Top awards for Spanish design brands

2016 has been another very good year on the prize front for Spain’s contemporary design furniture. They have triumphed on both side of the pond with furniture and lighting product that demonstrate why Spain is such a force on the international design scene. Get more information…

RED DOT AWARDS 2016

Germany’s international Red Dot Awards, which started in 1955, this year had some 5,000 product entries from 57 countries. Furniture from Spain winners were: CAPDELL, ANDREU WORLD, VICCARBE and GAN.

The Spanish CAPDELL received two awards for two products that mark an evolution of the brand: the TRI-STAR table by Claesson Koivisto Rune and the STIR lounge chair by Kazuko Okamoto. The TRI-STAR table has an unusual central stem with three triangular aluminium extrusions that form a 3-point, star-shaped base. The stem can support different tops: round, square or – thanks to a combination of two stems – rectangular.

STIR is a collection of beech plywood upholstered armchairs with a base that has been designed to rock the chair gently and cradle whoever is sitting in it.

The SEASON chair by Italian designer Piero Lissoni for VICCARBE is another of the awarded items. Suitable both home and contract use, this chic upholstered chair features hidden wheels, remarkable comfort and discreet appearance.

With its refined design inspired by the aesthetic tradition of classic sofa and lounge chair collections, the COUVÉ sofa, a creation by Piergiorgio Cazzaniga for ANDREU WORLD, won the Red Dot for “its appearance, which fuses a subtle design with different elements: the angles of the legs, backrest, seat and, ultimately, the entire structure”.

GAN, a brand of GANDIA BLASCO, received the award for the SILAI rug collection by Charlotte Lancelot, an original design that is a modern reinterpretation of the petit point embroidery technique.

NYCxDESIGN Awards 2016

Spanish designers have continued their run of success at major award ceremonies on the other side of the pond. Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of GANDIA BLASCO in New York, the company received a NYCxDESIGN Award in the category Outdoor Furniture for the BLAU collection designed with Fran Silvestre architects. The BLAU collection aims at developing the tradition of outdoor furniture linking it with the Mediterranean architecture and way of living. An innovated tradition, based on a specific construction system made of extruded aluminium profiles.

GANDIABLASCO use the occasion to celebrate also its 75th anniversary at the Standard Hotel in New York, during #ICFF and #NYCxDesign week, with big names of the design industry, such as Patricia Urquiola, Pedram Shokouhi Curiel, Lyndon Neri and Mapi Millet, among many others.

EXPORMIM was also shortlisted for the same prize in the Seating-Side chair category for the HUMA chair.

THE BEST OF NEOCON 2016

Now in its 27th year, the iconic Best of NeoCon Awards continue to honor the best new commercial interiors products in the industry. From the 350 products reviewed, the 40 jurors of the jury board selected 7 collections of ANDREU WORLD and the LONGO programme of ACTIU.

In the seating section, the ALYA, FLEX LOUNGE and DUOS chairs of ANDREU WORLD received the prize in the categories Conference, Sofas & Lounge and Stacking, respectively. In the table class, the REVERSE LOUNGE table won in the Occasional category, whilst the RATIO CONFERENCE table was awarded the Gold prize in the Conference Room category. In addition to this, the FLEX 45 stool and the COUVÉ chairs received the Silver Awards in the categories Bar Stool and Guest Seating.

The Best of NeoCon jury recognized the innovation and attention to detail of these new items, characterized for their ergonomic qualities, comfort and ability to adapt to the new needs of work environments, collaboration zones and corporate waiting areas that require timeless, refined designs.

The innovative LONGO office system, created by Ramos Bassols for the Spanish ACTIU was also recognized with a Gold prize. LONGO is a modular system which integrates soft seating, operative and managerial desks, cabinets and bookcases in a whole structure by using a robust linking platform.

The NAUTICA collection by Mut Design for EXPORMIM (outdoor) received an honour mention at the third annual Interior Design HiP at NeoCon Awards, a recognition program Honoring Industry People and Products. The Raglan Bench (Lounge Seating) and the Couvé Chair (Education/Government/Institutional Seating) of ANDREU WORLD were shortlisted as well.

A+ AWARDS 2016

The public voters of the Architizer A+Awards, the world’s largest awards program for architecture and products that is now in its fourth year, selected the NAGI armchair by Tomoya Tabuchi for VICCARBE as the best items in the Seating–Contract category. Born to be a classic, the elegant NAGI armchair features specific dimension and an inner steel structure covered in shape-holding moulded polyurethane foam. The generous high backrest and the elegant arms make it perfect to relax while reading or working.

The HUMA chair by Mario Ruiz for EXPORMIM was instead shortlisted for the Seating-Residential category.

GERMAN DESIGN AWARDS 2016

The Spanish EXPORMIM had more luck with the FRAMES armchair which was awarded the prestigious German Design Award in the category Excellent Product Design – Furniture. Designed by Jaime Hayón, FRAMES can be considered a modern reinterpretation of traditional outdoor furniture. With a classic framework structure produced in Thonet’s bending technique that forms three surfaces and a covering of woven wicker, the designer, whose signature is clearly recognisable, succeeded in producing a beautiful piece of traditional crafted art.

A’DESIGN AWARD 2016

The armchair ZIP, a creation by the Valencia-based design studio edeestudio for B&V, has received the Golden A’Design Award in the Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design category.

Held with the support of the Bureau of European Design Associations and the Como Cultural Department and delivered in Como (Italy), these awards recognize the quality of the design of ZIP, an armchair that stands out for its lightness, functionality and curved lines, inspired by the designs of the lates ‘60s and ‘70s. It was also nominated for the German Design Awards 2016.

DESIGN GUILD MARK 2016

The seating company INCLASS has been honoured at the Design Guild Mark Awards 2016. Now in its ninth year, the Design Guild Mark Awards, introduced by The Furniture Makers Company in 2008, recognise and reward excellence in the British Design of furniture in volume production in Britain and abroad. Designed by UK designer Simon Pengelly, the UNNA chair, which is produced by the Spanish INCLASS, won the coveted Design Guild Mark Award plus two additional prizes released by an independent judging panel: the Jonathan Hindle Prize for excellence and the John Makepeace Prize for innovation.

UNNIA is a versatile and extensive collection of chairs with a unique mix and match concept of colours and finishes. In addition, the collection offers chairs with a range of bases and frames that increase possibilities for customisation and allow a broad spectrum of use in all kinds of spaces, settings and decorative styles.

It’s great to see that Spanish design has been so much in evidence both at the most renowned events of the interior design industry and in design competition on both side of the pond. It has been really a promising year…

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