By its very nature, the design industry is required to push boundaries. Creativity is the order of the day and interior designers that fail to innovate do so at their peril.
But while there are few parts of the world where terms like ‘groundbreaking’, ‘revolutionary’ and ‘one-of-a-kind’ are bandied about so liberally, determining regional design work that is truly novel means looking beyond the propaganda. In a region where bigger is often mistaken for better – and excess reigns – the true nature of innovation is often overlooked. Marketing hype may create the illusion of originality, but it does little to help the industry evolve.
In amongst all the clamour, it’s easy to lose sight of the projects and professionals that are truly pushing the boundaries – the ones that are already shaping the industry and will continue to leave their mark in an increasingly cluttered arena.
This is the impetus behind the second annual Commercial Interior Design Awards, where we will honour and celebrate the local design industry and the individuals that are truly driving its development. To be held at the Westin on December 7th 2008, the CID awards will recognise excellence in each of the following categories: Interior Design of the Year; Retail, Leisure & Entertainment, Hotel, Corporate, Public Sector & Institutional, and Residential. Special awards will also go to the Interior Design Firm of the Year; Young Designer of the Year, Restaurant Design of the Year, Environmentally Sustainable Design, Architect Firm of the Year, and Hotel Business Centre Design of the Year.
The deadline for nominations is October 20, so there is still time to put your company or project forward for any of the 12 awards. For more information on the entry process and table bookings, please go to www.itp.net/events/cidawards or contact me at [email protected].
Building on the extremely high standard of entries from last year, we are already seeing some truly impressive designs in the entries submitted so far. We look forward to receiving yours, and to seeing you in December.
Selina Denman is the editor of Commerical Interior Design.
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