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FX Awards
Reviews
By Ania Dardas
Established in 1999 and currently in its eighth year, the British-run FX Awards are organized by leading contract interiors magazine FX and recognize the best in interior product and projects.
A panel of peers is responsible for judging the many entries and in 2005 the jury included Ken Shuttleworth, Tamara Caspersz, Rasshied Din, Jill Entwhistle and Simon Erridge, among others.
It is the jury’s job to select the best of lively, functional and beautiful design in a broad variety of categories. These include: workspace seating and systems furniture, commercial fixtures, fittings and accessories, lighting products, surface products as well as public and leisure furniture. The Awards also recognize projects in the categories of workspace environment and total concept, technology integration innovation, hotel, public and retail space, leisure and entertainment venues, bar and restaurant and lighting design.
As well as judging individual projects and products, FX Awards also names a Designer of the Year who in 2005 was Israeli-born Ron Arad who lives in England and is the creator of many classic pieces of furniture, among them Bookworm, as well as interiors.
Among the many finalists in 2005 was the Four Seasons Hotel, Gresham Palace in Budapest, an architectural jewel that was saved from demolition and restored by Richmond International with much love and attention to detail using the services of local craftspeople. The design is respectful of the original but includes many contemporary touches.
Winner Best Hotel: Richmond International
Four Seasons Hotels Gresham Palace, Budapest
Winner in the lighting products category was a design by Frank Gehry for Belux AG entitled Cloud – a hanging lamp that lives up to its name.
Winner Best Lighting Product: Cloud by Frank Gehry
Both for products and projects the factor that makes the shortlisted candidates and winners stand out is conceptual integrity, imagination, use of materials and an abundance of color.