Toronto-based designer Davide Tonizzo has won the Pinnacle Award for his Create a Curio Collection developed for Bühler Furniture of Winnipeg.
This prestigious award sanctioned by ASFD (American Society of Furniture Designers) rarely goes to a Canadian entrant. The prize was given at a formal ceremony during the High Point Fall Furniture Market in North Carolina on Oct. 21st.
Create a Curio won in the Occasional Storage category. As well, Tonizzo was nominated as a finalist in the bedroom category for his Fitzrovia bedroom collection, also for Bühler.
“I am absolutely delighted, humbled and honoured to receive this award,” says the designer. “It is validation of the amazing team at Bühler and the tremendous work and effort that went into the project.”
The product was part of the Midtown Collection launched in January. This new brand is taking Bühler into the high-design category of products. Create a Curio is a program whereby the consumer can choose between five door styles and four finishes to personalize his or her product. The idea and design brief was the brainchild of Celeste Brunel, V-P of Product and Brand at Bühler.
Not only does the product offer the customer a wide range of customization but it takes the curio cabinet into a different product type. Create a Curio does not adhere to the traditional approach of keeping the product sober and non-descript but rather celebrates the object itself.
“During initial discussions with Celeste, we thought that the furniture itself should be as interesting as the collection of objects and artifacts that go inside it” recalls Tonizzo. “Bühler has been known for decades as a curio company and this offering takes the product type to a new level.”
Each of the curio styles like all products in the Midtown Collection are named after districts in cities known for design or architecture.
ABOUT DAVIDE TONIZZO
Davide Tonizzo is a Toronto-based industrial designer with a diverse range of clients. Past projects include furniture, ceramics, handbags, bath wares and transportation products. His projects have received numerous awards and have been featured in international design publications. Find out more at http://www.designd-online.com./home.html