The year was 1996 when the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) held their first Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards to promote superior design qualities and encourage the recognition of designers within the retail home furnishings industry. Fast forward 25 years, ASFD is now International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) and they have grown to receive record number of Pinnacle Awards entries in recent years along with over 15,300 gala views on YouTube in 2020. To be considered for the industry’s highest design honor designers, manufacturers or students must enter the 2021 Pinnacle Awards by August 2, 2021. Winners will be announced at the Pinnacle Awards Gala on Monday, October 18.
“We hope that everyone will join us in celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Pinnacle Awards by either entering a creative design or attending the awards celebration in October,” stated John Conrad, executive director. “It’s amazing when I look back at the young designers and companies who won Pinnacle Awards 25 years ago and see where they are today. In many cases winning a Pinnacle Award helped launch their design careers and elevated manufacturers to new levels of recognition. I am also excited to see new designers entering the competition each year with their amazingly innovative designs.”
“As part of the 25th year celebration, I am happy to announce that we are adding the home textiles category for textile designers, manufacturers, and students to enter to make a total of 25 competitive categories,” Conrad added. Carrie Dillion from International Textile Alliance added that we are “extremely excited to have textiles, an integral part of the industry, be represented in the Pinnacle Awards. This is a great opportunity for textile designers to show and be recognized for their beautiful fabrics.”
The Pinnacle Awards are intended to celebrate designs that are produced mostly in larger numbers for sale to consumers. Submissions are open to all furniture and textile designers, manufacturers, and design students. The recipient of the highly coveted Pinnacle Award is the designer or designers who were directly involved in the "design craft" of the products(s).
This year’s Pinnacle Awards entry categories are:
- Wall Décor - Home furnishings that attach to or hang on the wall. Does not include wall art, painting or prints
- Floor Coverings - Rugs
- Accessories - Any home furnishings accessories that are floor standing
- Bedroom Luxury - Entry can be bedroom piece or group. A four-piece suggested retail must be above $3000
- Bedroom Broad Appeal - Entry can be bedroom piece or group. A four-piece suggested retail must be below $3000
- Dining Luxury - Entry must be a group of table and chairs with a suggested retail for a table and 4 chairs of above $3000
- Dining Broad Appeal - Entry must be a group of table and chairs with a suggested retail for a table and 4 chairs below $3000
- Entertainment Furniture - Entries in this category include individual or multiple units (groupings) that accommodate audio/video components
- Home Office - Combines office functionality with style and sizing suitable for home use. Entry can be a piece or a group.
- Home Textiles - Textiles designed for home furnishings, primarily upholstered furniture. Entry may be jacquard, dobby, screen, or digital prints
- Leather Upholstery - Luxury - Includes furniture, either motion or stationary, predominantly covered in leather. Suggested retail price must be above $5,000
- Leather Upholstery - Broad Appeal- Includes furniture, either motion or stationary, predominantly covered in leather. Suggested retail price must be below $5,000
- Maker/Designer - This category is for builders/makers creating one-of-a-kind pieces for sale in galleries, stores and or client specific products.
- Lighting - Includes incandescent or LED fixed lighting intended for indoor home use, including table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, and chandeliers. Entry can be a piece or a group.
- Major Collections - Entry must be a whole home collection of at least 18 unique pieces. Upholstery, lighting, or accessories can be included only as part of the collection.
- Motion Upholstery - Includes pieces whose motion changes the posture and comfort of the person seated. Entry can be made by piece or group.
- Occasional Storage -Includes occasional furniture whose primary function is storage. Entry can be by piece or group. It does not include entertainment or home theater furniture.
- Occasional Tables - Luxury - An open piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs or supports providing a level surface on which objects may be placed. Suggested retail price must be above $500
- Occasional Tables – Broad Appeal - An open piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs or supports providing a level surface on which objects may be placed. Suggested retail price must be below $500
- Stationary Upholstery – Luxury - Includes upholstered pieces with moving trays, shelves, etc., as long as the movement does not affect the posture of the person seated. Entry can be individual pieces or group. Suggested retail price must be above $2,000
- Stationary Upholstery – Broad Appeal -Includes upholstered pieces with moving trays, shelves, etc., as long as the movement does not affect the posture of the person seated. Entry can be individual pieces or group. Suggested retail price must be below $2,000
- Outdoor - Includes furniture designed primarily for outdoor or leisure-time settings such as sunrooms, porches, patios, or atriums
- Youth - Includes furniture for infants and juvenile bedrooms including beds, children's room accessories, and storage. Entry can be an individual piece or a group
- The Green Leaf Award Subcategory - Products that meet the most discerning design standards while also meeting a legitimately eco-friendly profile
- Student Pinnacle Award – Any bedroom, dining, occasional, home office, seating or entertainment category piece selected from the student’s body of work.
The 2021 Pinnacle Awards are sponsored by the High Point Market Authority, International Market Centers, Herzog Veneers, Inc., Continental Hardware, Furniture Today, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Furniture Design Studios, Senlong Wood Company, Sherwin-Williams, High Point University and Elements Studios.
Submission details can be found at 2021 Pinnacle Awards. To see last year’s winners please visit 2020 ISFD Pinnacle Award Winners. Entry deadline is August 2, 2021.
