German Design Council announces winners of the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products

Responsibility in design drives social change

The winners of the ICONIC AWARDS 2024: Interior Products have been announced. The award, presented by the German Design Council, honours internationally outstanding projects in product and furniture design. For the first time this year, the winners will be honoured by the German Design Council at a new venue in Milan’s Brera district as part of Milan Design Week on 17 April 2024. From 16 to 21 April, the best-of-best projects will also be on display there in a digital exhibition.

A high-calibre jury of international experts from the design and architecture industry, including Ester Bruzkus from Ester Bruzkus Architekten, Tobias Lutz from DAAily Platforms and Antonio Rodriguez from Matteo Thun & Partner, evaluated over 300 submissions and selected numerous innovations for the award.

With nine main categories and the special “Brand of the Year” and “Creator of the Year” awards, the award reflects representative international industry excellence. As a catalyst for progressive developments, the projects inspire designers and manufacturers worldwide.

This year’s special award winners are characterised by their special commitment to sustainability and social change.

Design as a driver of new discourse:
Formafantasma awarded “Creator of the Year”

The design studio Formafantasma, founded by Italian designers Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, was voted “Creator of the Year” by the jury. The award recognises Formafantasma’s special design approach, which aims to deepen society’s awareness of the natural environment through design. To this end, Formafantasma analyses the design and material perspective of spaces and objects and evaluates the social relevance of design. Whether space or product, commercial or independent, each project is based on careful research that forms the starting point for the form, function and content of the diverse design projects and consultancy services. With a wide range of projects, from interior design to product design and consultancy, Formafantasma is characterised by a coherent visual language and transformative design approaches. Her work for renowned brands such as Artek, FLOS and Prada, as well as her recent appointment as creative director of Venetian textile company Rubelli Group, emphasise the breadth and growing influence of her work. A project by Formafantasma is currently on show at the MOMA in New York.

The jury was impressed by her work: “Formafantasma is shaking up the design world. Not through visual loudness, but – on the contrary – through a high level of sensitivity and a special flair for design, paired with a clever critique of consumption,” said the jury in its statement for this year’s award. “Breaking routines, questioning regularities, opening up discussions: Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin thus hit the contradictory nerve of the times, which is increasingly pressing for answers for the future of our planet, but does not want to accept any loss of comfort. Think first, then design, is therefore their motto.”

Vibia Lighting named “Brand of the Year”

The Spanish company Vibia Lighting, founded in 1987 and based near Barcelona, is honoured with the special “Brand of the Year” award. Vibia owes this recognition to its outstanding brand management, its first-class product design and its strong commitment to sustainability. Managing Director and owner Pere Llonch pursues this entrepreneurial vision with great creativity, and his collaborations with renowned designers such as Stefan Diez, Sebastian Herkner and Arik Levy have significantly strengthened Vibia’s positioning as a major force in international design. The jury particularly highlighted the company’s efforts in resource efficiency: by optimising the use of materials and developing products that are easy to assemble and disassemble, Vibia promotes the longevity and durability of its products and demonstrates its commitment to longevity in development.

Vibia has received international acclaim for its reinterpretations of various classic lamps. These illustrate the facets of Vibia’s individual product development: with Vibia, the light itself takes centre stage and the light source is often hidden. The diffuser emerges as an impressive sculpture – for example in “Guise“, a seemingly weightless light cylinder made of glass by Diez Office, or Toan Nguyen’s pendant lighting system “Algorithm“.

In its nomination of Vibia as “Brand of the Year”, the jury enthused: “Combining sensual experience with technological progress and executing it in a unique, sometimes revolutionary form – this is the consistently pursued endeavour of the Spanish lighting company, which has proudly earned its place in the highly competitive lighting market.  Vibia Lighting also expresses its firm commitment to responsible consumption with a claim to timelessness in the sense of longevity of its products, the conscious use of economical materials and components that are repairable and optimised for recyclability.”

