Archive for July 6th, 2006
By Sharon Pian Chan
Seattle Times staff reporter
In the ongoing saga of the new King County building, Executive Ron Sims has asked for $6.8 million for new furniture while Councilman Bob Ferguson wants to make sure the county first looks at buying used.
The council’s Capital Budget Committee, which Ferguson chairs, plans to meet today to discuss the latest Sims-council tug of war over the $100 million building expected to open in June.
Sims sent his funding request to the council in May to furnish the building for 1,500 employees. He said the $6.8 million estimate is based on buying all new workstations and conference-room furnishings, but he plans to research the possibility of buying used furniture. The county built the new office to consolidate operations and stop paying for leased office space.
Ferguson, D-Seattle, said he has several questions he wants answered before approving the request.
“I want more than a wink and a nod that we’re going to examine the used-furniture market,” he said. “I want to make sure we’re exploring if that’s feasible.”
According to a council staff report, buying used furniture would save the county $2.8 million.
Also, Ferguson doesn’t want to pay for any furniture until he sees a space plan, a complete list of departments that will move into the building. The council requested it in March and Ferguson asked for it again in a June letter to Sims.
“It seems like an important piece of information as we make a decision on $7 million of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Earlier this year, Sims and the council tussled over whether Sims, who uses leased space in the Columbia Center, would move into the new building at Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street or back to the courthouse, where the council works. In March, the council went against Sims’ wishes and ordered him to move back to the courthouse.
Sims says the council needs to finish work on the ordinance that determined his office’s future location.
“Our understanding is they’re working on resolving what they need to modify in the ordinance, then we will send the space plan over to them,” said Sandeep Kaushik, Sims’ spokesman.
Ferguson says he doesn’t see how the two are related.
“The new office building has nothing to do with the executive’s eventual move to the courthouse,” he said.
In his letter, Ferguson wrote, “I am compelled to withhold review of the funding request” until the space plan is submitted.
Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com
July 6th, 2006
— Furniture Today,
PHOENIX — Manufacturer and importer SLF has finalized a deal to show at the Las Vegas market for the first time next year in one of the larger spaces in the World Market Center’s Building B.
SLF, formerly Samuel Lawrence Furniture, will show in 15,600 square feet when the building opens for the January market.
Earlier, the company also announced it was expanding its High Point market space because of the success of the new home office and youth lines it launched in April. For the same reason, SLF wanted a large area in the World Market Center.
CEO George Revington said SLF wants to show its top-selling case goods lines in addition to the growing new categories. He noted that Las Vegas is close to the company’s headquarters operation here, where it is adding to its capabilities.
“We are growing our warehouse distribution in Phoenix to accommodate our expanding mixed-container program along with the introduction of a piece-at-a-time order fulfillment,” he said. “Accommodating our customers’ growing demands is our top priority, so expanding to Vegas just made sense.”
July 6th, 2006
Mel Ziegler’s ‘Untitled’
If you haven’t caught the current art exhibit at UNT during its two-month-plus run, there’s still time. Furniture as Metaphor presents the work of nine artists from around the world who attempt to bring mystery and artistry to chairs, tables, and other objects that we all use every day.
Furniture as Metaphor: Contemporary Sculpture and the Poetics of Domesticity, thru Tue. UNT Art Gallery, west of Mulberry & Welch sts, Denton. 940-565-4316.
July 6th, 2006
Furniture Today,
NEW LONDON, N.C. — The Aug. 4 deadline is approaching for submitting entries for the 2006 Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards, organized by the American Society of Furniture Designers.
That’s also the deadline for nominating candidates for the second annual ASFD President’s Award, which honors talented young furniture designers.
Pinnacle and President’s Award winners will be honored at a High Point market gala on Monday, Oct. 16, in the International Home Furnishings Center ballroom.
Now in its 11th year, the Pinnacle Awards competition promotes outstanding furniture design by recognizing designers in the retail home furnishings industry. Entries may be made in 15 categories: accessories, bedroom, casual dining, formal dining, home entertainment, home lighting, home office, juvenile, leather upholstery, major collections, motion upholstery, occasional storage, occasional tables, stationary upholstery and summer/casual.
The President’s Award was created to honor the memories of the late David Kline, Roger Schneeman and Alan Friedman, who were furniture designers and ASFD presidents since 1997. It is open to any staff or freelance furniture designer who will be 35 years of age or younger on Oct. 16. Portfolios will be judged on designs manufactured for the North American retail home furnishings market.
Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by an employer, co-worker or client. The criteria for judging will include signs of exceptional creativity, exhibited ability to learn and grow, and contributions to the furniture industry.
Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the awards this year and is participating in the planning and execution of the October awards banquet.
The 2006 Pinnacle Awards sponsors include APA — The Engineered Wood Assn., Appalachian Hardwood Mfrs. Inc., Elmo Leather, FurnitureFan, Furniture Style, Hafele America, Hickory Springs Mfg., Home Furnishings Business, Home Lighting & Accessories, Leggett & Platt, The October Co., Weyerhaeuser and the World Market Center Las Vegas.
Entry forms, including requirements and eligibility rules for the awards, are available for downloading at www.asfdpinnacle.com, or by calling the ASFD at (910) 576-1273 or by e-mail at info@asfd.com.
July 6th, 2006
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Investigators said an arsonist is to blame for starting a fire that consumed a furniture store in Kissimmee.
Flames were spotted at the Furniture Landing store on North Orange Blossom Trail around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, WESH 2 News reported.
Firefighters said when they arrived at the store, they couldn’t even go inside because the roof was about to collapse. The store is a total loss.
The state fire marshal said someone ignited a row of mattresses in the middle of the store.
Investigtors said the family that owns the store had closed up earlier in the day because business was slow. Detectives said there was no evidence of burglary or of a break-in.
The owners of the furniture store said they were out on their boat on the Kissimmee lakefront enjoying the Fourth of July fireworks when a friend called to say their business was in flames. David Mitchell said that he has only been at the location on North Orange Blossom Trail for about six months.
Mitchell said he has no enemies, so he has no idea who would have started the fire.
Customers who showed up for furniture on Wednesday got unpleasant news.
“I bought it on the 3rd, and now I come to pick up the furniture, and it’s gone,” said customer Victor Perez.
For now, Mitchell said he can only take customers’ names. There’s no hope of anything being salvaged in the mess, he said.
Copyright 2006 by WESH.COM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
July 6th, 2006
Furniture belonging to five Polish people has ended up on a loyalist bonfire in Londonderry, it has emerged. It followed the stabbing of a Polish man at the same house on the Fountain Estate a day earlier on Saturday.
The Polish Welfare Association denied claims that the occupants of the house, had been involved in a rowdy party.
A settee and fridge freezer were among items on the bonfire. Community leaders in the estate condemned the attack.
Speaking on Wednesday, Katrina Kordula of the Polish Welfare Association said it was fortunate that the two married couples and a single man had left the house at the time.
“Thankfully we had the members of the house removed by four o’clock that afternoon,” she said.
“There’s no doubt in our mind that if they had been in the house that evening, we could have been looking at a murder investigation.”
‘Ashamed’
Fountain estate resident William Jackson said he felt ashamed.
“No matter what happens down that other end (of the estate), if it has been put around that it’s from the Fountain, everybody gets branded the same,” he said.
“I totally condemn it - it shouldn’t have happened.”
On Saturday morning, a gang called at the house occupied by the Poles and stabbed a man in the leg. He also suffered a cut to his hand.
Police said a racial motive for the attack was one line of inquiry.
The next day at about 1600 BST, most of the furniture was taken from the house in a burglary and ended up on the bonfire.
July 6th, 2006
The state fire marshal is investigating a massive fire that destroyed a furniture store in Kissimmee, Fla., Tuesday night.
Firefighters responded to reports of flames at the Furniture Landing store located in the 2700 block of Orange Blossom Trial in Kissimmee at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Firefighters entered the building and tried to extinguish the fire but were forced to retreat when the roof showed signs of collapsing.
“(The flames) were just shooting up,” witness Michael Hill said. “With the kids, they were like, ‘Oh my Gosh.’ They didn’t know what was going on.”
The owner, David Fletcher, told Local 6 News he was watching July Fourth fireworks when he received the call that the building was on fire.
Customers who had purchased furniture inside the building are asked to return to the store site for information.
An investigation into the cause of the fire continues.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
July 6th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
The results of our monthly survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors were somewhat disturbing at first glance. New orders fell 13 percent from April 2005 and were down 26 percent from March.
While we had heard that business was slow in April, we had not heard that it was that bad. We believe the timing of the furniture market had a great deal to do with the reported declines. In 2005, the market dates were April 14 through the 21st. Therefore market orders and some follow-up orders would have been included in April 2005 orders. The 2006 market was April 27 to May 4. Accordingly, many of the market orders may not have been included in the reported April numbers.
