This year’s Design LAB project brief invited students from MA Interior and Spatial Design to explore both historic and contemporary interpretations of the vertical stripe in wallpaper design.
Ethan Wang’s visually striking design reveals a delightful floral surprise upon closer examination, while Min Jeong Park demonstrates meticulous craftsmanship through her careful hand-drawing technique.
Jessie Wang pushes creative boundaries by reimagining our relationship to urban environments through vibrant geometric forms, and Seokyung Jeong creates an entirely new atmospheric experience.
Together, this collection transforms the humble stripe, signaling a fresh, contemporary attitude toward this timeless design element.
The diverse range of responses made selecting final designs challenging, ultimately leading us to choose works that boldly challenged conventional approaches through innovative explorations of colour, repeat patterns, and scale.
Tell us about your design process.
EW: “I began with a clear geometric grid to make sure the pattern could repeat and function well. Once the structure was stable, I introduced hand-printing so subtle shifts and textures remained. The grid provides order; the hand-painted element brings character. For me, the process is about holding discipline and instinct at the same time.”
JC: “My design process began with personal memory and cultural reflection. I abstracted visual elements from Aeroplane Chess (also known as Ludo), focusing on movement, repetition, and layered paths rather than literal imagery. These ideas were combined with observations of London’s overlapping routes, underground maps, and neighborhoods. Colour was developed through inspiration from Malaysian kuih, while diamond motifs drawn from Baba-Nyonya kopitiam tiles grounded the design in my Malaysian-Chinese identity.”
Golden Flowers by Ethan Wang
Lapis by Jessie Chen
What excited you most about this project?
EW: “I was most excited by shaping a product while keeping my own way of thinking inside it. I did not separate commercial work from personal expression. Instead, I searched for the space where they meet. That overlap is where the design feels most alive to me. “
Stripes could be interpreted very literally; how did you get creative with the theme?
JC: “Instead of using stripes as simple lines, I treated them as layers, routes, and intersections. The stripes are broken into fine linework, stacked and interrupted to suggest movement and exploration rather than decoration. Their intersections create rhythm and direction, similar to journeys through a city or a game board. By folding stripes into geometric forms, the pattern becomes spatial, playful, and experiential. “
What was the most challenging part?
SJ: “The biggest challenge was preparing a seamless file for printing, especially converting hand-drawn pastel drawings into digital graphics without losing their softness.”
EW: “Knowing when to stop refining. It is easy to polish everything until it becomes too smooth and loses character. I wanted to keep small irregularities, such as slightly uneven edges and quiet textures, without losing clarity. That required restraint and trust. Trust that design does not need to be perfect to be strong, and that subtle details can carry meaning.”
Did you have a specific room or individual in mind when designing your wallpaper?
SJ: “I imagined a slightly worn, lived-in room rather than a new or perfectly finished space, which felt more appropriate for the nostalgic theme. I also thought about myself as a child while designing it. Those memories naturally include my grandmother and my mother as well.”
Tuned Mist by Seokyung Jeong
MJP: “I imagined it as the wall someone might look at during the quietest moments of their life—a wall that feels calm yet quietly brave, offering a sense of comfort and strength.”
The Waterfall by Min Jeong Park
What is your favorite thing about your design?
SJ: “I usually do not use strong colours, but for this project I chose a bold yellow to change the space dramatically, almost like a set. In the end, that decision feels right. “
EW: “My favorite element is the golden hibiscus hidden in the deep blue. From a distance, the pattern feels calm and structured. When you move closer, something gentle appears. The hibiscus is often seen as a symbol of quiet strength and resilience, a soft flower that continues to bloom. I liked the idea of that strength growing quietly within the structure. “
Are there any other products or surfaces you would like to apply your designs to?
SJ: “I think the stripe pattern could also work well on geometric or box-shaped furniture, where the pattern would still read clearly and feel intentional.”
Is there a dream project or client you’d like to work for in the future?
JC: “I’d love to collaborate with artists like Yinka Ilori and Hannah Lim, whose work celebrates colour, culture, and storytelling in bold, joyful ways. Dream projects for me would be pop-ups, festivals, and installation-based works where space becomes an experience rather than a backdrop. I’m especially excited by collaborations with brands that are open to play, experimentation, and cultural storytelling. Projects that invite people in, spark curiosity, and feel a little unexpected. “
What do you hope viewers take away from your design?
EW: “I hope viewers feel free to slow down and approach the work in their own way. The design does not explain itself all at once. If someone chooses to look closer and discovers something small and unexpected, that moment matters. It shows that even within clear structure, there is still room for warmth and quiet discovery. “
JC: I want viewers to question what a space really is. Constantly navigating between cultures shapes how I approach design, as something layered with emotion, memory, and the unseen. I hope viewers become more aware of the hidden and forgotten layers within spaces: cultural traces, personal histories, sensory moments that are often overlooked. I want my designs to blur boundaries, invite curiosity, and encourage people to feel, imagine, and reconnect with space beyond what is immediately visible.”
MJP: “I hope viewers find their own memories and feelings reflected in the design, and feel inspired to create in their own way.”
‘Vertical Adjacencies’ wallpapers retails at £98/roll.
This wallpaper is proudly made and printed by John Mark in Preston, Lancashire. Please allow a 2-3 week lead time.
For samples please contact us at notjustashop@arts.ac.uk.