarah McCarthy, a bed-inspired sculpture.

McCarthy says, ‘There was certainly a lot of excitement when we first arrived, as we didn’t know what to expect. The timescale on this was very different to our usual projects and I found it really useful to have to make decisions quickly about what I was going to do. ’

Middlesex University course leader Tony Side says, ‘This project pushes our students to think on their feet and respond creatively to a brief in a very short timeframe.’

Design, Interior and Applied Arts final year students will exhibit their own work at Middlesex’s Art and Design Degree Show at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, from 3-6 June.