Almost 80 percent of the participants reported decreases in April-over-April results. Year-to-date, new orders through April were up 1 percent, but again, we believe the market orders impacted those results as the orders were up 5 percent through March. We hope we see much improved May results.
Shipments and Backlogs. Shipments fell 6 percent in April versus April 2005. Again some of that decrease may have been somewhat impacted by the late market, although not to the same degree. As with orders, almost 80 percent of the participants reported a decline in shipments although not to the same extent. The April decrease in shipments brought the year-to-date shipment levels to about even with the first four months of last year. We will have to see what the results are through May to see if our market theory works.
Backlogs fell to 6 percent from March levels and were 3 percent lower than last April. This was caused by the lower rate of new orders and a smaller decline in shipments.
Receivables and Inventories. Receivables only fell 1 percent from last April, but that is not really out of line with year-to-date shipments, although not off as much as might be expected due to the monthly decline of shipments. Again, timing may be an issue with receivables.
Inventories were up 1 percent from March levels and were basically even with last April. Last April, inventories were up 6 percent over the previous year, when shipments were up 4 percent. Inventory levels appear to have stabilized over the last few months.
Factory Payrolls and Employment. Factory payrolls declined 13 percent in April compared to April 2005 and were down 16 percent from March. There is normally some decline in April versus March results, but not normally as much as this report. Year-to-date, factory payrolls are now down 7 percent compared to 5 percent for the first three months. These declines do indicate that business, exclusive of the market issues, was soft in April.
The number of factory employees are down 5 percent compared to last April, but were even with March results. With payrolls down, it appears that there was some short time in April.
National: The Beige Book report, which is a summary report put out by the Federal Reserve, indicated that economic activity continued to expand from mid-April to early June, but indicated that there were signs of deceleration. Activity moderated in four districts, Atlanta, Kansas City, Richmond and San Francisco and the New York district noted increased concerns about the outlook for the second half. Overall, the reports were for the most part mixed.
The final report was out on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The report indicated that the real gross domestic increased in the first quarter at an annualized rate of 5.6 percent. This compared to a 1.7 percent increase in the fourth quarter and preliminary estimates of 5.3 percent. The first quarter increase reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures, exports, equipment and software, and federal government spending. Imports, a subtraction from the GDP, increased.
Leading Economic Indicators: The Conference Board report indicated that the U.S. leading index decreased 0.6 percent in May, while the coincident index increased 0.1 percent and the lagging index increased 0.2 percent.
The leading index decline was the third in the last six months. The largest negative contributors were initial claims for unemployment insurance (inverted) and the index of consumer expectations. Only three of the indicators increased–manufacturers’ new orders for non-defense capital goods, manufacturers’ new orders for consumer goods and materials and interest rate spread. From November to May, the index has dropped 0.2 percent.
The coincident index indicators were all positive except for industrial production. Five of the seven lagging indicators advanced led by commercial industrial loans outstanding, average prime rate charged by banks and the change in labor cost per unit of output.
Consumer Confidence: The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which decreased in May, increased slightly in June. The index increased to 105.7 in June up from 104.7 in May. The Present Situation Index decreased to 132.7 from 134.1. The Expectation Index increased to 87.6 from 85.1 last month.
“The slight bounce-back in confidence this month was a result of the moderate improvement in consumers’ expectations,” said Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “Despite the up-tick, consumers remain concerned about the short-term outlook. Furthermore, Present Situation Index lost ground for the second consecutive month, a signal that the economy is shifting into lower gear heading into the second half of this year.”
The University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers also indicated slight improvements. The Index of Consumer Sentiment was 84.9 in June, up from 79.1 in May, but well below the 96.0 recorded in June 2005. Most of the loss from last year was attributed to consumers’ future economic prospects.
The Index of Consumer Expectations rose to 72.0 in June from 68.2 in May, but still significantly below the 85.0 recorded in June 2005. The Current Economic Conditions Index rose to 105.0 in June, up from 96.1 in May.
