Alluminare Design Challenge
World Class Designer Search
Design Junkies, do you ever doodle in patterns?

Want to try your hand at creating fashionable patterns for light fixtures, wallpaper, home fabrics and accessories? Here’s your chance not only to give it a try, but to be recognized as a World-Class Designer!
There’s this fabulous home decor Web site called Alluminare.
Eric and Friday Shamblen started Alluminare in 2001 after Friday discovered how challenging it was to get a custom lighting fixture made for her home. As technology experts working at Cartoon Network in Atlanta, they saw the need to make the complexities of specifying custom products simpler and available over the Internet.
Today Alluminare makes all sorts of customizable products for homes and public spaces. People can go to Alluminare’s site and apply colors to its standard patterns or those from its World Class Designers. Custom-colored home decor designs. Cool, right?
But here’s what’s the coolest. Alluminare stretches the idea of custom design. What I mean is shoppers can play with the scale of patterns too.
This transforms the look of the finished product. Here’s World Class Designer Wagner Compelo’s pattern “Samba” applied to a throw pillow in different colors and scales. (Click on the image for more detail.)

And here’s Libby Unwin’s “Greg” (That’s Greg on the black and white drum shade at the start of this post too.)

See the possibilities? You can spend hours just playing on this site — trust me.
Back to the Challenge. Friday wants to expand Alluminare’s World Class Designer roster. This is where you come in.

**Update: I am thrilled to announce that Emmy Award-winning host, best selling author, and highly respected interior designer,
Christopher Lowell is our
Lead Design Judge for the Challenge!
Read the announcement here.
See the TOP TEN entries chosen by Christopher Lowell, and read his excellent commentary here.
Read the announcement of the Challenge winner here!
The Deadline Has Passed to Submit Entries to this Challenge, but please do scroll down and enjoy the hundreds of entries submitted by artists and designers worldwide.**
You are challenged to create new Alluminare® patterns!
This is a Prize Challenge! The winner will receive:
- A $300 gift code to shop at Alluminare.com (good for fabric and wallpaper shipped worldwide, and manufactured goods like light fixtures and throw pillows shipped to the U.S. and Canada.)
- Fantastic public recognition on HomeWorkshop.com.
- At Alluminare®’s option, the winner will join the ranks of its World Class Designers!!
If named a World Class Designer, your winning design (and possibly future designs) will be presented and marketed on Alluminare’s Web site. Your bio and photo will appear on the site as a World Class Designer!
As a World Class Designer you will earn royalties (paid quarterly) on the sales of your products (5% on manufactured items like pillows and light fixtures and 10% on fabrics and wallpaper). So if your pattern is wonderful like we know it will be, you can earn some money!!
So get thinking and doodling your pattern ideas! Hop over to Alluminare and check out the kinds of patterns that work well.
One aspect you’ll notice right away is these are more defined patterns than with Imageglow, with smooth edges to all design elements and a maximum of four distinct colors. On Alluminare’s site, the patterns are presented in a pre-set colorway that can be easily changed by the customer, but you will submit your designs for the Challenge in what you feel is a stylish, attractive color scheme.

