Jones, Kammler Win Groovystuff Design Challenge

May 2, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on May 3, 2012

Janice Kammler and Rachel Jones are winners in this year's Groovystuff Design Challenge at April High Point Furniture Market.

Kammler, of the University of Idaha; and Jones, of Auburn University, competed against undergraduates from their respective schools to design an environmentally friendly product that reflects the Dick Idol brand and can be produced using sustainable manufacturing practices. Students produced miniature models and product display boards for market attendees to vote on.

The "Time Revealed" table by Kammler was voted "Most versatile and most likely to show a profit" by retailers and interior designers attending market, while Jones' "Eclipse Mirror" received the grand prize for the most in written orders at market.

Kammler will receive a $250 cash prize for her popular vote choice and Jones will receive a $500 cash prize along with permanent royalties for life and endorsement into the Celebrity Dick Idol Brand of home furnishings.
 
The Time Revealed table was inspired by the current drought conditions in the southwest and in her hometown of Las Vegas. Her design got the attention of market attendees with her creative use of cascading vines that emphasize the receding water levels around Lake Mead, accentuated with a decorative iron ring around the table, symbolizing the industrialization of Las Vegas.

"Working with Chris Bruning and Groovystuff has been a wonderful experience," Kammler said. "If Chris hadn't encouraged me to move forward with this particular design I probably would have ended up somewhere else entirely and wouldn't have won. Thank you Chris for your time and input and thank you Groovystuff for donating the materials."

Inspiration for Jones' Eclipse mirror was found in organic architecture and the way that basic shapes can be manipulated to create something new. The goal was to design a mirror that plays with interacting circles of the wagon wheel to create movement and tension between the lines.

When asked what it meant to place first in the sales competition for inclusion in the celebrity Dick Idol Brand and the education to industry experience she gained from the challenge, Jones said: "As a student, having my work displayed at market was an amazing experience. Just being there and seeing what is involved in the real time world of design, and seeing the business and networking involved in marketing your work ... It was pretty awesome. Having my design recognized and knowing that it will actually be on the market is just icing on the cake. I couldn't be more grateful for the experience."
 
For the High Point Market, Groovystuff and co-sponsor International Market Centers are helping to broaden the educational outreach of university programs across the country by giving them real world market experience, and a platform to build on their association with the industry prior to graduation.