MALAYSIAN INTERNATIONAL FURNITURE FAIR 2006

Winners of Furniture Excellence Award2006＆Best Presentation Award2006

The halls were abuzz with the same　question. Who won? Who won? Reaching their booths 8 March morning, the finalists had a pleasant surprise waiting for them. Overnight, the organiser had placed ribbons on the booths of all the finalists. Still no one knew who the actual winners were. The organisers were tight lipped about the winners, so they waited with bated breaths wishing 3.30 pm would come sooner.

The finalists and their supporters started filling up the Pan Pacific Ballroom, impatiently waiting for the winners to be announced long before the 3.30 start. Anticipation and excitement seemed to be the order of the day.

Thanking his fellow judges, Mr lan Davies the Chief Judge of the Fuｒｎiｔure Excellence Award, went on to conｇratulate MIFF for organising such a design award, citing the rarity of credit given to the design community in Malaysia.

The beds and bedroom was the most　closely fought category with submissions　from Kuek, Lorenzo, Timber Tone, Yeodano, Laval and Pipesway scoring highly. Although we didn't see much originality in the dining category, some designs stood out. The occasional category featured great designs, making it a hard category to choose from. We faced the same problem for the office category, such innovative designs of great quality. Outdoor was a battle between Laval, Bayleaf and Ferco, all featuring designs both easy on the eye but also comfortable. The innovative and comfortable designs in the 　Sofa Category made selection tough. Special mention needs to be made for Lorenzo and Annexe for its world class quality allied with unique designs. In conclusion the standards of quality, design and innovation are without question improving throughout the industry" exclaimed Davies.

Thanking the organiser for continuing its efforts to lift the quality of the industry, Mr Eric Leong the Chief Judge of the Best Presentation Award, exclaimed his delight that some of the booths were visually very impressive although in general not all were innovative enough. Speaking on accessories, Iighting and space planning, Leong commented that though some companies made the right choices, most lacked the proper planning. He urged bigger booths to be more creative and fresh in ideas in their presentation as most, though impressive, were of similar concepts.

"The entrance to a booth is critically important as it attracts people to enter, so place importance on that and create create a welcoming atmosphere, as closed doors are Inhibiting and tend to keep people away," exclaimed Leong.

In overall the judges seemed pleased with their chosen winners though they had a tough time selecting the winners given the abundant choice of excellent finalists to choose from.

　　　Website: http://www.miff.com.my

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Japanese

（2006/03/31）