Design Competitions

IFDA-EF had 65 entries from 24 schools and universities all over the world. A design student at Toronto's Ryerson University has won the  Contemporary-Modern Furniture Student Design competition, co-sponsored by Cliff Young, Ltd., and IFDA Educational Foundation. 
The winner, Karunadhipathi Lihin Weera, will receive a $3,000 prize and a trip to New York City to present his design at a day-long "What's New, What's Next" event at 200 Lex, the New York Design Center. 

"I have a passion for the world of design and its unique ability to manipulate space," says the competition winner soon to begin his third year studying interior design at Ryerson. "I have a keen interest in finding intricate solutions to design challenges, pushing boundaries while utilizing new forms of technology to do so."

Living in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada, Lihin describes his winning design as the "interlocking of two stools that form into a table," which means it's essentially a triple-purpose project. Each stool, to be made of molded polymer hollowed out to lighten its bulk, would weigh just over six pounds, thus could be moved about easily or combined, creating a table. 
The 21-year-old student calls his winning project "dual" and looks forward to displaying it next September at the Cliff Young gallery in the New York Design Center.
The competition was judged by Caleb Anderson, partner in Drake Design, NYC; Michel Boyd, president of SmithBoyd Interiors, Atlanta; Tori Mellott, senior design and markets editor, Traditional Home magazine, Des Moines, IA; Leslie Zarra, CEO, Cliff Young, Ltd., NYC; and Nancy Wolford, Ph.D., advisor and past chairman, IFDA Educational Foundation.
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