Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
ICFA Recognizes 11 Vendors for Furniture Design
September 11,
2013 by in Business Strategy, Industry, Market 
From among the 11 category winners in ICFA’s new Design Excellence competition, one product will be honored with the Lillian B. Winchester “Best of Show” Award. This award will be announced at the Annual Awards Gala on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Field Museum in Chicago.
The Design Excellence category winners announced this week include:
* Dining or Bar Table: Gloster Furniture’s Windsor Extending Table by Russell Pinch.
* Dining or Bar Chair: Janus et Cie’s Suki-O Dining Chair by Janice Feldman.
* Chaise Lounge: Telescope Casual Furniture’s Bazza Sling Contour armless chaise by Bill Vanderminden.
* Lounge Seating with Cushion: Summer Classics’ Sierra Lounge Chair.
* Lounge Seating without Cushion: Gloster Furniture’s Bella Arm Chair by Carsten Astheimer.
* Shade Product: Ningbo Sunrise Outdoor Products’ High Class Solar Lighting Cantilever Umbrella by Sunny.
* Outdoor Lighting Product: Terra Furniture’s Bali Solar Floor Lamp by Gary Stafford.
* Heating Product or Firepit: Designing Fire Inc.’s Oriflamme Fire Table.
* Fabric: Outdura’s Powet Grey by D2.
* Complementary Casual Product: Century Furniture’s cocktail table by Pride Sasser.
* Outdoor Carpeting, Rug or Flooring: Trans Ocean Imports’ Meadows Mauve by Liora Manne.
This year, for the first time, the competition was open to companies that are not ICFA members. However, entries in all categories except for fabric still had to come from companies that are exhibitors at the Sept. 17-20 International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market in Chicago.
The Design Excellence judging took place Sept. 5, in Chicago. The 11 category awards will be presented in company showrooms on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the opening day of the 2013 Chicago market.
The 2013 Design Excellence judges included:
• Laura Barnett Sawchyn, owner of Laura Barnett Designs and an interior design graduate of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
• Cindy Dampier, home design editor for the Chicago Tribune and co-editor of the monthly Chicago Tribune magazine.
• Bruce Erickson, vice president of Williams All Seasons in Highland Park, Ill., and winner of Apollo Awards for retail excellence in 1959, 1969, 2003 and 2009, as well as 2013 chairman of ICFA’s Retail Council.
• Afiya Kumar, president/senior designer of AHA Designs in Chicago, who has been featured in numerous publications and served on many design panels.
• Jessica Salisbury, general manager of Village Green in Rockford, Ill., and a first-time Apollo Awards finalist in 2013.
• Kristine Schultz-Hutchinson, designer and co-owner of Patios Plus, based in Rancho Mirage, Calif., a 2007 and 2012 Apollo winner and vice chairman of the 2013 ICFA Retail Council.