This year for the first time, the American Society of Furniture Designers will recognize sustainable furnishings with a Pinnacle Design Achievement Award for excellence in green home furnishings design.
Entries for the award will be vetted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council before they are presented to judges, said furniture designer and ASFD President Steve Hodges.
Pieces will be considered across a spectrum of categories. Sustainability benchmarks are likely to apply to product features such as wood, finish, cushioning, textile, leather, metal, glass and plastic content, Hodges said.
But the item also must be a good value and well designed, he said. The award has not yet been named, he added.
Hodges said last year’s Pinnacle judges were enthusiastic about a green design award.
“Everyone is very excited about it. It’s not just an adjunct award to be trendy. We see the category as becoming increasingly important,” he said. “It also helps the Pinnacle Awards widen its net.”
An entry deadline for this year’s ASFD Pinnacle Awards has not yet been set. Winners will be announced at the fall High Point Market. More formal criteria for entries will be announced over the next several weeks, Hodges said.
Retailer Andy Thornton of LaDifferénce in Richmond, Va., which touts its own green standards through its stores, said that green product is a good idea for the Pinnacle Awards. He said the winning product should be innovative, and “really needs to wow you.”
The Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards were created in April 1995 by the ASFD board to promote design quality and encourage the recognition of furniture designers within the retail home furnishings industry.
By Heath E. Combs — Furniture Today
NEW LONDON, N.C.