Switzerland – The prestigious SIT Furniture Design Award 2021 is now open, receiving submissions from Furniture Designers, Interior Designers, Industrial Designers, Manufacturers, Brands, and Design Studios globally.
SIT Furniture Design Award was created to celebrate and recognize the remarkable work of furniture designers, interior designers. Creativity, innovative vision, and accessibility in the furniture design community deserve to be applauded and shared widely, across the world.
“SIT Furniture Design Award fosters new opportunities between Furniture Designers and Interior Designers.” said Astrid Hébert, Co-founder and Program Director; adding that “The program is also open to students; it’s a unique opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of a new generation of Designers.”
The winner of the “Innovation of the Year” will receive a grant of US$3000 to create a prototype or to start production. Each year, a different topic will be chosen, focusing on projects which highlight innovation, closely examine today’s challenges, and find ways to overcome them.
“Looking at challenges and seeking ways to overcome them are central to furniture design. For this reason, the SIT Furniture Design Award has created an Innovation Center focusing on projects which highlight invention,” said Hossein Farmani, co-founder.
This year, the Innovation Center focuses on Smart Furniture, which covers two broad subcategories: Technology integration and being Smart/adaptable.
Entries to the program will be anonymously judged by an influential jury panel of experienced academics and established design industry professionals whose mandate is to recognize and award the absolute best designers. Each jury member brings a wealth of knowledge, with their combined insight and votes; the final winners will be selected.
The SIT Furniture Design Award will close on February 15th, 2022. Receive a 15% discount on the submission fees by applying before the 31st of July 2021!
For Immediate Release
Press Contact: info@sitaward.com
The company’s key mission is to promote design through awarding great designs, exhibiting, developing designers and artist communities, providing networking opportunities, and advancing the appreciation of excellence in design through education, outreach, and grants.
Developed by Hossein Farmani and Astrid Hébert, 3C Awards is part of a larger organization Three C Group GmbH based in Switzerland and specialized in Awards, Marketing, Media, and Events. 3C Awards represent today’s diversity and innovation in Lighting Design, Furniture Design, Interior Design, and Architecture. Each brand is a symbol of design excellence around the world, showcasing Professional and Emerging designer’s work to over 100 expert jury members. 3C awards is part of Three C Group GmbH, a Swiss-registered company based in Grabenstrasse 15a, 6340 Baar, Switzerland. More information available on: www.3Cawards.com
Under the company Three C Group GmbH, 3C Awards will play a key role to develop our footprint in Europe and support the growth of our programs:
Three C Group GmbH is a sister company to Farmani Group, founded by Hossein Farmani. Farmani Group is a leading organization curating and promoting photography, design, and architecture across the globe since 1985.
The Farmani Group is responsible for many successful awards around the globe. Farmani Group organizes the International Design Awards (IDA), Architecture Masterprize, DNA, Paris Design Awards, London International Creative Awards, Prix de la Photographie in Paris, and the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prestigious awards.
If you would like more information in regards to the program and our company, please contact: astrid.hebert@threec.group
We sat with David Rockwell, Architect, and Designer behind the Rockwell Group and winner of the “SIT 2020 Furniture Design of the Year” for “Sage by David Rockwell for Benchmark.“ David talked to us about his combined passions for Architecture and Theater, the design vision of “Sage for Benchmark” and how to remain creative.
Could you tell us a little about your professional journey?
I went to Syracuse University School of Architecture and the Architectural Association in London to learn the craft. I worked as an intern for the lighting designer Roger Morgan. He took me under his wing and made me his assistant draftsman. Working for him helped me realize that I could pursue and combine my passions for architecture and theater. I worked briefly for a firm and started my own architecture and design firm shortly after, in 1984. My first restaurant project was Sushi Zen in New York in 1983.
How did you discover your passion for Design?
As a child, I was constantly making structures, rearranging, building up, tearing down, and starting over. I didn’t really think of it as specifically as design back then, but more of increasing awareness of how impactful environments could be.
That sensitivity was reinforced during my first theater experience in New York. Watching Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway was life-changing. I became aware that environments could actually be controlled, manipulated, and ultimately designed. Then I was hooked.
Later, our family moved to Guadalajara, Mexico when I was an adolescent. The highly energetic and dense urban environments saturated with color, objects, and action exposed me to a thrill and vibrancy that stays with me to this day.
What was your design & creative process when working on the “Sage” Furniture set for Benchmark?
Benchmark was interested in creating a workplace furniture collection inspired by a sense of kinship—each piece should feel related and sit comfortably together, but also serve different functions and have its own unique traits.
