Finalists Named in IWF 2022 Design Emphasis Student Furniture Design Competition

Atlanta, GA—IWF 2022 Design Emphasis adjudication yielded 48 Finalist Projects from a field of 75 entries. The Design Emphasis Student Furniture Design Competition is widely acclaimed as a foremost furniture competition for U.S. college students.

Sponsored by IWF and its owners WMIA and WMMA, the Design Emphasis competition affords students a platform to demonstrate design skills and talent in an independent adjudication conducted by furniture industry designers, manufacturing and retail executives, and representatives from the design media community. 

Among previous Design Emphasis winners are internationally acclaimed furniture designer Ini Archibong, design artist Christopher Stuart and others.

The Finalists, their projects, and the colleges and universities in which they are enrolled are: 

• Allen Audette Jr – Vermont Wood Working School, Category:  Accent Tables
• Chelsea Cheung – Art Center College of Design, Category:  Seating
• Tyler Cook – Appalachian State University, Category:  Design Creativity
• Taely Freeman – University of Kentucky, Category:  Seating
• Liam Glynn – Buffalo State College, Category:  Case Goods (2 entries)
• Sophia Goos – Bucks County Community College, Category:  Case Goods
• Huston Hamlin – Appalachian State University Category:  Case Goods
• Seth Hodges – Appalachian State University, Category:  Design Creativity
• Isabella Iguchi – Columbus College of Art and Design, Category:  Commercial/Office Furniture
• Rebecca Juliette-Duex – Haywood Community College, Category:  Design Creativity
• Jon Kannapell – Appalachian State University, Category:  Commercial/Office Furniture
• Banner Knowles – Appalachian State University, Category:  Design Creativity
• Seth Lawrence – Appalachian State University, Category:  Case Goods; Design Creativity; and Seating (3 entries)
• Litian Li – Buffalo State College,  Category:  Accent Tables and Commercial/Office Furniture (2 entries)
• Austin Liebgott – Appalachian State University, Category:  Accent Tables
• Hunter Locker – University of Kansas, Category:  Accent Tables
• Johannes (Shengyuan) Lu – Art Center College of Design, Category:  Seating
• Duncan MacLeslie – Hennepin Technical College, Category:  Accent Tables
• Elaine Mansure – Appalachian State University, Category:  Case Goods
• Austin Marion – Appalachian State University, Category:  Case Goods
• Mia Martin – Appalachian State University, Category:  Accent Tables
• Haroon Matties – James Madison University, Category:  Design Creativity
• Cam McGookey – Herron School of Art and Design, Category:  Accent Tables
• Alecia Munnings – James Madison University, Category:  Design Creativity
• Tomoki Nomura – Art Center College of Design, Category:  Seating
• Mason O’Connor – James Madison University, Category:  Seating
• Daniel Robinson – Haywood Community College, Category:  Accent Tables and Seating (2 entries)
• Madison Schaefer – University of Kansas, Category:  Accent Tables
• Nathan Sheu – California College of the Arts, Category:  Design Creativity
• Annie Sinchai – Herron School of Art and Design, Category:  Case Goods
• Ella Spillman – University of Kansas, Category:  Accent Tables
• Dylan Timoney – Appalachian State University, Category:  Commercial/Office Furniture and Seating (2 entries)
• Lilly Tomandl – Herron School of Art and Design, Category:  Accent Tables
• Ethan Urquhart – Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Category:  Design Creativity
• Asher Vasa – Appalachian State University, Category:  Case Goods
• Nicole Wong – California College of the Arts, Category:  Case Goods; Design Creativity; and Commercial/Office Furniture (3 entries)
• Xiaorui Yin – Art Center College of Design, Category:  Seating
• Amanda Yoder – Haywood Community College, Category:  Case Goods
• Soojung Yoo – Art Center College of Design, Category:  Commercial/Office Furniture
• Yujia Zhong – Art Center College of Design Category:  Seating

About the 2022 Winners Selection
Finalists and their instructors are invited and encouraged to attend IWF 2022 where their projects will be displayed for final judging in the Design Emphasis Gallery on the show floor. Winners will be announced in the Gallery on Tuesday, August 23 at 3:30 p.m.  

About the IWF 2022 Participating Schools: Schools with Finalists appear in Bold. First-time participating schools appear in Italics.

Appalachian State University | Art Center College of Design | Auburn University | Bucks County Community College | Buffalo State College | California College of the Arts | Columbus College of Art & Design | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Fox Valley Technical College | Haywood Community College | Hennepin Technical College – Brooklyn | Herron School of Art & Design | James Madison University | Massachusetts College of Art and Design | NC State University | Rhode Island School of Design | Savannah College of Art & Design | The Krenov School, Mendocino College | University of Hawaii-Manoa | University of Kansas | University of Kentucky | University of New Hampshire | Vermont Woodworking School at Northern Vermont University

About the IWF 2022 Design Emphasis Judges 

• Jackie Hirschhaut, VP of Public Relations & Marketing, American Home Furnishings Alliance
• Kelly Peterson, Group Advertising Director, Hearst Integrated Media
• Gat Caperton, CEO, Gat Creek
• Ethan Abramson, Owner, Ethan Abramson Furniture
• Leigh Kivowitz Spencer LEED GA, Managing Partner, Alabama Sawyer
• Cliff Spencer, Founding Partner, Alabama Sawyer
• Hoa Vo, PhD, DEC, IES, ACM, Assistant Professor, Welch School of Art and Design, Georgia State University

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