Temple & Webster is working with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Built Environment to innovate its bedroom product range.
The online furniture and homewares retailer invited seven fourth year industrial design honours students to ‘reimagine bedroom furniture to elevate sleep quality, nurture wellbeing and adapt to the evolving needs of Australians’.
Additionally, two of the final year industrial design students have been chosen for internships with the brand’s recently formed 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 retail industry,” says Temple & Webster head of design and product development, Roger Wei.
“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.”
Working with emerging designers is essential to the Australian online retailer’s commitment to supporting local talent while growing its own design and product development team, he adds.
“Our team scours the globe for the latest design trends, collaborating with international industry bodies, researchers and suppliers. 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.”
Following the partnership, the products have the opportunity to potentially be produced and sold nationwide via Temple & Webster.
“As a retail business, this project has brought new design perspectives to our team, which is extremely valuable in meeting the needs of Australians through our products.”
