Student's Moving Washbasin to Help Elderly and Young

Graduating Design student Magdalena Musial is hoping to help improve quality of life for elderly people.

Originally from Poland, where she studied at the Academy of Art in Gdansk for four years, Magdalena graduates from the Product and Furniture Design degree at De Montfort University this July and will exhibit some of her work next month.

Her final work is a height adjustable wash basin that has been specifically designed to move up and down to suit its users needs. It is user-friendly for everyone from small children to frail and elderly. It can be used to wash just hands or from head to toe, helping to conserve water by reducing the need for showers.

Her work will be on display at Focus on the Future, De Montfort University's Degree Show, which runs at the University's campus in Leicester city centre from June 14-19. The show is one of the largest of its kind and showcases work by more than 800 graduating students in 20 different areas of art and design.

She said: 'I had heard great things about the design products course at DMU and I was impressed when I visited. I have really enjoyed undertaking projects and spending time in the workshops. Now I would love to get a design job working in a team of exciting people, centred around bathroom design.'

Magdalena is one of a number of international students who have chosen to study at De Montfort University. Other students have come from as far away as China, Shri Lanka and India.

The BA (Hons) in Product and Furniture Design is an award-winning programme designed to give students the ability to think creatively, and encourages them to challenge conventional ideas, often crossing the boundaries between furniture and product in the development of innovative solutions to changing lifestyles.

It also looks at social requirements of product and furniture design, including ergonomics, aesthetics and usability. Graduates work in consumer product, furniture and home appliance design, including in-house design for companies such as Habitat, Philips and Dyson. Skills developed are also relevant for design consultancies and freelance design, or for progressing into marketing, design management, teaching and postgraduate research.