June 25, 2003—Twenty-six Gold awards were distributed in The Best of NeoCon 2003 competition of contract furnishings products during June’s NeoCon at The Merchandise Mart, Chicago. The Best of Competition award went to Davis Furniture, for its Aero Bench series. Twenty-six Silver awards, Five Innovation Awards, an Editors’ Choice Award were also given. “Green” —and sustainability—became a major theme throughout the Mart showrooms that sparkled with innovative commercial/institutional furnishings.
Two hundred forty-seven products were entered in 28 product and furnishings categories in the competition, sponsored annually by Contract magazine, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
The competition differs from others in three major respects. The jury is composed of 20 corporate, government, and institutional facilities management executives and business facilities interior designers who are responsible for selecting and buying furniture and furnishings for their specific organizations of their clients’. The five jury teams also visited Merchandise Market showrooms and temporary Market Suites to examine each product in person, rather than judging products based on photo or slide images. In short, jurors were able to “kick the tires.” Lastly, each manufacturer had the opportunity to explain and discuss details of the entered product and answer jurors’ question.
The following are the 26 Gold Award winners in their respective categories. Many are described in FMLinks news section under Products & Services.
- Seating: Sofas & Lounge Chairs: Davis Furniture, for Aero Bench series. Also, Best of Competition award.
- Tables: Conference & Training: Vecta, for au lait.
- Tables: Electrified: Nucraft, for Avid.
- Alternative Office: Metropolitan Furniture, for Bix Expansion.
- Lighting: Lightspace, div. Boyd Lighting, for Artesian Pendant.
- Healthcare Fabrics: The Designtex Group, for Cheek to Cheek Crypton Collection.
- Fabrics, Leathers, Vinyls: Luna Textiles, for Equinox Collection.
- Tables: Occasional: Baron and Baron, for Fabien Baron Collection.
- Carpet: Broadloom: Shaw Contract/Lauck Group, for Flux.
- Seating: Side Chairs: Thonet, for Genus.
- Surfacing Material & Laminates: Knoll Textiles, for Ikat Blocks.
- Workplace Technologies: PolyVision, IDEO, for Impulse LTX Multimedia Whiteboard System.
- Ceilings: Armstrong Ceiling Systems, for Infusions.
- Furniture Systems, New: Bretford, for Comp and E Liquid Power & Data System.
- Office Accessories: Humanscale, for M7-Flat Panel Monitor Arm.
- Seating: DeskWorkstation Task Chairs: Herman Miller, for Mirra Work Chair.
- Health Care Furniture-Specialized: Brandrud Furniture, for Revive Guest Center.
- Desks: Bernhardt Design, for Shift.
- Software Technologies: Tricycle, for SIMV3.
- Flooring: Spinneybeck, for Spinneybeck leather rug.
- Fabrics, Leathers, Vinyls: TVS Interiors, for Stitch.
- Wall Treatments: Len-Tex, for Surface iQ, an alternative wallcovering.
- Seating: Executive Desk Chairs: Brayton Int’l., for Switch Executive.
- Computer Support Furniture: The Mayline Group, for TransAction.
- Architectural Products & Finishes: Joel Berman Glass Studios, for Trio.
- Furniture Systems: Kimball Office, for Xsite.
