Vancouver, BC, was the second city to host this year’s HOT NEW NEXT competition. On June 11 at the Salari Fine Carpets’ sun-filled showroom, four contestants rapid-fire pitched their design-related concept to a panel of judges: Jody Phillips, director of IDS Vancouver; Phoebe Glasfurd, creative director and cofounder of Glasfurd and Walker; and Matthew McCormick, founder of Matthew McCormick Studio. Guests enjoyed libations from Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country.
Contestants included Irina Diana Flore, a former assistant designer for Sebastian Herkner who presented her L’art de la Table collection, and Oliver David Krieg, an architect who pitched a line of wood vessels carved by robots.
Illustrator Anja Jane showed a deck of cards she created that displays her passion for hiking, while Ravi Beech displayed her Monogram collection, a line of sinks created by Valley Acrylic Bath Ltd., a company she helped launch in 2007.
“This was a tremendously diverse group of contestants, who presented projects from across mediums and in various stages of development,” says GRAY’s editorial director Tiffany Jow, who moderated the event. “I loved watching them interact with the audience after the competition, as I know they received valuable feedback and made important connections from guests as well.”
“The creativity and diversity of the entries was impressive, and choosing one product as the winning entry made us really think about what we were valuing the most,” says judge Phoebe Glasfurd. “Anja’s entry captured our attention [with] its simplicity and charm. It had commercial viability and was immediately marketable. While humble in its aspirations and form, it was considered, thoughtful, and authentic, which resonated with all of us.”
After the pitches were complete, the judges convened to determine who would be named the overall HNN Vancouver winner, while the audience voted on a People’s Choice award. Jane’s project received both honors, and will go on to compete against the winner of the HNN Portland competition, Justin Nelson of Fernweh Woodworking, and the winner of the forthcoming Seattle competition at the Seattle Design Center on July 30, at IDS Vancouver on the GRAY stage in September.
A special thank you to our 2019 HOT NEW NEXT sponsors: Design Within Reach and Chown Hardware. Up next: the HNN Seattle competition. Visit graymag.com/hot-new-next/ for additional information.
Show Comments