Well, not only did they announce the winners to the Wallpaper* Design Awards last night, but they had a rockin' party to do so. This is the fourth year of the annual Wallpaper* Design Awards. The first awards were launched in the January/February issue of Wallpaper* in 2005.
The international design, fashion and lifestyle magazine, Wallpaper,* and headline partner Jaguar Cars have dramatically transformed the Old Sorting Office on New Oxford Street, London, into a spectacular venue to host a dinner and drinks party celebrating the nominees and winners.
This year the Design Awards are bigger and better than ever with 63 categories ranging from ‘Best City’ to ‘Best Stationery’ – a first peek at Tony Blair’s new graphic identity.
In true Wallpaper* style they’ve gone one step further than simply opening an envelope to reveal the winners. Instead, they’ve teamed-up with digital animators, Mainframe, to produce animations for each winner of the Judges’ Awards.
Click on the winners below to see the animations.
Best domestic appliance
‘Katamari 01’ speaker by Giyanze
Best furniture designer
Tokujin Yoshioka
Best new restaurant
Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm
Best new hotel
Riva Lofts, Florence by Claudio Nardi
Best new private house
Ring House, Karuizawa by TNA
Best new public building
New Museum, New York by SANAA
Best city
Los Angeles
Best fashion
Jil Sander A/W 2007 by Raf Simons
Best grooming product
TweezLight
Most life-enhancing item
$100 laptop by Yves Behar
Other winners include Apple’s iPhone, John Pawson, Arik Levy, Martino Gamper, Tamara Salman, Ralph Pucci and OMA.
The full list of categories and winners are announced in Wallpaper’s Design Awards issue, available on 10 January 2008 and on www.wallpaper.com.
Judges Profiles:
André Balazs
Patricia Urquiola
Tadao Ando
Wong Kar-wai
Donatella Versace
Langlands & Bell
Below is the press release- straight from the ultra hip digital director of Wallpaper* magazine, Kay McMahon, to yours truly complete with some pics of the bash.
Tony Chambers, Wallpaper* editor-in-chief, says:
“It is always a pleasure and a privilege to give the Wallpaper* stamp of approval to the experimentalists, innovators and dreamers of the past 12 months. From the $100 laptop to the €200,000 cashmere carpet, we’re celebrating great design wherever and however it appears. With the assistance of our panel of international judges (see their profiles above) – Tadao Ando, André Balazs, Wong Kar-Wai, Langlands & Bell, Patricia Urquiola and Donatella Versace – and with Jaguar once again as our associate, it has been a stellar year.”
Now, about that party:
Venue
Wallpaper* and Jaguar have dramatically transformed the Old Sorting Office on New Oxford Street, London, into a spectacular venue to host a dinner and drinks party celebrating the nominees and winners. Production of the event was managed by My Beautiful City, headed up by Robin Scott-Lawson.
Guests
250 guests accepted invitations to the dinner. Guests included the winners and nominees of all categories, the international panel behind the Judges’ Awards, as well as fashion designers, architects, interior designers and friends of Wallpaper*.
Best cocktail menu:
Cocktail 1 – Ten Fresh Martini
Tanqueray No 10, lemon juice, gomme, shaken with ice and strained into a martini glass, garnished with lemon peel
Cocktail 2 – Rosie Ten Collins
Tanqueray No 10, lime juice, elderflower cordial, apple juice, topped up with soda, built with ice into a cocktail glass, garnished with slivers of apple
Cocktail 3 – Red Heaven
Wallpaper* Design Awards: Best cocktail
A unique blend of chilli, cucumber, apple, sugar, lime juice and fresh mint added to Smirnoff Black, pomme verte and apple juice, shaken with ice and a secret ingredient
Goodie bag contents:
Wallpaper* Design Awards issue
Wallpaper* Los Angeles City Guide
Jaguar pen and magazine
Givenchy Rouge Interdit lipstick
Prada Infusion d’Iris miniature
TweezLight tweezers
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My personal big thanks to Kay McMahon and the following people and companies who continue to support, encourage, promote and reward great design in all aspects:
Wallpaper*
www.wallpaper.com
Jaguar
www.jaguar.com
Production:
www.mybeautifulcity.com
Drinks sponsors:
www.tanqueray.com
www.smirnoff.com
www.icelandicglacial.com
Goodie bags:
www.wallpaper.com
www.jaguar.com
www.parfumsgivenchy.com
www.prada.com
www.tweezlight.com
