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Sculptural travertine and walnut lounge chair in a sunlit stone interior

Lora Milano presents

Emerging Designer Competition 2026

Design it. We'll help bring it to life.

An opportunity for the next generation of furniture and homeware designers to take an original idea beyond design & towards a real commercial product.

Submit your designDiscover the opportunity

The vision

Great ideas deserve to exist beyond the drawing board.

Lora Milano is inviting emerging designers to submit original furniture and homeware concepts with the potential to become real world pieces.

This is more than a design competition. It is an opportunity to explore what happens when an exceptional idea meets professional development, manufacturing expertise and a platform for commercial growth.

From the first concept to the first prototype, our ambition is to help emerging talent move closer to bringing its ideas into the world.

Sculptural oxblood candle in a brass bowl on an onyx base

The prizes

A minimum of 3 winners will be given the opportunity to create something real.

What winners receive

Development, support and a route to a real product.

  • 01Funding towards development of a first commercial prototype
  • 02Professional support to refine the design for manufacture
  • 03Access to Lora Milano's manufacturing and sourcing network
  • 04Product-development support
  • 05Professional photography and launch content
  • 06Opportunity for commercial launch through Lora Milano, subject to feasibility and agreement
  • 07Designer credit across relevant product and marketing materials
  • 08There will be a commercial agreement between Lora Milano and the winners, details to be discussed
  • 09Potential opportunity to develop additional products with Lora Milano

Prototype development and commercialisation are not guaranteed and remain subject to feasibility and separate agreement.

From concept to reality

From your imagination to something real.

Pencil sketches of a sculptural chair beside a clay maquette

  1. 01

    The concept

    Submit your original design idea.

  2. 02

    The selection

    Our judging process identifies promising concepts.

  3. 03

    The agreement

    Lora Milano and the winner agree commercial terms before launch.

  4. 04

    Prototype development

    Selected concepts may progress towards professional prototyping.

  5. 05

    Refinement

    Explore materials, construction, manufacturing and product feasibility.

  6. 06

    The launch

    Where commercially viable and subject to agreement, a design may become a Lora Milano product.

  7. 07

    The next chapter

    An opportunity for your work to reach real customers.

What we want to see

Show us something we haven’t seen before.

Furniture
01Furniture
Sculptural furniture
02Sculptural furniture
Chairs and seating
03Chairs and seating
Side tables and tables
04Side tables and tables
Cabinets and storage
05Cabinets and storage
Lighting
06Lighting
Decorative objects
07Decorative objects
Home accessories
08Home accessories
Innovative functional homeware
09Innovative functional homeware

Judging principles

Originality
A distinctive idea with its own creative identity.
Design quality
Considered form, proportion, materiality and visual appeal.
Commercial potential
A design that could realistically become a product.
Manufacturability
Thoughtful consideration of materials, construction and production.
Lora Milano fit
A design that aligns with the aesthetic and positioning of a luxury homeware brand.

Be bold

Colour, drama and pieces that make people look twice.

Glossy aubergine credenza balanced on a single molten chrome foot
Plum credenza
Olive mohair wing chair cradled in a glossy lapis blue shell
Moss & lapis lounge
Fluted emerald ceramic floor lamp with brass collars and a glowing amber glass globe
Emerald & amber lamp
Oxblood marble slab cantilevered over a mirror-polished steel drum
Oxblood marble table
Hand-painted black and gold waste paper bin beside an oak writing desk

Who can apply

You don't need to have launched a product. You need a great idea.

We are looking for the next generation of design talent. Whether you are developing your practice at university, have recently graduated or are building your independent design career, we want to discover original ideas with the potential to become something real.

  • — Current university students
  • — Recent graduates
  • — Independent emerging designers
  • — Early-stage furniture designers
  • — Product and industrial designers
  • — 3D designers and creators working across furniture and homeware

No previous commercial experience is required. International applications are welcome, subject to the competition terms and applicable requirements.

The application process

Your next chapter starts with an idea.

  1. 01

    Prepare

    Develop your concept and gather 2–5 images, sketches, renders or photographs.

  2. 02

    Tell us about it

    Explain your inspiration, materials, approximate dimensions and why your design has commercial potential.

  3. 03

    Submit your application

    Complete the online application form and confirm the relevant originality and intellectual property declarations.

  4. 04

    Our review

    Applications will be assessed against the published judging principles. Shortlisted designers may be contacted for further information.

Entry is free. You may submit up to three original concepts, no account needed. A fully engineered technical pack is not required at this stage.

Start your application

Application

Submit your design.

Fields marked * are required. Everything else helps us understand your idea.

Step 1 of 5 — Your details

Your answers are saved on this device as you type.

Intellectual property and trust

Your idea. Your intellectual property.

We believe emerging designers should have the confidence to share their work without automatically giving up ownership of it.

Applicants retain ownership of their submitted designs unless and until a separate written agreement is entered into with Lora Milano. Entering the competition does not automatically transfer intellectual property ownership.

If a design is selected for commercialisation, the relevant terms will be agreed separately in writing before commercial exploitation begins.

We encourage applicants to consider protecting commercially sensitive information before publicly disclosing their work.

Competition termsPrivacy notice

Questions

Frequently asked.

Polished chrome pillow lounge chair and ottoman

Your design. Your story. Our platform.

The next exceptional piece of furniture could begin with an idea you haven't shared yet.

Submit your designExplore the competition