Starting today, the 18,000 designers who belong to Mannington Commercial's tx:style design community invite the public to vote for grand prize winners in thetx:style design challenge 2011.
Since its debut three years ago, the tx:style design challenge has combined product development with social networking. Interior designers and architects use social media to upload design concepts, comment on other entries, and ultimately vote to choose the grand prize winners. This year's six finalists present designs of broadly varying inspiration and design articulation.
"Some of our finalist designs offer a fresh perspective on organics – bringing comfort, familiarity and memory to a space. Others fashion patterns that conjure up images of Parisian haute couture, or a God's eye view of urban cityscapes," said Natalie Jones, vp commercial brand development and creative product. "Each designer had drawn upon their architecture and interior design skills to create a product that is both high-impact and very human."
The finalist designs are “A La Mode” by Sara Meier; “Between” by Ashlie Fuller; “Coastal Rocks” by Paul Lewandowski; “Crosswalk” by Sergio Mondragon; “Manhattan” by Ryan Cook; and “Oxidize” by Suzanne Froedge.
Two of the finalist designs will be chosen by popular vote as grand prize winners, and awarded: $6,000 in prize money; a trip to Maison Objet in Paris; and the launch of a full product collection from Mannington Commercial, including a national advertising campaign promoting their products.
Last year's tx:style grand prize winners – a LVT tile by Laurel Harrison (Rainfall) and a carpet collection by Athena Abrol (Matrix, Off the Grid and Mainframe) – will premiere in Mannington's NeoCon showroom this June. The winner of tx:style 2009, Squareberry, continues to achieve remarkable sales in the healthcare, corporate, education and retail markets, according to the company.
Fans can view profiles of each finalist and vote for their favorite designs 10 times per day at manningtontxstyle.com. The public can also keep up with the latest tx:style news on theMannington Commercial Facebook page.