Championing Future Talent: How Balsan Is Investing in the Next Generation of Commercial Design
At Balsan, thier belief has always been that design should not only respond to the present but actively shape the future. That means more than just creating beautiful flooring solutions — it’s about nurturing the next generation of creative minds who will transform the way their commercial spaces, hotels, and workplaces look and feel.
This vision sits at the heart of the Dare Your Dreams campaign, which is a design project by Balsan that collaborates with art and design schools around the world. The project provides students with the creative freedom to design carpets, pushing the boundaries of design and expressing their unique visions. Each “Dare Your Dreams” collection showcases the work of students from different institutions, highlighting diverse cultural influences and design styles. This is a fantastic initiative designed to bridge the gap between industry and education. Balsan UK launched Volume 13 in early 2024 in collaboration with Birmingham City University’s BA (Hons) Textile Design course, the programme offers students real-world experience of commercial design processes, supported by mentoring from leading names across the sector.
Real-World Briefs, Industry Expertise
Over the course of 12 weeks, second-year students were invited to respond to a live brief set by the Balsan team — to design a commercially viable carpet concept for the hospitality sector, inspired by modern British culture. Throughout the project, students gained invaluable insights from industry specialists, covering everything from sustainable material choices and colour trends to pattern development, product rendering, and presentation skills.
To strengthen the connection between education and the wider interiors community, Balsan enlisted the support of design professionals from across the commercial sector to help guide, mentor and ultimately judge the final designs. Senior figures from firms including Gensler, CBRE, Squaredot, and Why Design Matters took part in the initiative — offering feedback, career advice, and selecting the standout designs for a showcase event in June.
Fostering Community and Collaboration
The programme’s collaborative approach is what makes Dare Your Dreams so impactful. By opening up opportunities for young designers to work alongside respected names in the industry, the campaign provides early exposure to the commercial realities of product design, specification processes, and sustainability expectations — topics often overlooked in academic settings.
The guest judging panel not only helped shape the students’ thinking but offered their time and expertise to nurture the creative community. The relationships forged during this process have led to work experience placements, networking introductions and ongoing mentorship opportunities, demonstrating the tangible benefits of collaboration between manufacturers, design practices, and education providers.
Spotlighting New Talent
The campaign culminated in a public exhibition and judging event, where shortlisted student designs were presented to a room of architects, interior designers, and hospitality specialists. Holly Travis took first place for her bold, 70s-inspired carpet concept, securing the opportunity to visit Balsan’s headquarters in France and see her design produced in sample format.
Three runners-up also received prizes, including work experience opportunities with leading design studios. The winning design will be featured in Balsan’s Dare Your Dreams digital publication — a curated book of emerging talent shared with Balsan’s commercial clients and A&D contacts throughout the UK and Europe.
A Long-Term Commitment
Dare Your Dreams is just one part of Balsan’s wider commitment to supporting emerging talent within the commercial interiors sector. In addition to university partnerships, Balsan regularly host Trend Intelligence talks and workshops, inviting design students to Clerkenwell Design Week and Balsan’s London Showroom events. These sessions allow young creatives to hear directly from trend forecasters like Scarlet Opus, and gain valuable insights into product development cycles, industry demands and sustainable material innovation.
As we head into the new academic year, Balsan are already planning to expand their work with universities, design schools and mentoring initiatives, ensuring students across the UK have access to the knowledge, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive and sustainability-driven market.
At Balsan, they firmly believe that the future of the industry lies in investing in the next generation — not only to develop new products but to inspire bold, purposeful, and responsible design thinking.
If you’d like to get involved or find out more about Dare Your Dreams campaign, get in touch with the Balsan UK team at uk.sales@balsan.com
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