ELITE DESIGN AWARDS 2025
ELITE DESIGN AWARDS 2025
Turning dreams into reality: Milan 2025
Rachel Forster and Ella Doran – A ROOM WITHIN A ROOM Utility and sustainable beauty
Third prize
UK entrants Ella Doran (left) and Rachel Forster (right) won third prize. They are pictured here with the Swiss Consul Stefano Lazzarotto and François Pugliese.
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!”
It was on the sidelines of Milan Design Week, during the Salone del Mobile 2025, that our Elite Gallery in Milan — located at the very heart of the event, in the vibrant Brera district — hosted the two winning projects of the Elite Design Awards 2025. Our workshops in Aubonne worked with dedication and precision to bring these two award-winning beds to life: ANDE, a contemporary, minimalist bed that celebrates noble materials such as walnut wood and bouclé wool fabric; and MAY, a floral bed that evokes the promise of spring. The four finalists travelled to Milan to receive their awards and to discover their creations — now tangible objects shaped from wood and fabric. It was an emotional evening for these four women designers — winners of our 2025 competition — who witnessed firsthand the exceptional creative power of Elite and the craftsmanship capable of giving form to even the boldest visions.
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