“Despite high gas prices and rising interest rates, consumer confidence improved in June,” according to Richard Curtin, the Director of the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers. The rebound moved consumer confidence back toward its average level during the past 50 years, although it still remains substantially below the year earlier figure. “Rather than a free-fall in confidence that has sparked recessions in the past, consumers have demonstrated a resilience based on a newfound sense of long-term economic stability,” according to Curtin. While consumers will curtail their spending in the year ahead to accommodate higher gas prices and smaller cash-outs from home refinancing, the spending cutback will be moderate. “The growth rate in overall spending will slow to about 2 ¾ percent during the year ahead,” Curtin said.
Housing: Sales of existing homes slipped 1.2 percent in May compared to April to a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.67 million units and were 6.6 percent below the 7.14 million-unit level of May 2005.
David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said conditions are mixed around the country. “There’s now a clear pattern of slower home-sales activity in many higher cost markets, which are more sensitive to rises in interest rates, and higher home sales in moderately priced areas which have experienced job growth,” he said. “Although mortgage interest rates remain historically low, the uptrend in interest rates this year is affecting those buyers who are at the margins of affordability.”
The national median existing home price was $230,000 in May, up 6.0 percent from May 2005.
Single-family home sales fell 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.82 million in May from 5.91 million in April and were also 6.6 percent below May of 2005. Sales of single-family homes increased slightly in the South and West, but fell 3.8 percent in the Midwest and 4.2 percent in the Northeast.
Sales of new one-family homes rose 4.6 percent above the revised April rate reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,234,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This rate was 5.9 percent below the May 2005 rate, similar to the sales of existing homes. The median price of new homes sold in May was $235,300. Sales were up in all districts except the Northeast when they were down 7.9 percent.
Privately owned housing starts were up 5 percent in May over April according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Single-family housing starts were 2.1 percent above the April level. Single-family starts in May were down 7.6 percent from last May with most of the decline in the Midwest.
Employment: Non-farm employment rose by 75,000 jobs in May. The unemployment rate was 4.6 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment continued to trend up in some service-providing industries and mining, while retail trade and manufacturing lost jobs. Average hourly earnings were up 1 cent in May after an increase of 10 cents in April.
Retail Sales and Consumer Prices: According to advance reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. retail and food services sales for May, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, increased 0.1 percent from April and were up 7.6 percent over May 2005. Sales for the three months ended May were also up 7.6 percent over the same period a year ago.
Retail trade sales were also up 0.1 percent over April and 7.5 percent ahead of last year. Gasoline stations were up 21.9 percent over last May and sales of non-store retailers were up 14.1 percent.
Sales at furniture and home furnishings stores were 0.5 percent down from April on an adjusted basis, but were 7.4 percent above May 2005. Year-to-date sales at these stores were reported 9.3 percent ahead of the first five months of last year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in May before seasonal adjustment and was up 0.4 percent on an adjusted basis. Energy costs continued to advance–up 2.4 percent in May. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy increased 4.8 percent while energy services fell 0.6 percent.
The index for all items, less food and energy, rose 0.3 percent in May, the same as the last two months. The index for shelter again accounted for over half the monthly increase.
Durable Goods Orders and Factory Shipments: According to advance reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, new orders for manufactured durable goods decreased 0.3 percent in May. This was the second consecutive monthly decline and followed a 4.7 percent decrease in April. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.7 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 0.1 percent.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods increased 2.6 percent. Shipments have now been up three of the last four months and marked the highest level since the series changed the basis for measuring in 1992.
According to the final report for April, shipments of furniture and related products fell 3.6 percent in April from March and were 4.8 percent higher than last April. Obviously, “related products” must be doing better than the “furniture” piece of this category.
Year-to-date, shipments in this category were reported to be up 8 percent.
Summary
As we noted before, we had not expected great results from April based on recent conversations, but the reports were worse than we expected, especially for orders. But, until we get the May results that would likely include most market orders, we are not too concerned. The year-to-date comparisons after May results should give us a much better feel for what the true results are.
Our latest forecast after actual March results indicates a pretty flat first half of the year, even though April was worse than the latest forecast. The second half of the year is expected to improve over last year by about 5 percent. It appears that 2006 is somewhat a reversal of the 2005 results when shipments were up 5 percent in the first half of 2005, but only up 1.5 percent in the last half. This year, the opposite appears to be happening.
Retail reports continue to be spotty on the furniture side. Business just does not seem to create any momentum as it gets a little better, then falls off again.
The final results of our annual operating statistics are finally in. Operating profits for all companies reporting fell from 5.26 percent of sales to 3.69 percent. Case goods companies fell about 1 percent while upholstery companies fell about 1.8 percent. Most of the decline in upholstery was attributed to higher material costs as a result of higher costs of petroleum based products caused by the hurricanes.
