ELITE DESIGN AWARDS 2025
Rachel Forster and Ella Doran – A ROOM WITHIN A ROOM Utility and sustainable beauty
Third prize
Rachel Forster and Ella Doran have known each other for twenty-five years; Rachel is an interior architect while Ella designs products and fabrics. They have several things in common: for one thing, both grew up in atmospheres of artistic creativity. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by how good design can improve people’s lives,” says Rachel. Ella, meanwhile, learned how to work with wood and fabrics at a very early age. Both went on to careers in the world of design and artistic
creation. Rachel graduated from the Royal College of Art in London and founded Forster Inc in Shoreditch; in recognition of her work, in 2007 she was nominated Interior Designer of the Year by 100% Design. Ella, who teaches at the Royal College of Art alongside her own studio practice, is known and acclaimed for her keen eye and vibrant use of colour. Both women are also committed to an approach based on the circular economy, seeking to design sustainable products that can be dismantled and reused; indeed, that was the thinking behind their
design of ‘A Room Within a Room’, a remarkably elegant four-poster bed that combines Ella’s expertise in fabrics with Rachel’s construction knowhow. Their contemporary interpretation of the genre, inspired by the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh as seen in Hill House, Glasgow, secured them a place on the podium at the 2025 Elite Design Awards. “We’re really proud to have been presented with this Elite award in their Milan showroom,” they say. “All we have to do now is enjoy a good night’s sleep in the bed in question!”
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