Student Furniture Design Competition 2011

The MADE: In America Student Furniture Design competition is sponsored each year by the winner of the BEST: Made In America award. The 2011 award winner is Century Furniture. Each year’s award winner creates the All American Room, which debuted this year at the Washington Design Center.

The All American Room initiative was created to give America’s home furnishings industry a high profile showcase to generate interest in American made products. After its premier in 2009, it became apparent that the room could instill awareness and interest in the concept of a uniquely American design aesthetic and had value as an educational tool to inspire young designers.

American designers of the 21st century will be incorporating a far wider range of cultural traditions in their work than their predecessors. The Furniture Design Competition was conceived as a way to encourage the fusion of these varied traditions into a modern aesthetic that builds upon and enhances the elements of classic American design as expressed in the All American Room.

The competition is open to students individually or in teams currently enrolled in an accredited postsecondary design school. All interested students must submit an application letter along with proof of enrollment. Only one submission per individual or team will be permitted.

Students interested in submitting a design are encouraged to attend a special orientation session. Application materials and other resources are made available for interested participants. Those unable to attend should send in questions by email prior to the session.

Submissions are restricted to designs inspired by the 2011 MADE: In America, All America Room, as realized by Century Furniture. The design must incorporate the style of the furniture created for the room while introducing a 21st century interpretation of classic American made furniture. All designs must be producible in Century grade materials and conform to the company’s quality control production standards. The winning entry will be created by Century and selected boards may be showcased at Century showrooms and at various MADE: In America events. Dates for the competition will be announced in fall 2011 and the competition will coincide with the spring 2012 academic semester. Interested students should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The MADE: In America Student Design House
Posted: 21 Nov 2011 01:09 PM PST

Most student designers toil away in studio, learning CAD, drawing room plans, and designing presentation boards for imaginary clients, but their vision is never realized beyond the grade on their report card. That’s why, for the first time, The Washington Design Center and the MADE: In America Foundation are allowing teams from five area schools to practice in real life.