You can:
- Create your original design in a computer graphics program like Photoshop, Illustrator or Indesign. Do not use images that require any kind of a licensing fee.
OR
- Create your original artwork by drawing, hand painting, etc. on art paper cut to size using the template as a guide.
In either case, Download the Instructions, File Requirements and Design Template Here. Designers ages 18+ please, and limit of six designs may be submitted per person.
When your design is done, upload it as a .jpg file to the Challenge Entry form here.
Describe a bit about what inspired you to create that pattern and why you think it will make an excellent addition to Alluminare’s repertoire.
The deadline for entries is Wednesday, May 19 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. After the entry period, our judges (including Friday) will select the top ten designs as finalists to be voted on by the HomeWorkshop.com community. Voting will go for one week after the finalists are announced. The winning design is the one with the most votes (one vote per person).
Find Alluminare®
Want to try an Alluminare product? Alluminare has just introduced FREE Shipping within the continental U.S. on all its products!
So have fun creating your patterns. I know from the last Challenge that we’ve got some world-class artists in our HomeWorkshop.com community. Can’t wait to see what you design!
Alluminare Design Challenge
- Submission Deadline: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
- Ta-Da! Challenge Results:
Monday, June 21, 2010
Next 50 entries (475 total) »
1. Jenna Desai in Santa Clara, CA, USA | 2. Jenna Desai in Santa Clara, CA, USA |
3. Jenna Desai in Santa Clara, CA, USA | 4. Jenna Desai in Santa Clara, CA, USA |
5. onlyhira in Paris, France | 6. Andre Cabral in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil |
7. Katelyn Sides in Sidney, IL USA | 8. Mayra Presotto in São Paulo, SP, Brazil |
9. J. Lindenberger in Basle | 10. Claudia in Spain |
11. SeanSymphony in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom | 12. Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines |
13. Andrew Inman in Lawrence, KS, USA | 14. Andrew Inman in Lawrence, KS, USA |
15. Andrew Inman in Lawrence, KS, USA | 16. Megan Palmer in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
17. xris in madrid spain | 18. xris in madrid spain |
19. allison gregory in austin, texas, usa | 20. Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines |
21. Orla McGovern in Carlow, Leinster, Ireland | 22. Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain |
23. Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain | 24. Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain |
25. Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines | 26. Andre Cabral in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil |
27. SeanSymphony in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom | 28. SeanSymphony in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom |
29. SeanSymphony in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom | 30. SeanSymphony in manchester, Uk, United Kingdom |
31. SeanSymphony in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom | 32. jean-philippe Paumier in Paris, France |
33. jean-philippe Paumier in Paris, France | 34. Colleen Kyhl in Grapevine, TX, USA |
35. Colleen Kyhl in Grapevine, TX, USA | 36. Helga in Reykjavik, Iceland |
37. Helga in Reykjavik, Iceland | 38. denitsa in strasbourg,france |
39. denitsa in strasbourg,france | 40. denitsa in strasbourg,france |
41. denitsa in strasbourg,france | 42. denitsa in strasbourg,france |
43. denitsa in strasbourg,france | 44. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England |
45. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England | 46. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England |
47. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England | 48. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England |
49. Elzbieta Gleske-Jarosz in Birmingham, England | 50. Eli Ainoska in Ohrid-/Macedonia |
1. From in Santa Clara, CA, USA:
Whimsical swirls designed in illustrator with the paint brush tool.
2. From in Santa Clara, CA, USA:
Fun doodle flower and swirls with some polka dots designed in illustrator with the paintbrush tool.
3. From in Santa Clara, CA, USA:
This beautiful and unique form is designed in illustrator.
4. From in Santa Clara, CA, USA:
Fun polka dots in various shapes and size designed in illustrator.
5. From in Paris, France:
”cubique” is a design created with illustrator based on a hand drawing.
using lines and minimal colors to trigger the eye and the different possibilities of the space.
it can enbody a series of colors.
6. From Andre Cabral in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil:
light shapes to light up any space
7. From in Sidney, IL USA:
This is a fun mod design. I was inspired by clean lines and shapes. Any room would be brought to life and brightened by this design!
8. From Mayra Presotto in São Paulo, SP, Brazil:
Organic lines inspired by water and the refraction of light.
9. From J. Lindenberger in Basle:
Owl pattern
10. From Claudia in Spain:
La mouche _ fly fly voló
11. From in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Inspiration came from seeing a circle from a coffee mug.
Pop art style colours using vibrant colours and seeing how they played against one another. Will easily bring life into a dull atmosphere.
12. From Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines:
