The second edition of The Furniture Awards, organised by the January Furniture Show, is fast approaching. The awards scheme, which sets out to identify and reward the best new products launched at the January exhibition, is being ramped up following its debut to include a feature dedicated to the shortlisted entries at the show, as well as various promotional developments.
The format of the awards remains the same, recognising winners – and runners-up, if appropriate – across three pricing tiers.
Last year’s winners were: Bentley Designs’ City dining and occasional range in the Value Category (with Time Living’s Naxos fabric bed frame a runner-up); Gallery Direct’s Dexter side table and accompanying range in the Mid-level Category; and Henderson Russell’s Sloane sofa in the Upper-level Category (Tetrad’s Nucleus chair a runner-up).
The judging panel for the 2016 edition has been assembled, and comprises retail and design experts working at every level of the industry: Maxim Romain, general manager for e-commerce behemoth Wayfair Europe, responsible for Wayfair’s European growth and an expert in supply chain management and logistics; Visual merchandising consultant Andrew Durham, an expert in the creation of retail theatre who lists Arighi Bianchi, Fishpools and Caseys amongst his current clients; ACID CEO and co-founder Dids Macdonald OBE, a champion for design rights, vice-chair of the Alliance for Intellectual Property and assistant to the Court of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers; and Malcolm Walker, director of buying for the trading board of the UK’s largest privately-owned furniture chain, Furniture Village.
“The Furniture Awards may be in their infancy, but are already an integral part of the January Furniture Show,” said show director Theresa Raymond. “They provide a credible celebration of inspiring design, aimed at all levels of the furniture market, and our hope is that they become the most esteemed accolade in the furniture industry.”
The awards are open to companies exhibiting at the 2016 January Furniture Show. An entry form will be available on the event’s website shortly.