Last month, Designer Rugs hosted the 2019 Evolve Awards, which saw more than 500 submissions of rug designs from interior design and architecture professionals, from which seven finalists were selected. Hadden Daley was awarded the Evolve 2019 Award and Evolve People’s Choice Award for his design Pixel, while Evolve Emerge 2019 went to Christian Burgos.
The Evolve Awards were established by Designer Rugs in 2010, driven by the desire to showcase the potential of custom rug design to the design community, and to support an industry that has supported Designer Rugs over the decades. Since then, the Evolve Awards have been held four times, with 2019 offering the largest prize pool to date and several new additions and changes. In excess of $40,000 in travel, design fees and product was awarded at the event, which was held at the Designer Rugs Sydney Showroom and attended by over 100 guests and media.
Hadden Daley won the Evolve 2019 Award for his design Pixel, a striking geometric design characterised by rhythmic use of pattern and a vibrant graduation of colour. Each shortlisted entrant was eligible for the People’s Choice award. Over 4,000 votes were cast, and Hadden Daley was again the winner for Pixel, receiving a $2,000 design fee and bespoke Dinosaur Designs trophy. Both the Evolve and the Evolve Emerge winners were also the recipient of a grand prize – an all-expenses trip to Salone de Mobile 2020.
“Designer Rugs are incredibly proud to drive these awards each year. Entries for 2019 were of the highest calibre and it was an honour to judge the imaginative designs from some of Australasia’s most outstanding interior designers and architects.”
The Evolve Emerge category was a new addition to the Evolve Awards in 2019. Created for designers with less than five years’ experience, Evolve Emerge acknowledges the exciting contribution of emerging designers to the industry. The inaugural Evolve Emerge Award was given to Christian Burgos for his design Cavern, a moving abstract design that evokes organic forms and watery hues. 2019 also saw the awards open for the first time to Southeast Asia in recognition of the high level of collaboration and cross-pollination shared across the continents.
The judging panel for 2019 included Yosi Tal, Managing Director of Designer Rugs, Emma Elizabeth, designer, stylist and creative director, Stephanie Moffitt, Design Director at Mokum, Griffen Lim, Partner and designer at Make Architects and Brenton Smith, Director of Bates Smart. “Congratulations to all of our 2019 finalists and in particular the winning designs,” said Yosi Tal. “Designer Rugs are incredibly proud to drive these awards each year. Entries for 2019 were of the highest calibre and it was an honour to judge the imaginative designs from some of Australasia’s most outstanding interior designers and architects.”
Over the years since the awards began, the innovative designs that have been created through past Evolve Awards have been specified in countless architectural and interiors projects. The 2019 awards have now added to the Evolve Collection, with the seven shortlisted designs from the 2019 awards now available from Designer Rugs. The Evolve Collection can be explored on the Designer Rugs website.
