Bloggers, retailers and editors served as the selection committees for the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) awards in a variety of categories.
Five bloggers chose a favorite product for the Bloggers Choice Awards:
Heather Clawson, Habitually Chic: MSY Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) for real wood iphone cases. “They are the skins for iphones that are made of wood. I just love the way they make technology look techy.”
Hollister Hovey, HollisterHovey.blogspot.com: Design House Stockholm Ab, (Stockholm, Sweden) for Rock Chair by Frederik Färg. “Made from four simple cut pieces of wood with a couple round leather disks for pads, this beautiful rocking chair embodies deceptive Scandinavian simplicity. The piece looks equally fitting in an old Swedish palace as a purely minimalist loft.”
Marisa Marcantonio, StyleBeat: Seletti North America, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) for rock_me. "Seletti’s minimalist and modern rocking chair. An updated classic, rock_me loses the bentwood flourishes and cane seat and back of the original 1860 design and trades it for a cool mesh seat outlined in neon in a crisp white finish. Designed by an Italian company known for their streamlined designs, this chair would feel at home in an nursery or living room. It retains the classic elements of the original but updates it for today, proving great design is forever."
Danielle McWilliams, Design-Calendar: Flos® USA Inc. (Huntington Station, NY) for D’E-Light by Philippe Starck for Flos. “I love multifunctional design. This energy-efficient LED task lamp and charging station is a bloggers dream come true!”
Stephanie Murg, UnBeige: CARGA (Buenos Aires, Argentina) for the canvas collection. "Carga adds to its line-up of rugged bags and tech cases with this striking new collection in industrial-grade canvas. With removable leather handles, these bags stand out in a sea of totes for their unique and sustainable construction – by hand, in Buenos Aires, and using a pattern-free process that eliminates waste.”
The Accent on Design selection committee for summer 2012 included: David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect; Ilene Shaw of Shaw + Co! Productions; Kathy Thornton-Bias of MoMA; Laura Young of Areaware; and Miguel Calvo of Calvo.co.
Best New Product Collection: Caleb Siemon (Santa Ana, CA) for a unique and thoughtful fusion of glass and metalwork, including a custom-made hanging light chain that is water jet cut and hand-finished.
Overall Excellence: FLOS USA Inc. (Huntington Station, NY) for its diverse gift collection of LED and standard light fixtures, created by notable modern and contemporary designers.
Outstanding Collectives: American Design Club and JOIN DESIGN Seattle (Seattle, WA; Brooklyn, NY) for a successful joint venture to introduce an edited selection of emerging designers focused on innovative and rare gifts seldom seen in other markets.
The panel of judges for the Textile Awards sifted through 100 products, with a team that included David Gill, HFN; Jenny Heinzen-York, Home Accents Today; Wanda Jankowski, LDB Interior Textiles; Tori Jones, Veranda; Karl Lohnes, CTV/Metro Media; Jennifer Marks, Home Textiles Today; Susan Tucker, Giftware News; and Laura van Zeyl, Home Fashion Forecast.
Best of Market: Alicia Adams Alpaca Inc.™ (Stanfordville, NY) for its Suri fur bedspread, made from luxurious Suri fur and baby alpaca herringbone fabric.
Bed: Winner: SFERRA (Edison, NJ) for its Dario duvet covers and shams, featuring twill herringbone stripes and slim geometric bands woven into a stunning pattern.
Finalist: Peacock Alley Inc. (Dallas, TX) for Biagio duvet cover and shams.
Finalist: Dallas A. Saunders (Geyserville, CA) for its Thea Schrack – Dogwood Pillow Triptych.
Bath: Winner: Alicia Adams Alpaca Inc.™ (Stanfordville, NY) for its luxurious herringbone unisex bathrobe, made of 100 percent ultra-soft, hypoallergenic baby alpaca.
Finalist: Busatti since 1842 (Tuscany, Italy) for linen Giglio towels. Finalist: Scents and Feel (Miami, FL) for its Fouta towel and Lurex handtowel.
Dining: Winner: Black Pepper Dessin (New Delhi, India) for its Noir Flora table runner and placemat, featuring gold brocaded flowers on a backdrop of floral hand-embroidered bouquets, made of 100 percent linen.
Finalist: MATOUK (New York, NY) for its Lulu DK for MATOUK table linens.
Finalist: ecoaccents™ (Raleigh, NC) for its eco-Mats.
Home accessories: Winner: HEDGEHOUSE™ (Beverly Hills, CA) for The Throw Bed, a portable and versatile twin-sized down and fiber-filled cushion weighing only four pounds, featuring a removable and washable linen or cotton cover.
Finalist: Simple Syrup Design House (Nashville, TN) for Honey Child decorative pillows.
Finalist: Blissliving® Home (Rockville, MD) for its Chateau throw and pillow.
