2 Chairs Take Gold in One Good Chair

January 30, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on January 31, 2011

Two chairs took the "gold" in the third annual One Good Chair competion at Las Vegas Furniture Market last week.

Eric Tong's Zpine chair received the grand prize and Juan Mercado's RE_Flex chair won in the People's Choice category in the contest co-sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

This year's them, "Minimum|maximum," challenged designers from around the world to create a chair that managed to preserve natural resources while also amplifying human delight. The goals of the competition revolved around minimizing material, production, shipping and assembly while maximizing comfort, utility, durability and beauty. Sustainable Furnishings Council members, including Phillips Collection and Handy Living, created prototypes of some of the finalists' designs.

The grand prize winner, Tong, who hails from London, England, created the winning Zpine chair using a honeycomb core (also known as "cellular structure"). The piece converts seamlessly between a chair and a chaise, collapsing with ease. Tong said he chose honeycomb for its magnificent strength-to-weight ratio and because it's inexpensive, sustainable and biodegradable. He received a $4,500 cash prize that he will apply toward the manufacturing and marketing of the chair.

Tong said that he chose the material for his chair after seeing it for the first time in a factory in China. He loved it for its economical value, but also its aesthetic. Manufacturers approached Tong immediately following the competition awards program to discuss manufacturing his winning chair.

Juan Mercado of Jackson, Mich., won the People€™s Choice award by more than a 30 percent margin. The chair can be used as a sleek modern desk chair or a comfortable reading/rocking chair, depending on the owner's mood. Its design is simple yet sophisticated, and requires minimal packaging and space for shipping.

Mercado was excited to see the prototype from Phillips Collection and to win People's Choice. He added that manufacturers have approached him and he looks forward to the next step, whatever it may be.

More than 360 participants submitted entries in the competition, representing both professional and amateur designers. Five finalists mastered the seeming paradoxical challenge of celebrating abundance while doing more with less.

The final jury included television host, writer and producer Sarah Backhouse of "Planet 100" on the Discovery Network's Planet Green; Shashi Caan of Shashi Caan Collective; Kira Gould, director of communications with William McDonough + Partners; and Zem Joaquin, founder and CEO of ecofabulous, an online source for eco-conscious lifestyles. The jury selected the grand prize, or "Judges' Choice" winner, while the public voted for People's Choice.

Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, said she was delighted with all of the entries and is currently researching creative ways of promoting the winners.

"The caliber of the winners' designs says a lot about design talent, and the competition itself," said Inglis.