With so many products to peruse at NY Now, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, breaking them down into categories and calling attention to the best of the best can be a great help when reviewing show notes or simply if you weren’t able to attend the market yourself and would like a glimpse at the great design that was at hand. NY Now has established multiple awards to suit its varied categories, many of which are well suited to the categories covered here on the Home Furnishings site.

Among this year’s awards, three companies, including two first time exhibitors and one long-standing market participant, were honored with awards in recognition of product design excellence, innovation and creativity and The American Society of Interior Designers NY Metro Chapter recognized seven exhibitors from the NY Now Home Collection as the “Best of the Best” at the Winter edition of the show.

“ASID recognizes NY NOW as an important market for our members seeking design-driven resources,” says Susan Anthony, president of the ASID NY Metro chapter. “Among the superlative companies participating in NY NOW this winter, these seven deserve special recognition.”

And the ASID “Best of the Best” are…

Imaginative Product Presentation:  
GARDEN
Atlanta, GA 

Innovative Product Design: 
NEO
Roma, Italy

Social Responsibility/Ecological Sensitivity:  
PIVOT
Dobbs Ferry, NY 

Lighting:  
PABLO
San Francisco, CA

Accessories:  
RABLABS
New York, NY 

Textiles:
JO-LIZA INTERNATIONAL
San Marcos, CA 

Wall Art:
LONGSTREET COLLECTION
St.

Louis, MO

Judges for the winter 2014 ASID “Best of the Best” awards were: Susan Arann CID, ASID principal of American & International Designs Inc.; Dionne Gadsden, Allied ASID; Benjamin Huntington ASID, NCIDQ, NYCID, Veritate Design; Jonika Ruz, Student ASID; Michelle Taylor, Allied ASID, Michele Taylor Interiors LLC; Virginia Tesi, Allied Member ASID NY & NJ, Virginia Tesi Interior Design, Inc.; and S. Lee Wright, ASID, NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate, S. Lee Wright, Ltd.

And the winners of the Accent on Design Awards for Excellence are…

Excellence in Product Design
Tom Dixon, London, UK, for its entire collection of extraordinary accessories, gifts and design objects formed from resilient and heavyweight materials including copper, marble, cast iron, brass and wood.

Best New Collection
Finell, Austin, Texas, for its collection of neo luxe housewares and accessories. Offering new functionality and progressive design, the products are made from a fun mix of luxury materials.

Overall Excellence
Tina Frey Designs, San Francisco, for its modern designs in resin, a collection of useful everyday objects and jewelry. The pieces in the collection are designed and hand-sculpted by Tina Frey.

“These talented Accent on Design participants have introduced a higher level of functionality and aesthetics within the home and lifestyle categories worthy of this special recognition,” says Jaime Sikorjak, sales manager for Accent on Design.

Accent on Design is a juried collection of contemporary and innovative product lines from more than 150 exhibitors across all categories. The segment has been a part of this market, previously known as the New York International Gift Fair, for more than 25 years and is now produced semi-annually as part of NY Now’s Home Collection.

NY Now also presented a series of Best of Market awards that included Best New Product Awards in four categories: Bed, Bath, Dining and Home Accessories. Winning products from these awards, voted on by a roster of editors, are now qualified for consideration in the NY Now Best of Home Award which will be named at the market’s end.