The Coolest Products at America's Hottest Design Show
These award-winning products are on the forefront of interior design.
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The first day of Dwell on Design L.A. 2014 wrapped up in the traditional way: with an awards show.
A five-person jury—including Dwell senior editor William Lamb, Design Milk founder Jaime Derringer, and Domaine creative director Mat Sanders—toured the show floor to find the hottest products in 10 categories.
From high-end appliances, to modular homes, to papercraft, the winners represented the cream of a bumper crop of innovative, stylish exhibitors. Each of the winners took the stage to accept a gorgeous, lightbulb-shaped trophy (provided by Miles & May Furniture Works of Geneva, New York).
The Awards
Each of the categories was judged on several factors: creativity, sustainability, design, and booth presentation.
Kitchen
Winner: GE Monogram
By far the manufacturer with the largest presence at Dwell on Design, GE is using the show to highlight its Monogram line of high-end appliances, including a new dishwasher, a French door oven, and a concept fridge with glowing shelves. The fight for the high-end market is heating up, and GE hopes to win over affluent consumers by nailing the details.
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Bath
Winner: TOTO
Though there was plenty of competition, TOTO stood out in the Bath category for its “urban micro bath” concept, which uses smart design to bring all the luxuries of a palatial bath to urban aeries short on space.
Design Materials
Winner: Arpa
A clear-cut winner for innovative use of materials, Arpa took home the trophy for its Fenix NTM nanotech countertops. We first saw the self-healing, soft-touch, fingerprint-resistant counters at this year’s EuroCucina in Milan, where they wowed us in Arrital’s sleekly modern kitchens.
Lighting
Winner: Cerno
Local heroes Cerno (from Irvine, California) took home the prize in the Lighting category, thanks to their gorgeous LED lighting fixtures that make brilliant use of natural wood, concrete, and brushed aluminum while also innovating with some truly clever ideas. Needless to say, we want all of their products in our homes.
Furniture
Winner: Fringe Studio
Another California success story, Fringe Studio recently released its beautiful Mixi Modular line of shelving—an ideal solution for cozy urban homes, and an elegant addition to spaces of all kinds. Playfully mixing colors, shapes, and configurations, the Mixi line charmed our socks off on the show floor.
Modern Family
Winner: Paper Punk
Among all the companies offering furniture, lighting fixtures, appliances, and raw materials, one oddball stands out at Dwell on Design. Paper Punk designs fun, funky papercraft pieces ranging from miniature cities to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and robots, all with eye-catching patterns and bright colors. Fun for all ages, these nifty toys are creative fun for all ages.
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Outdoor
Winner: Sprouting Sprocket Studio
Sprouting Sprocket’s absolutely adorable Hütte Hut trailer took the award in the Outdoor category. A wood-and-canvas tent on wheels, it’d be perfectly at home behind a vintage VW Beetle at an idyllic northern California campsite. The intimate space opens from the side, French door–style, in another delightful aesthetic touch.
Sustainability
Winner: Parquet by Dian
Proudly made in the USA, Dian’s parquet flooring is notable not just for its enduring beauty, but for the fact that—unlike with plank wood—its manufacturing process uses nearly 100% of the raw materials.
Best Booth
Winner: LivingHomes
Modular homes are a big deal at Dwell on Design, and the honors for most eye-catching exhibit definitely went to LivingHomes, which is showing off its 1,300-square-foot C6 model right on the show floor. Furnished by Chairish, an online consignment shop for vintage furniture, the elegant abode is a shining example of what you can get from a prefab design in the 21st century, and is a real pleasure to tour.
Best in Show
Winner: Stikwood
Reclaimed wood is in, in a big way, and Stikwood is probably one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to add a touch of rustic charm to any interior space. For as little as $8 per square foot, you can dramatically reinvent the look of any interior surface with real wood—in a variety of tones and finishes.
Congratulations to all the winners!