Project UDesign chair contest narrowed to three finalists

Online voting will continue through Oct. 19

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, October 12, 2010

Project UDesign finalist Ryland Quillen’s entry is the Alifair.

Finalist Emily Carpenter calls her design the Kona.

Finalist Matt Gray’s wing chair design is the Luna.

Ryland Quillen

Emily Carpenter

Matt Gray

MINNEAPOLIS — Three chair designs have emerged as crowd favorites in the Project UDesign contest and are advancing to the last round of online voting, through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 19.

Designers and Savannah College of Art and Design students Ryland Quillen, Emily Carpenter and Matt Gray are a step closer to their goal of having their design selected to become the next eco-friendly wing chair made with sustainable materials for its cushioning and other components.

Close to 2,000 online votes were cast by consumers in the first round of voting. The three designs and related video footage are displayed on Cargill's Experience BiOH blog and YouTube channel.

The competition is sponsored by Cargill's BiOH polyols business, maker of the soy-based ingredient that replaces a percentage of petroleum in foam used for upholstered furniture cushioning. Century Furniture and Toray International's Ultrasuede brand of upholstery covers are co-sponsors.

The three finalists will showcase their designs at the High Point Market in Century's Historic Market Square showroom, MS-500, starting Saturday, Oct. 16. Market attendees can vote online in the showroom for their favorite. An industry-wide "Tweetup" also is set for Monday, Oct. 18, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where the public and market attendees can interact on Twitter with the finalists.

The winner of the competition will be announced in the Century Courtyard at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, during the WithIt Student Mentoring Day Kickoff.

Cargill says the competition is the first in the furniture industry to "crowdsource" a design that consumers eventually will be able to buy.

Century has pledged to put the winning student's design into production in early 2011. The company will pay the winner a royalty for each chair sold, and the winner will receive a $1,000 award from Cargill's BiOH polyols business.

"We are thrilled for the finalists, and we are particularly encouraged to see the great interest consumers have shown in the Project UDesign competition," said Yusuf Wazirzada, Cargill's BiOH® polyols business unit leader. "It aligns with the overall consumer trend of wanting to see more sustainable products in the marketplace."