BDO Seidman serves clients through more than 35 offices and 250 independent alliance firm locations nationwide. Their Furniture Industry Services practice publishes Furniture Insights®. For more information go to http://www.bdo.com.
July 6th, 2006
Morris Furniture Co., Inc. recently hosted its annual vendor appreciation dinner and charity golf benefit. During the event, two vendors and one sales representative were recognized for outstanding service, dedication and support.
Attendees of the 2-day event came together and made a donation of $50,000 to The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.
The donation was matched with a $50,000 grant by the Mathile Family Foundation that turned the Morris Furniture Co., Inc donation into $100,000! In January, The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton launched the public phase of Be a Hero for Children, a philanthropic campaign to raise a minimum of $10 million for children’s health care. The Mathile Family Foundation generously made the campaign’s pacesetting gift of $2.5 million in addition to a $1 million match for community-generated funds.
A vendor appreciation golf outing was held at the NCR Country Club, in Kettering, Ohio. NCR was the home of the 2005 US Senior Open. Over 100 golfers, representing over 72 company vendors and media partners, participated. At the conclusion of the event, a $45,000 check was presented to David Kinsaul, President and CEO of The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.
Larry Klaben, Morris Furniture Co., Inc. President/CEO said, “Additional vendor support following the golf outing resulted in an additional $5,000 being raised, for a total donation of $50,000 for this fine organization. The support from our vendors and media partners has been outstanding. The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton is the region’s premier children’s hospital and our community will benefit from the generosity of our vendor partners. This non-profit organization serves our entire community with no child ever turned away.”
During the awards program, Jack Gilberg of Berkline was named Sales Representative of the Year. Deb Linkhorn, Morris Furniture Co., Inc. Furniture Merchandiser said, “Jack was selected because of his dedication, strong work ethic and industry background. He is constantly working for his dealers. He diligently works hard to make Berkline one of our top resources.”
Leather Italia U.S.A. was selected as Vendor of the Year. Mike VanAutreve, Morris Furniture Co., Inc. Vice President of Merchandising said, “Leather Italia U.S.A. has exceeded their promises and has provided us with outstanding values and great delivery.”
Mike Campbell, President and Rick Dunn, Sales Representative were on hand to accept the award.
Flexsteel Industries received the Partnership of the Year award. Northeast Sales Manager Todd Yoder and Sales Representative Larry Olson were on hand to accept the award. Klaben said, “Morris has been doing business with Flexsteel for over 40 years. Flexsteel has changed with the times and continues to provide Morris with quality products, great sales tools and ideas to help us grow our business. Todd Yoder and Larry Olson continuously demonstrate how a manufacturer and partner retailer can work together to achieve sales success in a true partnership.”
The award presentation was held at the newly expanded Morris Distribution Center in Fairborn, Ohio. Guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner followed by a presentation about the company’s recent growth and future expansion plans. Larry Klaben announced that the company’s 10th retail showroom recently opened in Crescent Springs, Kentucky and additional store openings are planned in current trading areas.
Morris Furniture Co., Inc. wishes to thank all its vendor partners for participating in this golf event and supporting The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. In addition, Klaben said, “We’d like to thank all our vendors for making 2005 our best year ever. 2006 promises to be even better! Our vendor partners have made our sensational growth possible.”
About The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton:
The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton is the region’s pediatric referral center for 20 Ohio counties and eastern Indiana. At Dayton Children’s, there is a full-time dedication to caring for infants, children and teens. Specially trained and experienced pediatric specialists in over 35 specialty areas work as a team to make sure the medical and psychosocial needs of children and their families are met.
About Morris Furniture Co., Inc.:
Morris Furniture Co., Inc. is a Fairborn, Ohio based retail chain that started in 1947 in downtown Dayton. Morris is one of the largest privately owned furniture stores in Ohio. The company is owned by Larry Klaben, who purchased the company in 1998. The company currently employs over 450 associates.
Morris Furniture Co., Inc. owns and operates Morris Home Furnishings, 5695 Wilmington Pike, and 2121 Harshman Road.In addition, Morris owns and operates Ashley Furniture Home Store of Dayton located at 161 Mall Woods Drive and 2850 Centre Drive in Beavercreek, Ashley Furniture HomeStores of Cincinnati located at 11755 Commons Drive, and 520 Clock Tower Way, Crescent Springs, KY, and Ashley Furniture Home Stores of Columbus, 3622 West Dublin-Granville Rd. Morris also operates the Dayton area’s only Thomasville showroom at 5675 Wilmington Pike in Centerville and the Midwest Clearance Outlet at 2377 Commerce Center Blvd. in Fairborn, Ohio.