This is a Table-cloth which combination of colors of fruits and image of flower and butterfly which is attractive and best for different food combination!
13. From in Lawrence, KS, USA:
A simple but stimulating pattern.
14. From in Lawrence, KS, USA:
Lines pattern
15. From in Lawrence, KS, USA:
Lines pattern
16. From in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia:
A peacock inspired pattern. Tiles seamlessly; saved as a pattern swatch in Illustrator for your convenience.
17. From in madrid spain:
HAPPY VEINS
Life makes your veins happier, longer, naughtier!
18. From in madrid spain:
TILE MADE OF X
19. From allison gregory in austin, texas, usa:
I love color, patter, pop…and of course flowers make everyone happy!
20. From Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines:
I enjoy seeing stars circle and lines when i go to sleep with combination of red and yellow sign of inspiration luck and money! Good for pillow and bedsheet! enjoy it!
21. From in Carlow, Leinster, Ireland:
Lively and retro, great to brighten up any space!
22. From Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain:
Simply, All you need is Love, version 1A
23. From Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain:
Simply, All you need is Love, version 1B
24. From Pedro Galán in Madrid, Spain:
Simply, All you need is Love, version 1C
25. From Eric S. Lumanog in manila Phillipines:
Same design but show the true meaning of stary night dreams!
for pillow and bedsheet and sofa cover! enjoy it!
26. From Andre Cabral in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo, Brazil:
leaf pattern
27. From in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Starry Skies.
A funky starry cloudless sky.
Can brighten up a room instantly.
28. From in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Brown Leaves blown away..
A wavy pattern I used to draw as a child.
This colour scheme reminds me of autumn.
29. From in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Starry Skies Squared.
Another version of my sratty skies, but a different shape and layout format
30. From in manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Squiggles on the wall.
A quick pattern I drew up the other night, when I was sleepless. 🙂
31. From in Manchester, Uk, United Kingdom:
Starry skies
Sorry, the first uploaded one was a mistake!! haha 🙂
32. From in Paris, France:
Enjoy this powerful honey-taste design spreading a vintage lounge atmosphere, reminding radical modern painting.
33. From in Paris, France:
a second negative version, factory styled.
34. From in Grapevine, TX, USA:
My design for Alluminare is simple, but i think it can create an impact. I was inspired by wind. Wind zig zags as it blows through buildings and people, mixing and overlapping as it does so. My design is versatile and can work with different color combinations. I can see this design making a great wall paper or pillow design. It can work as a trim or a repetitive pattern. Enjoy!
35. From in Grapevine, TX, USA:
I love the symmetry of circles and the contrast of blue, orange and yellow. Ta-Da!
36. From Helga in Reykjavik, Iceland:
This design is inspired by the water molecule and the interaction of them in a water solution. The dark purple circles are oxygen, the light brown circles are hydrogen, and the light green lines are hydrogen bonds. When this pattern is put together, repeated both vertically and horizontally it makes a nice subtle pattern of what looks likes spirals and flowers.
37. From Helga in Reykjavik, Iceland:
This is the same as my other entry, inspired by the interactions of water molecules but with a different color scheme, the pattern of spirals and flowers when repeated is more defined in this color scheme. It is fun to play with colors with this pattern because it really changes the look of the pattern and therefore fun to custom make.
38. From in strasbourg,france:
dancer’s profile
dynamic ballet inspired figure, a black and white to begin.
variations to come:)
39. From in strasbourg,france:
dancer’s profile
on a blue and white pattern
40. From in strasbourg,france:
dancer’s profile
a three colours version of the dancer 🙂
41. From in strasbourg,france:
and in pattern
42. From in strasbourg,france:
..dancers again looking on the same side..on dark background 🙂
43. From in strasbourg,france:
and again dancers pattern on yellow background :)…
simply
44. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Macro view – Pattern 1
45. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Repeated pattern – Pattern 1
46. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Repeated pattern – Pattern 2
47. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Macro view – Pattern 3
48. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Repeated pattern – Pattern 3
49. From in Birmingham, England:
Collection of the modern lace “Comeback to the Past” – Repeated pattern – Pattern 4
50. From Eli Ainoska in Ohrid-/Macedonia:
association of one “metal time “… where gray tones dominate…
Next 50 entries (475 total) »
Leave a Comment
Posted in Accessories, Challenge Invitations, Design, Fabric, Inspiration, Lighting on March 31st, 2010
Tags: alluminare design challenge, challenge blog, challenge invitations, design contest, fabric design, home accessories, Lighting, prize challenge
I am excited at the prospect of possibly being chosen!!! I also want to add that being a window fashion designer/ salesperson in Florida, I am hoping to incorporate your lampshades and possibly fabrics into designing more for my customers. I love you website! Do you offer wholesale to other businesses? We do have a store!!! 🙂