At Rockwell Group, we like to collaborate with partners on products that tell a story, and we thought there was a really interesting dynamic between Benchmark’s simple approach and use of natural materials and our interest in theatrical vibrancy and elegance.
We believed we could create this “family” of furniture that told a story about wellness and adaptability. We started with a very simple question, which was, “What do people need to feel comfortable at work and at home?” If there is a trend in workplace design—it’s that wherever we work, whether it’s in an office, a hotel lobby, or at home—it’s that workplaces are personal spaces.
Adaptability, privacy, and an appropriate sense of scale are key to establishing wellbeing in your personal space. Transformation is also key. Many of the pieces in the collection serve more than one purpose. We wanted to create a product that is as good for people’s wellbeing as it is for the planet, so we used the tenets of biophilic design to frame the collection. This meant natural materials, colors and textures, rounded profiles, and inviting ergonomic shapes.
When was the “Sage” collection launched?
Launch Date: 100% Design, September 18-21, 2019
What are you working on now? What is in the pipeline for you?
This spring, we are thrilled that Phaidon will publish Drama, a rigorous exploration of David’s principles and ideas in action, found in examples from both architecture and theater, from both inside and outside the firm.
We’re looking forward to the opening in the fall of FUTURES, an exhibition celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Smithsonian. Located at the 1881 Arts & Industries Building in Washington, D.C., the exhibition is a preview of the future-oriented, dynamic content that the AIB will host after the building’s renovation: A prototype for the building’s next big chapter and its first major exhibition in 20 years.
OpenStage NYC is a new initiative that utilizes portable staging to help arts organizations move to outdoor performances this summer.
What is your secret to creativity?
Creative friction is an engine for many of our projects and always nurtured in all our projects. To achieve this we encourage design teams to be a mix from very experienced and younger, wise and green, specialist and generalist, dreamers and pragmatists.
As for good designers, I think they have an overabundance of the curiosity gene, are very willing collaborators, and just have an unbridled passion for new ideas.
My focus has always been on uncovering opportunities in every project, to make a difference, make something that hasn’t been done, to make something new, regardless of scale or type – that helps me stay curious.
Last, what would be your best advice to young talented Designers?
I tell students and young designers to look for ideas and solutions in the uncharted spaces between disciplines, between typologies. I think the “in between” space, and the edges and boundaries of a discipline, is where fresh ideas are born.
Winners of the SIT Furniture Design Award ” Interior design of the Year”, we sit with Zhezeng Xiong and Zhenghui Long, from Vanpin Architecture Design; discussing their passion for Interior Design and how they integrate natural lighting and the local environment when working on the Country Garden Nantong Riverbank Sales Office project.
Could you tell us a little about your professional journey?
Zhezeng Xiong（Tidus Xiong): I started working as an Interior Designer after graduating from college; it has now been for over a decade. Today, I am a proud Director of Interior Design, a husband, and a father of a lovely daughter! Being focus on Design is not only my passion, but it has also brought me success and happiness. There are still mountains to climb, I am not going to stop now… I will keep working hard for it!
Zhenghui, Long (Apple Long): I studied art at college while dreaming to be an art teacher. Gradually my interest in the “soft” interior decoration field grew as my passion for colors grew.
How did you discover your passion for Interior Design?
Zhezeng Xion (Tidus Xiong): Design is everywhere, and it’s one of the most important elements to differentiate a product from mediocrity. The design adds value to all products, making them more beautiful, practical and human. Design is a lifelong endeavor because there is no “best” design. Once I realized this, it grows in me.
Zhenghui, Long (Apple Long): The use of color in interior design, matching with accessories, is in a way the same as the “art of painting”, and that’s what I’m interested in. I am applying what I’ve learned in my studies, to my work. It‘s a bit of a waste if what you’ve learned in an academic study, doesn’t help your career, isn’t it?
What was your design process when working on the “Country Garden Nantong Riverbank Sales Office”?
Zhezeng Xiong（Tidus Xiong): The design team stayed on site for a week to study the location, then we look at many concepts suggested by all parties involved to finalize a design proposal.
Zhenghui, Long (Apple Long): We decided to use natural colors, then everything just falls into place logically.
What was the project Design brief?
Zhezeng Xiong (Tidus Xiong): The local landscape of the Nantong region has its own characteristics: Endless Reeds, lotus, and vast stretches of water. We decided to have dense reed inside the sales office together with lotus leaves to have the impression that the natural environment is growing indoor.
Can you please share with us, what winning the “Interior Design of the Year” prize means to you?
