ARTS Awards Finalists announced by Dallas Market Center

The Dallas Market Center and the Accessories Resource Team has announced the finalists for the 20^th annual ARTS Awards, which recognize outstanding retailers, product designers, manufacturers and sales representatives in the home furnishings industry.

The ARTS Awards will be presented during a gala on Jan. 17, 2009, during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, taking place Jan. 14-20 at the Dallas Market Center.

Finalists were nominated by fellow members of the home furnishings industry, and each finalist must submit a portfolio that will be reviewed by a panel of judges to determine the winners.

This year, the judges include: Mark McMenamin, Senior Editor at Interior Design magazine; Janace Clarke, associate professor of fashion merchandising at Texas Christian University; Rawlins Gililand, retail consultant and expert; Helen Erdman, founder of Helen Erdman Interiors; and Pat Mayfield, founder and president of a business consulting company.

The following are the list of nominees:

Manufacturers

Accent Furniture

• Bungalow Five, Inc – Oakland, NJ
• Selamat Designs – Mill Valley, CA
• Vintage – Lancaster, KY

Area Rugs

• Feizy Rugs – Dallas, TX
• Loloi Rugs – Dallas, TX
• Surya – Calhoun, GA

Decorative Accessories

• Cyan Design – Fort Worth, TX
• IMAX Corporation – Tulsa, OK
• The Phillips Collection – High Point, NC
• Two’s Company, Inc. – Elmsford, NY

Lighting Fixtures

• Fine Art Lamps – Miami Lakes, FL
• Kalco Lighting, LLC – Las Vegas, NV
• Progress Lighting – Greenville, SC
• Stonegate Designs – St. Joseph, MI
• Uncommon Radiance – Chicago, IL

Outdoor Living

• Emissary – Atlanta, GA
• Palecek – Richmond, CA
• Starlight Lanterns, Inc. – Fort Walton Beach, FL

Permanent Floral

• Immortalis Botanicals – Farmville, VA
• SIA Home Fashion – France
• Winward International, Inc. – Union City, CA

Portable Lamps

• Arteriors Home – Dallas, TX
• Oriental Accent, Inc. – Dallas, TX
• Sterling Industries – Norcross, GA
• Visual Comfort & Co. – Houston, TX

Tabletop

• Arthur Court Designs – Brisbane, CA
• Beatriz Ball Collection – Harvey, LA
• The Mary Carol Home Collection by Gerson Companies – Olathe, KS
• Vietri – Hillsborough, NC

Wall Décor

• Art Dreams Home – Ventura, CA
• Paragon – Albertville, AL
• Uttermost – Rocky Mount, VA

International Retail Store

• Casa de Linos y Blancos – S.A. de C.V., Mexico, DF
• Ma Maison Interiores – Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico, DF
• Union Lighting & Furnishings – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Product Designer

• Allan Palececk, Palecek – Richmond, CA
• Karyl Pierce Paxton, Pierce Paxton Design Studio – New Orleans, LA
• Lance Marconi, EMI Design – Chicago, IL
• Mark Abrams, Mark Abrams Design – Greensboro, NC

Sales Representative

East/Atlantic

• Danny Weave, Danny Weaver & Associates, Inc. – Pickens, SC
• Lizzette Hayes Winters, Lightlines – Pleasant View, TN
• Russ Jones, OneCoast Northeast Home – New York, NY

Midwest/Southwest

• Derrick Ricketts, Codarus – Pearland, TX
• Martha Kean, Doris Sanders LTD – Houston, TX
• Michelle Cheek, OneCoast Southwest Home – Morrilton, AR

West

• Laura Fast, OneCoast – Denver, CO
• Laurel Sprawkins, Northwest Lighting – Gresham, OR
• Linda Northcutt, LGN, Inc. – Bothell, WA

Rising Star Retailer

• Lyteworks – Bradenton, FL
• Leon & Lulu – Clawson, MI
• Oz Collection – Louisville, KY

Retailer

Furniture Store

East/Atlantic

• 24e – Savannah, GA
• Atchison Imports, Inc. – Mobile, AL
• Robb & Stucky Interiors – Fort Myers, FL

Midwest/South

• HW Home – Boulder, CO
• Kohl-Linscomb – Houston, TX
• Noel Furniture – Houston, TX

West

• Interior Illusions – West Hollywood, CA
• Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery – Portland, OR

Home Accent Store

East/Atlantic

• Ambiance Interiors & Gifts – Suwanee, GA
• Gracious Home – New York, NY
• L&M Designs – Gaithersburg, MD

Midwest/Southwest

• BJ’s Home Accents, Inc. – Newburgh, IN
• Nell Hill’s – Atchison, KS
• The Burlap Horse – Boerne, TX

West

• Fitzsu – Los Angeles, CA
• Pandora’s – Santa Fe, NM
• Seaside Home – La Jolla, CA

