The Contemporary Design Group has announced the winner of the first annual Edward Haimsohn Design Award at their annual conference in Coral Gables, FL. The winning design was the Corridor Media Cabinet, designed by Matthew Weatherly for BDI. The award was accepted by Bill Becker, CEO and Design Director of BDI. There were over 30 entries for consideration in this year’s competition and 11 final nominees. A panel of judges, consisting of CDG retailer members, evaluated nominees on originality, creativity, consumer appeal, use of materials, functionality, and manufacturing execution. A complete list and description of nominees is available here.
The award is named after CDG’s co-founder, Edward Haimsohn, who was well known for his strong eye for design and attention to quality. “Eddie Haimsohn was a great mentor to me and many other people in our industry,” says Bruce Selik, CDG Board Member and CEO of Hillside Furniture in Bloomfield Hills, MI. “Unlike many retailers, Eddie always looked at merchandise and never hesitated to make comments that he thought might be helpful in making the product design or structure better for the consumer. He certainly was not shy about telling you his opinion. Our decision to name our award the Edward Haimsohn Design Award is because he knew and understood excellent design.”
As co-founder of the Contemporary Design Group, Edward had the foresight to help create an organization of like-minded retailers who appreciated design and who saw home furnishings as much more than just a product to sell. The members of Contemporary Design Group continue on in the spirit of constructive collaboration, teamwork, and partnership between retailers and manufacturers in the contemporary home furnishings category. Today, Edward Haimsohn is retired and is living in San Diego, CA.
CDG is currently accepting designs for consideration in 2015. To learn more about entry criteria, or to submit a design, visit here.
The Contemporary Design Group is a national association of independent home furnishings showrooms, specializing in modern and contemporary design. Currently the buying/performance/networking group is 42 showrooms strong with retail members in more 39 cities from coast to coast. www.contemporarydesign.com