Zhezeng Xiong（Tidus Xiong): There is an old saying in China ‘If you don’t go back to your hometown, it’s like walking in a beautiful dress at night.’ Now thanks to globalization and the SIT Furniture Design Award, our work can be recognized by people all over the world. Of course, it is a great honor for designers to be awarded!
Zhenghui, Long (Apple Long): 2020 has been difficult, I really find some consolation in this prize.
What are you working on now? What is in the pipeline for you?
Zhezeng Xion（Tidus Xiong): Currently, I’m busy coordinating different teams and working on a series of projects. With the Covid crisis, it is difficult to travel abroad. I wish; I will soon be able to travel, recharge and look for new ideas and inspirations, just like the old days. I believe it will happen in the near future!
Zhenghui, Long (Apple Long): I’m going to take a long vacation. Design is a process that both ends are important, which are studying and creating. Without study, you are just copying yourself.
Meet David Rockwell, the Designer of Sage by David Rockwell for Benchmark!
Sage by David Rockwell began with a question: What does a person need to feel comfortable both at home and at work?
Adaptability, privacy, and wellness are key to establishing a sense of wellbeing in your personal space. Working closely with Benchmark and using sustainable, non-toxic materials and finishes, Rockwell Group’s collection is optimized for the workplace, but would feel at home in hospitality or residential space. Using biophilic design as a starting point, the collection features flexible pieces, many of which transform at the touch of a button or toss of a pillow to accommodate multiple uses.
The forms of our seating and tables are soft, supple, and supportive, emphasizing natural wood finishes and sustainable sourced upholstery materials. The pieces are made of a combination of ash and sycamore wood with blackened finished copper accent detailing and natural upholstery in layers of coconut fiber, natural latex, recycled shredded denim, and lamb’s wool.
A conversation with Sergio Sesmero the winner of the SIT 2020 Emerging Furniture Designer of the Year, student of the Esne – Escuela Universitaria De Innovación, Diseño Y Tecnología in Madrid.
Could you tell us a little about yourself? Where you from?
I was born in 1997 in Madrid, Spain. Experience, abstraction, philosophy and society have guided my designs in the different fields in which I have worked.
I have tried to establish with my designs the possibility of a dialogue between theory and praxis, between knowledge and doing in the field of artistic activity and design. With a special interest in avant-garde design, I present myself as a person who is not afraid to experiment through the dialectic between opposites and taking design to extremes, until I find a synthesis of concepts. I have worked in different fields (design, production, and commerce) that have influenced my approach to projects, collaborating on projects in various sectors such as furniture, automotive, consumer electronics, fashion, and accessories.
How did you discover your passion for Design and decided to study at Esne – Escuela Universitaria De Innovación, Diseño Y Tecnología in Spain?
I discovered my interest in design through a project I did in the electrical engineering course, I was studying before product design. During the course of that work, I realized how interesting it was for me to redefine the shapes, materials and functions of everyday objects.
Afterward, I decided to leave that career and look for another one where I could experiment again with the design of different products, that’s where ESNE appeared.
What was your design process when working on the “Memoria Chair”?
In the process, my main interest was to make a sociological study that would give me some clues about the direction design might take in the coming years.
I started to discover new figures and personalities in design who were having a lot of influence on the current scene, and in turn, I dedicated myself to studying all their references, building up my own. These included people like Martin Margiela, Magritte, and Hegel, who had an important influence on this work.
Can you please share with us, what becoming the winner of the “Emerging Furniture Designers of the Year” means to you?
Honestly, I think it will be an added pressure to all the work that comes after Memoria Chair. This does not have to be a bad thing, on the contrary, as it is a great recognition of my work and the ideas that I intend to capture in my designs. So I am very grateful for this recognition by the jury and the contest.
What are you working on now? When will you finish your study?
I finished my studies in September last year. I am currently learning digital fashion design and 3d modeling. I am also building a studio in Madrid, which will be dedicated to the union and synthesis between different disciplines such as fashion design and product design.
What can we wish you for in the future?
I would like to continue experimenting and participating in different disciplines such as fashion design or architecture. Without forgetting product and furniture design as a basis for the development of innovative ideas.
Winner of the first edition of the SIT Furniture Design Award “Innovation of the Year” prize, Wouter Myny shares his professional journey and his learnings from the first prototype of the SecretAir – The discrete home office sideboard.
How did you discover your passion for Design?
When I was a kid, I always thought I would become a mechanical engineer, just like my dad. I had a great interest in how things worked, and I assumed I would have a pure technical profession. But when I visited an exhibition where schools and universities presented their studies, I met this professor who talked so passionate about industrial design that I immediately felt this was what I wanted to do. Since that day, I never looked back. I took a master’s in industrial design, won the prize for the best master project, and have been an industrial designer ever since. It did not just become a job, but a lifestyle.
