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Maitland-Smith Toasts 30 Years with National Design Competition

Open to pro and aspiring designers alike, the competition calls on participants to create furniture, lighting, or decorative accessories using the company's new One Customization program.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 11/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

Maitland-Smith One

It was 1979. Sony released the Walkman. Margaret Thatcher became UK's first female prime minister. Saturday Night Fever grabbed the Grammy, and Apocalypse Now took home the Oscar. But for champions of classical furniture and accessories, the year's biggest headline was datelined High Point, North Carolina—headquarters of the just-launched Maitland-Smith.

Fostering distinctive design became the manufacturer's forte, so it shouldn't surprise that the tone of its 30th anniversary is more inspirational than merely celebratory. The division of Furniture Brands International has launched the national One Design Competition, which calls on professional and aspiring designers alike to create furniture, lighting or accessories using one of the more than 500 silhouettes available through the company's new One Customization program.

Participants will design an entire piece, anything from a dining table to a lamp, by choosing from the company's exhaustive collection of wood and paint finishes, upholstery, leather and exotic inlays—think Maitland-Smith signatures like pen shell and zebra-skin patterns.

The competition runs online on the Maitland-Smith website through its December 16 deadline. The winners will be chosen later that month by a distinguished panel of judges that includes InteriorDesign senior editor Mark McMenamin, Maitland-Smith historian Howard Shattuck, and designer Barclay Butera.

According to Dan Bradley, president of Maitland-Smith and the Designer Brands Group of Furniture Brand International, the company's objective is two-fold. "First, our One program truly is one of the most comprehensive customization tools in the industry, and we want people to see the difference. It was created only after we'd studied the best that was out there, and came up with a way to go ten steps beyond the nearest manufacturer," says Bradley. "Second, the One program truly embodies Maitland-Smith's approach to craftsmanship—to creating unique, heirloom-quality pieces that make a statement in every room. We want designers to experiment with the tool and realize just how attainable a [custom] piece of furniture really is."

Images courtesy of Maitland-Smith.