Lighting Showroom

East/Atlantic

• Capitol Lighting – Boca Raton, FL
• Ferguson – Charleston, SC
• Klaff’s, Inc. – Norwalk, CT

Midwest/Southwest

• Echo Lighting Design Gallery – Omaha, NE
• Lights Fantastic – Carrollton, TX

West

• Five Rivers, Inc. – Boise, ID
• James Ashjian Lighting & Home – Fresno, CA
• Legacy Lighting & Home – Scottsdale, AZ

Download The 20^th Annual ARTS Awards Finalist List (PDF)

Herman Miller Capelli Stool

The Herman Miller Capelli Stool was envisioned by designer Carol Catalano. It is made up of two identical laminated wood pieces with undulating “fingers” molded at the top that interlock without the use of tools or fasteners. As the surfaces between these fingers meet they turn into stops that hold each half of the stool firmly in place for an cleverly stable and strong structure. It looks fantastic. The stool separates into two halves that stack conveniently together for easy storage.

Caperton Furnitureworks Wins IDEA Design Award

A private label piece produced by case goods source Caperton Furnitureworks was awarded an International Design Excellence Award, or IDEA, Silver Medal for 2008 in the Home Living Category.

IDEA awards are presented each year by the Industrial Designers of America, which represents the professional industrial design industry.

The Centerbrook Slapstick Table and bench designed by Mark Simon of Centerbrook Architects of Centerbook, Conn., was produced by Caperton and sold through the Curran Catalog and its Web site.

The table, made of Appalachian black cherry, is a modern take on a classic farm table, featuring a distinctive crisscrossing leg and stretcher detail.

This Centerbrook Slapstick Table by Caperton Furnitureworks has won an International Design Excellence Award.

Sage Award nominations due by Sept. 5

HIGH POINT - Nominees are being sought for the Sage Awards, which will recognize companies employing sustainability practices in the home furnishings industry.

The awards, developed by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and sponsored by Cargill's BiOH polyols, will be given to a manufacturer, retailer or designer of finished home furnishings or bedding. According to a press release, the nominees must show leadership in reducing their company's environmental footprint and expanding its positive social impact while running a profitable business.

The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. EST Friday, Sept. 5. Click here for an online entry form and instructions.

The entries will be judged by a cross-section of journalists and industry representatives. They are: Ray Allegrezza, editor-in-chief of Furniture/Today; Seth Bauer, vice president, editorial director of National Geographic's Green Guide; Derick Belden, executive editor of Southern Living Magazine; Steve DeHaan, executive vice president of the National Home Furnishings Assn.; Richard Doyle, president of the International Sleep Products Assn.; Daphne Hewitt, project manager for the Rainforest Alliance TREES Program; Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council; Bill Perdue, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety for the American Home Furnishings Alliance; Leanne Powell, manager of National Corporate Leadership for United Way of America; and Powell Slaughter, senior editor for Home Furnishings Business.

Company names will be removed from the applications and will not be shared with judges during the process.

Up to three finalists will be named at a 7:30 a.m. breakfast on Oct. 21 during the High Point Market. The winner will be announced at a reception on Nov. 13 during the AHFA's Sustainability Summit. That event is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C.

Desks get more compact and versatile to adapt to laptops

Sales of laptops are poised to exceed desktop computer sales in 2008, according to industry analysts. As consumers' computer usage changes, so does their home office furniture needs. The perfect fit? Desks that are as compact, versatile and feature-laden as the technology they’re designed to accommodate.

The top of Kathy Ireland Home by Martin’s Tribeca Loft convertible laptop workstation folds up, while its front folds down, to reveal an efficient work area with a built-in power center and storage for a laptop and small printer. Finished on all sides, Tribeca Loft also can be used as an console table anywhere in a room.




The right drawer of Riverside Furniture’s Summit laptop computer desk offers a power control bar, while the left drawer features a felt-lined bottom and a pencil tray. Constructed from poplar hardwood solids and birch veneers, Summit also is available with a deck (shown) that has a power supply outlet and a wiring access hole in the back panel.


Glenhill mini-computer chest from Hooker Furniture provides a small-office solution with plenty of functional features, such as slide-out laptop and printer trays, a file drawer and shelves for storing odds and ends.







Part of Lexington’s Zacara Collection, Savoy writing desk features a removable “box of drawers” on top, a drop-down drawer for hidden keyboard storage and a reinforced file drawer. Constructed from zebrano and walnut veneers and treated to a warm Sable finish, Savoy is detailed with Champagne-finished hardware that mimics rose gold jewelry.


For those with no space for a dedicated home office, Emerson roll top desk from Stanley Furniture offers plenty of work and storage space in a small footprint (34 inches wide by 28 inches deep). Part of the American Perspective™ Collection, Emerson sports a Shaker-inspired design and an All-American Cherry finish.