July 6th, 2006
One from Sweden, one from Argentina, one from France, and two from Italy. These are the countries of origin of the winning designs at the Promosedia International Design Competition 2006,
the competition rewarding the most innovative and brilliant ideas in the field of chair designing, without forgetting that the designs must give birth to functional objects that can be mass produced.
Over 400 designs where submitted this year from all over the world: many European countries, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Japan, Australia… Although according to the competition rules only one first prize and two special recognitions can be awarded, the Panel of Judges of the tenth edition of the Design Competition decided that another two designs were worthy of special mention.
This is a clear sign that the world of young designers is extremely lively and able to generate high quality designs. Does this mean that there is still room for innovation in chairs? Yes, according to the young designers from allover the world who took part in the Competition. There is still room to astonish or provoke, reassure or reinterpret, and to do so in many equally good and yet contrasting ways, as also the final choice of the 2006 Panel of Judges clearly shows.
The Panel of Judges which met on 30th May, consisted of: Olga Bozkho, International Department Editor of the Russian publication “Taburet”; Katrin Cosseta, editor of Interiors and Architecture of the Italian publication “Interni”; Marco Ferreri, designer; Daniele Lattanzi, Area Manager for Friuli Venezia Giulia of the Banca Popolare FriulAdria SpA; Alberto Pratelli, President of ADI, Friuli Venezia Giulia; Marco Romanelli, designer and critic; Franco Buttazzoni, President of Promosedia.
Extremely different from each other are the five selected designs currently in the hands of the prototypists of the Industrial Chair District who will turn them into the chair models that will be displayed inSeptember at Promosedia2006 – International Chair Exhibition, as part of a special exhibition set up by Marco Romanelli and dedicated to young designers. Main actors in the exhibition will also be six young emerging international designers selected by Romanelli, Patricia Urquiola and Fernando & Humberto Campana.
The Judges were unanimous in awarding the First Prize to the STICH chair, designed by Sami KALLIO from Sweden, for the following reasons: The designer achieves an extremely innovative image for the chair in wood, by the adoption of triangular wooden modules: from the perception of rigidity usually associated with this type of chair, it actually becomes a very contemporary multiform image. A coloured cord connects the modules and is not only a source of remarkable expressive impact, but enables the backrest to be lowered forming a sort of small table with a pocket. Thus functional results are combined with significant research on decoration.
Furthermore the Panel of Judges awarded Special Recognition to the following: Mu-Nari by Roberta TINELLI for the ability to conceive the chair in a highly abstract way, but still perfectly answering the functional criteria. Of particular impact is the use of curved solid wood which in this design is able to gracefully depart from the historical Viennese chairs. Finally the Judges appreciated the reference to the irreverent and unforgettable creativity of Bruno Munari, one of the great fathers of Italian design.
Augusta by the Argentinian designer Hugo Hernan FRETTO for his ability to interpret in an absolutely new way the construction and form principles of minimalism, proposing significant extremism. The Judges found the work of strengthening the sections and deformation which takes the object into the field of sculpture was particularly interesting.
Finally, the Judges decided that the following were worthy of Honourable Mentions: Bianca e Nera by the architect Giulia LUSNARDI (Italy) for the obvious desire to offer an innovative type intermediate between a chair and stool, as well as for the elegance of placing a felt cover tightened by straps over the veneer structure.
Expans by the French designer Elodie HAMON, for the ability to bring the chair to a high level of meanings and references, arriving at a solution which seems to approach artistic research due to its complexity of form.
Promosedia has explored the world of design in search of new ideas and talents, and now the task of following up on this lies with the manufacturing companies. Because, if on one hand the Competition was conceived to provide young designers with a chance to measure themselves and compete against other designers of their own generation, on the other there is another important objective this initiative wants to attain: creating a bridge between the new recruits and a market which needs to be increasingly heedful and responsive to changes. Home furnishing follows the evolution of lifestyles and new generations naturally bring about changes in style and behavior. Hence, it is important to be able to understand them, to anticipate their tastes, to look to tomorrow’s demands.
July 6th, 2006
Previous Posts