by HIGH POINT — As the International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) INNOVATION + DESIGN reputation increases so does the number of exceptional furniture entries making the judges’ jobs even more difficult in selecting finalists for this highly coveted
furniture design award. This 3rd annual furniture industry sponsored juried competition was open to professional designers who make their own products and the next generation of serious woodworking students who are anticipating a career in the custom wood and related home furnishings industries.
The INNOVATION + DESIGN competition will culminate with the announcement of the winners at the “Meet the Designers” awards celebration held at 401 W. English on the Campus of Congdon Yards in High Point, on Thursday, September 22 at 7 pm.
“We were pleased to see that once again the number of creative entries this year increased over last year’s making this award even more prestigious,” commented John Conrad, executive director of ISFD. “In the next and final round the judges will be able to experience the entries in person to select winners in each category. Also, the finalists’ projects will be uniquely photographed by more than 25 area photographers participating in the INNOVATION + DESIGN’s photographic competition and voted on by the exhibition visitors. These People’s Choice photography winners will be announced at a live celebration co-hosted with Theater Art Galleries (TAG) on October 13 th from 5-7 pm also at 401 W. English.”
Following the awards celebration, the INNOVATION + DESIGN winners’ and finalists’ projects will be on display Thursdays and Fridays from 3-7 pm and Saturdays noon-7 pm at 401 W. English until October 26. Here, the designs will be viewed by thousands of citizens living in the Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem, North Carolina area as well as industry veterans and High Point Market attendees. As a bonus, on October 22 from 3-6 pm, ISFD will host a reception where industry executives, designers and merchants will be on hand to review the finalists’ projects for potential production opportunities. All are welcome to attend.
The professional finalists are:
Justin Bailey, Lighting, Polyp Lighting
Brian Boggs, Dining Room Furniture, Crescent Table
Brian Boggs, Seating, Cio Armchair
Ashoke Chhabra, Lighting, Hourglass Chaos Floor Lamp
Erika Cross, Occasional Tables, Anvil
Joseph Holmes, Occasional Tables, Walnut Offcut Table
Stewart Junge, Dining Room Furniture, fiVO Design Bart Cart
Stewart Junge, Occasional Tables, fiVO Design MOD 5 with Accessories
Grant Kaihoi, Seating, Scaffold Bench- White Oak
Jeremy Kamiya, Occasional Tables, Desk
Cory Martin, Occasional Storage, Larder Pantry
Christopher Martin, Occasional Tables, End Cut Coffee Table
Christopher Martin, Seating, Makowa Chair
Wells Mason, Seating, Umasi Bench
Scott McGlason, Seating, RB Rocking Chair
Mark Moore, Occasional Tables, Tension Console Table
Ryan Nicholson, Lighting, Yamadera (Mountain Shrine)
Kelly Parker, Dining Room Furniture, Dreamliner Barstool
Mark Plakotoris, Lighting, Walnut Tension Floor Lamp
Adrienne Romine, Lighting, Saturn Lamp
Adrienne Romine, Seating, Arches Bench
Joshua Saltman, Seating, Occasional Chair
Bruce Schuettinger, Occasional Tables, Porta De Soul
Joel Scilley, Accessories, Black Barky Turntable
Douglas Soffe, Accessories, Venom
Douglas Soffe, Occasional Tables, Form in Motion
Justin Stabb, Accessories, Tetra Illuminated Wall System
Dean Verhoeven, Seating, Auto-Adaptive Festival Chair
Hasan Zaidi, Seating, Note Lounge
The student finalists are:
Milan Bhullar, Accessories, Multi-faceted Mirror
Milan Bhullar, Occasional Tables, Hooked On! Table
Milan Bhullar, Seating, Horizon Chair
Brooke Brady, Occasional Storage, Chess Set Curio Cabinet
Brianna Cappelli, Lighting, Solace: Chandeliers
Matthew Carr, Lighting, Push
Matthew Carr, Occasional Storage, Vice Box
Miriam Gibson, Seating, Patchwork Seating Set
Yingxin Gong, Accessories, 3L Side Table
Seth Hodges, Occasional Storage, Taian Cabinet
Anthony Isaac, Occasional Tables, Webfoot
Anthony Isaac, Seating, Indoor Chair
Jiayan Li, Seating, “Cove” (from Anicca Collection)
Elaine Mansure, Lighting, Floret
Elaine Mansure, Occasional Storage, Georgie
Gabriela Saadia Jinich, Accessories, STAV
Gabriela Saadia Jinich, Seating, Cecillia
Connor Schulz, Seating, Better Habits Chair
Stephen Thrasher, Occasional Tables, Kagome Woven Wood Table
Lecheng Wei, Seating, Hid and Seek Chair
The winners of the INNOVATION + DESIGN competition will receive cash prizes of $250-$1000 for professional and student levels in seating, occasional tables, occasional storage, lighting, accessories, and dining room furniture categories. Best of show winners will receive Congdon Yards Generator gift cards to work on any project of their choice.
Plus, as an added bonus, this year’s finalists will be interviewed for the international podcast, Design Between the Lines, and
the winners will be featured in industry publications.
INNOVATION + DESIGN 2022 is supported by ISFD , and partners: Alderman Company, Bienenstock Furniture Library, Congdon Yards , Furniture Today , High Point Market Authority, IFDA, International Market Centers , Packaging Center Inc , Phillips Collection ,Theatre Art Galleries, HPXD, The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation and Visit High Point.
