Earlier this year, Regent’s Interior Design final year students were asked to explore how COVID-19 has made us reconsider the notion of home and identity.
The students were challenged to imagine that in March 2020, as Regent’s University London had to close its doors during lockdown, a student or scholar stayed behind and created a concealed ‘hideaway’ within the walls of the Tate Library, at the Regent's campus in central London. The students were asked to incorporate the unique atmosphere of the library, within their design, and create a space that would reflect the essence of the place they call ‘home’.
The inspiration came from the Eiffel Tower opening 1889 when it was discovered that designer Gustave Eiffel had included a 'hideaway' for himself, 285m above the streets of Paris. The 'hideaway' was designed for Gustave to take in the wonderful views and tailored to his hobbies, it contained a grand piano and scientific equipment for him to carry out his meteorological observations.
The students all took an individual and imaginative approach to the project and incorporated the history and architecture of the Tate Library in their designs.
Regent's student, Siddhi Ghodgaonkar commented: 'It was a unique opportunity to define what ‘home’ is to us in the current context of the pandemic, and the world, when our views on belonging to a place and feeling secure somewhere are skewed. It was great to relate the design back to the campus and create a ‘home away from home' and it made me feel a connection back to the campus when I am so far away.'
See a selection of students’ work below.
Credit: Sakina Kapadia, Siddhi Ghodgaonkar, Zeinab Al-Nuaimi, Emma Perquy Diez, Henriette Rustad, Nadim El Majzoub, Rawan Abaghlaf
Interior Design Hideaway Project
