Student furniture designs shine at IWF.

Less is indeed more at Design Emphasis '98 where the best of 170 projects became Award Winners.

"FULL OF SHINING PROMISE" ... The words hung in the air as one by one the students or their representatives walked to the podium to accept the awards, perhaps the most significant honor of their young lives.

The reference was to the finalists of Design Emphasis '98, a student furniture design contest sponsored by the International Woodworking Fair. The speaker was Ingrid Volk, IWF '98 chairperson and vice president of European Woodworking Machinery, who presided at the awards ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, on Aug. 20.

Volk's comments underlined the fact that Design Emphasis attracts, encourages, recognizes and honors students from the premier woodworking schools and furniture design programs in the United States. A total 19 schools were represented by the 58 finalists. Eleven schools accounted for the 16 award winners.

Joe Richardson III, Design Emphasis '98 chairman and president of Richardson Bros., presented awards for Winner, $1,250; Merit, $500; and Honorable Mention, $250, in each of five categories: Seating, Ready-to-Assemble, Contract, Case Goods and Design Creativity. The overall Best-of-Show Award was $2,000.

A panel of 10 judges chose the award winners by a point system based upon design creativity, adaptability to production processes, marketability and workmanship. Entries had to be at least 50 percent solid wood or wood composite; upholstery entries required frames of solid wood or wood composite materials.

Judges included Richardson; Albert Pfeiffer, curator of the Knoll Museum; Arto Szabo and Thomas Keller, furniture designers; Rosanne Somerson, head of the Department of Furniture Design, Rhode Island School of Design; and Brian Alexander, creative director of Haworth Inc.

Other judges were Max Shangle, Furniture Design coordinator of Kendall College of Art and Design; Carla Greenblatt of Haverty's; and Lester Craft, editorial director of Furniture Today, and myself.

Marilyn Jeans of IWF coordinated the biennial competition, which began in 1970 in Louisville, KY, where entries were judged from models. Jeans said about 170 entries were received this year. Selection of the finalists was completed in May.

And the Winners Were ...