The Furniture Awards, a scheme which sets out to identify the best new products launched at the January Furniture Show, created by Furniture News magazine in partnership with the show’s organiser, will take place again this January.
Sponsored by bed specialist Dreams, the 2016 edition will significantly grow in stature. Improvements include on-site winner announcements, increased display coverage at and around the event, and a special stand display of the shortlisted entries.
Last January, furniture designer Rob Scarlett joined Robert Shotton of Cousins Furniture and Tristan Lynch of WorldStores to select the winners of The Furniture Awards 2015 …
Value Category winner: City dining and occasional range, Bentley Designs
City is a two-tone contemporary dining and occasional range finished in a warm weathered oak and soft grey colour – a walnut option is also available. The extensive cabinet offer is complemented by a range of fabric chairs in various colours, in the form of tapered back and scoop-back designs. Fresh yet functional, City features soft-close drawers and mitre-jointed cabinets. City’s storage solutions include a display cabinet with internal cupboard, sideboard with internal drawers and occasional pieces with shelving and drawers.
Time Living’s Naxos bed frame claimed the runner-up accolade in this category.
Mid-level Category winner: Dexter side table and accompanying range, Gallery Direct
Part of Gallery Direct’s Hudson Living furniture range, the Dexter range comprises two occasional side tables, one with a parquet top, and the other a concrete-effect faux resin. Made using mindi ash in a dry weathered finish, they are part of a wider collection that contains a round, weathered pedestal table with a faux concrete resin top and a mindi ash base, and a mindi ash statement refectory table with a parquet top.
Upper-level Category winner: Sloane sofa, Henderson Russell
The Sloane range is handmade to order in Long Eaton. A comfort-driven design with a fixed seat and back, Sloane is flexible in specification, available in four sizes, a choice of show-wood colours and a large range of fabrics. Sloane’s back and arms feature sewn-in fluting detail, and are contrast piped.
The frame is made up of selected fully-seasoned beech and other hardwoods from managed sources, and the joints triple or double dowelled, glued and screwed, with large corner blocks for extra rigidity.Sloane’s seat is fully upholstered on a tempered steel serpentine spring unit, while the back is fully upholstered on a tempered steel super-loop spring unit.
Tetrad’s Nucleus chair was the runner-up in this category.
The Furniture Awards recognise the best new product unveiled at the January Furniture Show, across a range of price points. A team of judges from the world of furniture retail will assess the creative and commercial value of the shortlisted entries before highlighting those considered best in class before the entire industry. Open to January Furniture Show exhibitors only, the awards' deadline is Friday 11th December 2015 – visit the event's web page to enter.