Could you tell us a little about your professional journey?
After I took my master’s degree in Belgium, I started working in Sobinco, a company designing and producing components to operate aluminium windows and doors. I soon started developing products for the southern European market and I traveled frequently to Portugal to work closely with our Portuguese colleagues. It was an interesting journey to work together with different cultures. Already back then I started designing other things (ceramics, exhibition stands, graphics) in my free time.
After some years, I moved together with my wife to Norway. I first worked some time with technical design in an oil service company, but I soon started missing the design for users, user interaction, and working with ergonomics and aesthetics. 10 years ago, I started as a product designer at Inventas, Norway’s leading one-stop-shop for product development consultancy. I have worked with aquaculture, med-tech, consumer products, and many start-ups. I recently became team lead for industrial design at Inventas.
All this time, besides my day job, I have been working with my other great passion, furniture design. I have designed and built most of the furniture at home and now went all-in with the development of the home office sideboard.
What was your design process when working on “SecretAir: The discrete home office sideboard”?
This piece of furniture originates from the need to have a home office integrated into the living room. There exist many beautiful office desks for living rooms in the market, but the reality with open desks is they are never as tidy as shown in the advertisements once you start using them. The annoyance of an untidy desk messing up a living room and the constant reminder of the work to be done started the process of finding a better solution.
As the use of the home office is increasing, not only because of the pandemic, I interviewed many persons who often work from home to find out what the user needs were. Based on the specifications they addressed, I started sketching and made many iterations, based on their feedback.
At Inventas, we are technology optimists, believing technology can solve many challenges. Also, in this case, the key to the solution was found in the integration of technology. After the concept was found, I started 3D modeling and produced the first prototype. Even though the prototype confirmed that the concept is an excellent solution, there was still room for improvement. I had a new round with interviews with the potential users and went back to the drawing table to redesign the sideboard. After many sleepless nights with sketching, 3D modeling, and rendering, the result was sent to the SIT Furniture Design Award competition.
What was the main learning from the first prototype?
I underestimated the positive mental effect of literally being able to open the office in the morning and to “leave work” after the working day. Even while being at home, the desk really becomes a working space where you can focus on what you planned to do. With traditional office desks or using the dining table as a home office, the PC, screen, etc. are always visible. It can be disturbing with work constantly looking over your shoulder.
Can you please share with us, what becoming the winner of the “Innovation of the Year” means to you?
Winning the “Innovation of the Year” prize means a lot in many ways. Getting the confirmation that the concept and the way it was integrated is a good solution, gives an enormous boost to continue the hard work. I feel honored to receive the award, evaluated by an international jury of professionals who have been in the business for many years.
Another reason why winning the prize is so important is that I now get an opportunity to show the product to the public, which I otherwise never could have reached. I really hope the sideboard will catch the attention of some furniture manufacturers with a sales network, so we can cooperate to bring it to the market.
What are you working on now? What is in the pipeline for you?
In the short term, the main focus will be to get SecretAir to the market. I also plan to further develop an entire product range with different variants, based on different user needs. In addition, the product needs other sideboards and a TV bench, so we can deliver an entire product family fitting together in one living room.
I have also designed some other pieces of furniture that I will continue to develop.
What can we wish you for in the future?
I wish that in the near future can start cooperating with a furniture manufacturer, wherewith mutual respect we can make the best out of it.
More information on the SecretAir.
Student of Savannah College of Art And Design, Crystal Martin won the “Emerging Interior Designer of the Year” title for her project “Le Fer Plat V” in Hotel Interior Design category. Crystal shares with us the design process and her passion for Design, Luxury and Fashion.
Could you tell us a little about yourself? Where you from?
My background is American and Korean. I was born in the South and grew up in New York City and lived abroad in cities such as Florence, Milan, and Seoul before settling in Atlanta. My projects reflect a mix of American, European, and Asian influences as well as a Southern charm, taking the most impactful moments of those experiences and expressing them through design.
How did you discover your passion for Design and decided to study at Savannah College of Art and Design?
Having studied fine art from a young age, I always knew I wanted to pursue an artistic career. When living in New York City, I wanted to be a fashion designer or artist, but my parents nudged me to study interior design which proved to be a good decision. Savannah College of Art and Design is special in that there is a myriad of different majors and diversity where you could truly explore your passions.
The ability to take electives in Architectural History, Historic Preservation, and Luxury and Fashion Management was beneficial as it then crystallized my thesis. It then gave me a better definition of my personal style and what I value as a designer. There are also so many talented professors who pushed and challenged me in a positive way to break boundaries and unleash potential.
