Let there be LIGHT

As in previous years, we are offering a creative platform for solo brands, studios, and emerging workshops at the nation’s only home design exhibition. Our design competition allows eight winners to bring their unique vision to life at S/ALON BUDAPEST between September 20 and 22, 2024, at the Budapest Arena. This year’s central theme is light, giving you the freedom to explore and create complete interiors and progressive installations at the year’s most exciting interior design and home decor event, with the organizers’ support.

Interested? Read on to learn more about the initiative, the theme, and the application process!

Theme: LIGHT

Light is a fundamental element of perception, adding depth, character, and dynamism to space, whether from natural or artificial sources. It can provide an unusual experience or completely redefine the structure of a space. This complex and multifaceted phenomenon offers a wide array of creative and innovative solutions.

Installations may incorporate various light refraction techniques, colored light sources, designer lamps, iridescent surfaces, and smart lighting solutions. We aim to realize designs that treat light as a multifunctional tool, boldly combining different techniques and materials.

The goal of the competition is to open new dimensions in interior design and home decor through the creative and inspiring application of light, showcasing its infinite potential. We are looking for installations where light not only illuminates but also creates a narrative.

An Unparalleled Opportunity

This year, we provide the opportunity for eight designers or design teams to showcase their work in eight separate spaces of either 10.54.5 meters or 8.55 meters. We are accepting concepts and specifications until midnight on July 31, 2024, with winners to be notified by August 10, 2024.

The application must include a short concept description, mood board, scaled floor plan, hand-drawn and/or 3D visualizations, an introduction, and a filled application form. The winners will then need to produce detailed visual plans, construction plans, and specifications.

We place a high priority on stimulating the design profession, so in addition to financing the implementation, we support the selected designers and their work with dedicated social and PR communication on our website, newsletters, and paid social media communications. Moreover, the winning designers will personally represent their work over the three days of the event, forming valuable connections.

Looking Back at Previous Competitions

We continue a great tradition with this competition. Since the inception of S/ALON BUDAPEST in 2018, exciting designer interiors have awaited visitors, with the first official thematic design competition launched in 2019. The theme then was the maximalist essence, each space reflecting a different facet of this style.

In 2021, participants created reception interior concepts centered around Wendy Morrison’s exotic, hand-knotted rugs. The 2022 Hypnagogia design competition captured the diffuse connection between reality and the dream world, translating these ideas into realizable installations.

The most recent 2023 Flower Power spaces featured live and dried flowers, sustainable, recycled, and natural materials, abstract concepts, handmade floral creations and decorations, AI-generated artworks, and even a wheat field in the exhibition space’s center. Our summary article highlights the 12 winners from last year and showcases the spaces they envisioned through on-site photos.

Bring Your Dreams to Life at S/ALON BUDAPEST!

If you’d like to participate in the design competition, carefully read the application guidelines (available in Hungarian for download here) and our application form! Submit the completed application along with the specified designs to our contact email address.

The images in the application guidelines serve as inspiration; it is not mandatory to replicate the depicted styles, tools, and solutions. Evaluation will prioritize originality, creativity, color harmony, detail richness, and concept development.

The best entries will be selected by the S/ALON BUDAPEST professional team based on the quality, content, and suitability of the work. The winning designers can implement their concept designs at the September event with the support of the S/ALON BUDAPEST 2024 team and products offered by exhibitors. Don’t miss this unique opportunity!

Application Guidelines (Hungarian)
Application Form (Hungarian)