A post-modernist vision of a hotel room has won two talented students a Dh15,000 ($4,084) prize for their university at Index 2008, the largest interiors event in the Middle East and Asia.

Index is hosting the winners of Al Habtoor Interiors' Young Designers Award on a specially designed stand featuring a mock up of the hotel room and artists’ impressions of work by the winners and runners up.

Sponsored by Al Habtoor Interiors, a pioneer in interior design solutions, the awards are aimed at encouraging creative talent within UAE universities.

“We set out to create something out of the ordinary,” said Shant Krichelian, one of the two final year students of the School of Architecture and Design at the American University of Sharjah whose entry won the top prize in Al Habtoor Interior’s Young Designers Award.

Second placed in the awards with a Dh10,000 prize was a team from Ajman University made up of interior design students Tarek Karaly, Ahmed Hamdy and Mohammed Ziddan. Third placed with a Dh5,000 prize was a team from Mahe Manipal University that included Gurpreet Kaur, Sabrina Kenssous and Sherin Samuel.

The world's major suppliers of furniture, fixtures and fittings are taking part in Index. Nearly 1800 companies from 60 countries are exhibiting in this year’s event, which runs until December 7.-TradeArabia News Service