What was your design process when working on “Le Fer Plat V”?
When working on Le Fer Plat V, it was crucial in understanding the concept of meta-luxury in an interior environment. I conducted local site visits to the Baccarat Hotel, Lotte Palace Hotel, Equinox Hotel, Edition, and the Jane Hotel in New York City to study the DNA, heritage, and identity behind brands that extended into hospitality, historic building sites as well as rehabilitations such as the Candler Hotel here in Atlanta. I then looked at meta-luxury crafts such as urushi and materials like shou sugi ban which was then applied to the interiors of the space.
The concept of Le Fer Plat V is “East Meets West,” the merging and integration of western and eastern cultures, giving a nod to each other. Beauty is everywhere and you never know what can inspire you, such as the introduction of Japanese Art which lead to Japonismé for instance. Le Fer Plat V is a passion project that culminated all my experiences. The thesis is dedicated to my parents who met on opposite sides of the world. More information on Le Fer Plat V.
Can you please share with us, what becoming the winner of the “Emerging Interior Designers of the Year” means to you?
First and foremost, I am truly grateful to receive the SIT Furniture Design Award for Le Fer Plat V. Becoming the winner of the “Emerging Interior Designer of the Year” is amazing. It has been a reassurance of my artistic direction and reward for being intuitive and following the universe’s guidance. The recognition gives me the confidence to always pursue my desires because maybe, the world was waiting for it as well.
What are you working on now? When will you finish your study?
After taking electives in Luxury and Fashion Management, I resonated with course content in travel, hospitality, and luxury technology to name a few. As I graduated with my master’s degree in Interior Design on zoom at the height of the pandemic, many, if not all companies were in lockdown. It was at that point that I decided to move forward with a master’s in LXFM. It was an opportunity to finally merge my two passions together. Quite frankly, business and marketing classes are quite useful as well. As a millennial, it is great to be studying with the next-generation Z.
What can we wish you for in the future?
Some exciting projects are in line for me. As for my academic career, my next thesis will focus on how luxury can revitalize cities touching on aspects of sustainability and technology with post-pandemic hospitality and retail needs in mind. I am hoping that it will shed light on new projects and ways to elevate local economies the quality of life. Studying Luxury and Fashion Management, in particular supply chain, has also rekindled my young love for fashion.
Lockdowns and the pandemic inspired a new way of living, and that it is appreciating otium, the Latin word for enjoying leisure and academic endeavors. I am looking into creating apparel made from ethically and sustainably sourced fabrics, taking this opportunity to embrace all that is good.
Le Fer Plat V by Crystal Martin
Meet Wouter Myny, the designer of SecretAir – The discrete home office sideboard.
This furniture originates from the need of having a home office integrated into the living room, avoiding untidy desk annoyance and constant reminders of work to be done. Design brief: High-end home office, which is comfortable and practical during work, invisible after work.
Producible in series, not taking too much space. Technology is integrated to make the best of both working and living. It is a fully equipped office desk in your living room during the day. When the working day is over, the office is easily transformed into a nice sideboard, bringing back the home atmosphere.
How it works: Manually open the sideboard middle door. By lifting the lower panel, the other plates follow in a small groove on each side of the door. When open, the door locks in a snap. The small lid is fixated with a magnet on the two front panels. By pressing the up/down-button (button or app), two electrical actuators are activated. Adjust the table height to your preferred sit and work position.
Prize acceptance from Crystal Martin, student of Savannah College of Art And Design for her Hotel Interior Design of “Le Fer Plat V”.
Meta-luxury, “luxury beyond luxury,” is a term coined by Manfredi Ricca and Rebecca Robins observing a cultural and economic paradigm of excellence based on purpose, knowledge, timelessness, and unique achievement through the four pillars of focus, craftsmanship, history and rarity.
The thesis relies on a historical and theoretical framework looking at wellness from a psychological, emotional, and sustainable perspective. The project entails a hypothesis that applies the meta-luxury guidelines to a luxury brand hospitality extension by telling the story of the “meta-luxury” experience.
The theme, relying on the theory of heterotopia, harmoniously combines a framework of a building, brand establishment, as well as aesthetics aligned from the same era in a modernized setting.
The project is a Louis Vuitton brand expansion into hospitality, the first Louis Vuitton boutique hotel, namely Le Fer Plat V, The Flatiron V. Japan opened to the West in 1854, the same time Louis Vuitton was founded. The concept of East Meets West draws on the inspiration of japonismé in a Louis Vuitton context as a nod to the alliance formed leading to their globalization.
More information on here.