“Best of Best”:
Numerous projects demonstrate design excellence

The ICONIC AWARD: Interior Products honours design from nine interior sectors, from building equipment to office furniture. The highest honour “Best of Best” was awarded to 24 projects this year:

  • In the building equipment sector, the unfit socket outlet series from Prado Europe, the ANYWHITE doors from ANYWAYdoor and Air from Rimadesio, the SMART.E curtain system from Design AG Frank Greiser & Brigitte Adrian and the Gira Keyless in Fingerprint fingerprint module from Gira Giersiepen were all convincing.
  • In furniture design, the Surfbench by KALD, Nicolene van der Walt’s N°6 Table Collection, the Move mobile work table by Arco Meubelfabriek and HofmanDujardin and the KGT Wall Units wall shelf by This is Util Ida were honoured.
  • In the lighting category, the luminaires Yingzhu from Xiamen LEEDARSON LightingREFLEX² Wall from serien.lightning and Yonos from TRILUX beat off the competition.
  • The GROHE Everstream water-recycling shower system from GROHE, the MN accessories from Blue Sanitary Ware, the MONOLITH outdoor bathroom from Padiglione and the Avant wireless in-tank toilet from Roca Sanitorio all impressed in the bathroom and wellness category.
  • In the kitchen and household category, the KOYOI glass series from blomus, the CUBE modular kitchen from Faber & Söhne Küchenmanufaktur and the GROHE kitchen tap GROHE Smart Control Dual Spray” were awarded “Best of Best” by the jury.
  • The LAYERS office benches and the P5 shelving system from PALMBERG as well as the Etage waste bin from TreCe AB were convincing in the Office and Workplace category.
  • The Solid Tones tiles from V&B Fliesen were honoured in the wall, floor and ceiling category.

An overview of all the winners’ projects can be found in the online gallery

Surfbench by KALD
KGT Wall Units wall shelf by This is Util Ida
Air revolving door system from Rimadesio
Nicolene van der Walt’s N°6 Table Collection
Move mobile work table by Arco Meubelfabriek
Etage waste bin from TreCe AB
Yingzhu from Xiamen LEEDARSON Lighting

Awards ceremony in Brera during the Milan Design Week

For the first time, the German Design Council is presenting the ICONIC AWARDS: Interior Products at the Salone del Mobile in Milan this year. In doing so, the German Design Council is emphasising the internationality of the award-winning projects. The awards ceremony will take place on 17 April 2024 in a new location, the Amy-d Arte Spazio in Brera. Here, the German Design Council will welcome the design-loving public to the award ceremony and the exhibition of the “Best of Best” projects during Milan Design Week.

Awards ceremony:
17 April 2024

  • 4 pm: Admission
  • 4 pm – 6 pm “Aperitivo” with sparkling wine & snacks
  • 5:30 pm: Panel discussion with Lutz Dietzold, CEO of the German Design Council, and design experts
  • 6 pm: Official awards ceremony with honouring of the “Best of Best” award winners and the special award winners “Brand of the Year” and “Creator of the Year”
  • From 7:30 pm: Exhibition opening and get-together with finger food & drinks

Location
Amy-d Arte Spazio
Via Lovanio 6
Brera, Milan

From 16 to 21 April, the best-of-best projects can be seen in a digital exhibition during Milan Design Week at the Amy-d Arte Spazio in Brera. For further information and a ticket for the award ceremony, please contact: iconicawards@gdc.de

German Design Council Foundation

The German Design Council has been operating since 1953 as one of the world’s leading centers of expertise in communication and knowledge transfer within design, branding and innovation. It is part of the world design community and has always contributed to the establishment of global exchange and networking, thanks to its international offering, promotion of new talent and memberships. With events, awards, jury meetings and expert committees, the Council connects its members and numerous other international design and brand experts, fosters discourse, and provides important stimulation for the global economy. More than 330 businesses currently count among its members.

+ posts