10TH YEAR WILSONART CHALLENGE CHAIR DESIGN COMPETITION
Wilsonart LLC.(www.wilsonart.com) is a leading manufacture of decorative laminates for more than 50 years. Wilsonart Challenge is a student design competition the company sponsors annually at selected design schools. In fall 2013, the University of Houston is selected to host this competition. the competition is to create innovative chairs that celebrate the richness of Wilsonart laminate materials. The criteria of design are wide open with little constrain: design a chair that looks striking. The year’s competition theme is ‘SPACE’. The seed idea of students’ design should be inspired by the space in the Wilson House museum. The Ralph Sr. and Summy Wilson House is in a classic mid-century modern home style. The interior of the house features extensive uses of decorative laminates in creative ways. Most of the uses are innovative and not being seen in other places. Mid-century modernism became a primary source of inspiration.
The outcome of this project is a great success. Unprecedented, the company selected 8 projects to participate in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York in 2015.