The judges for Reece’s 2014 edition of their Bathroom Innovation Awards (BIA) have been announced ahead of the search for Australia’s most innovative bathroom product designer.
Reece have called this year’s judging panel the most impressive and largest in the event’s history, with representation coming from all areas of design, production and marketing.
“With a host of celebrated names from the local and international design industry, the 2014 BIA judging panel is our biggest and most elite yet.”
Now in its ninth year, Reece have changed the brief for the 2014 award and are turning the focus to bathroom furniture—in particular the bathroom vanity. In a statement from their website, Reece suggests that Australians consider their vanity unit the preferred feature product of their bathroom. Additionally, with storage being one of the most important considerations in bathroom planning, the vanity unit’s place as the cornerstone of the modern bathroom experience is clear.
The awards are divided into three categories: Professional, Student and Tertiary Institution, and the prizes are as follows:
Professional: $10,000 in prize money and will have their entry prototyped by bathroom product design firm, Omvivo.
Student: $5,000 prize money and will head to Barcelona, Spain for a two-week internship learning from leading global designers at bathroom designer and manufacturer, Roca.
Tertiary Institution: $5,000 prize money.
The 2014 Reece Bathroom Innovation Award judging panel is (courtesy of Reece):
Zahava Elenberg - Designer and Architect, Move-in
After completing a Bachelor of Architecture at RMIT in 1998, Zahava established Elenberg Fraser Architecture with Callum Fraser, where she remains a non-executive Director. In 2002, she started furniture, fitting and equipment business Move-in, which quickly became a market leader in contemporary turnkey furniture packages for the property and hospitality markets.
Zahava’s entrepreneurial achievements have earned her many prestigious awards, including Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year. Zahava is actively involved in many other personal interests and dedicates time to selected not-for-profit organisations in welfare and education. Zahava has three children and works hard to combine professional and family life.
Roberto Palomba - Global Architect and Designer
As one half of esteemed Milan-based duo Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, architect and designer Roberto Palomba has worked with some of the most prestigious design brands from all over the world. Throughout his career he has received numerous international awards such as the Elle Decoration International Design Award, Good Design Award and German Design Award.
After graduating from the University of Rome, Roberto co-founded Palomba Serafini Associati in 1994, a collective whose hallmark can be described as “evident design”. The majority of Ludovica+Roberto Palomba’s products designed since 1994 are still in production to this day.
In addition to this world-renowed design work, Roberto has worked as a professor at the Polythecnic of Milan in the Industrial Design Department, helping to shape and broaden the creative minds of tomorrow. And among his many interior, exhibit and industrial design and architecture projects worldwide, Roberto has also been working with one of the world’s most desired bathroom brands – Laufen and recently led the design of the revolutionary Kartell by Laufen range.
Justin Wagemakers - Blue Sky Design Group
Two-time winner of the Reece Bathroom Innovation Award, Justin Wagemakers, is now part of the judging panel to help find Australia’s next design success story.
Justin has welcomed new cultures and ideas from a very young age, travelling extensively with his parents, who were diplomats.
Settling in The Netherlands, Justin graduated from The Design Academy, working with Scope Design Strategy and Phillips Design on innovative ventures such as the Noah’s Ark Experience Design project. In 2006, Justin migrated to Australia and now works as a senior designer at Blue Sky Design Group in Sydney.
Wilhelmina McCarroll and Fleur Sibbel - Directors, Zuster Furniture
Zuster is Dutch for sister, but in terms of Australian contemporary design, it is synonymous with well-conceived furniture of the utmost quality.
At the creative helm of Zuster are Design Director Wilhelmina McCarroll and her sister, Managing Director Fleur Sibbel. Wilhelmina and Fleur have worked to grow Zuster into one of Australia’s pre-eminent bespoke furniture designers and producers. Under their direction, Zuster has become an international success with a manufacturing plant in Melbourne, and retail stores in Sydney and Melbourne and online.
Zuster’s clean and modern furniture collections are designed by RMIT-trained Wilhelmina, while Fleur works to bring products to market, managing branding, financials and business development. Today, Zuster’s signature is timeless style with a focus on using craftsmanship and passion to create bespoke furniture specially designed to suit all lifestyle needs.
Shaynna Blaze - Interior Designer and Television Personality
Shaynna Blaze is an award-winning interior designer who has created stunning interiors in residential homes and commercial spaces for over twenty years. Armed with a vast portfolio of work in various fields of design, Shaynna transforms commercial, private and retail premises from the most modest budgets to million dollar projects via her successful interior design business, blankcanvas INTERIORS.
Since 2008, Shaynna’s talents were brought to a broader audience through her role as interior designer and co-presenter on the The LifeStyle Channel’s award-winning show, Selling Houses Australia, which is now in its seventh season. In 2012, Shaynna joined the team of design experts as a judge on the Nine Network’s The Block.
Shaynna is a Creative Director for Taubmans and has designed ranges for Australian furniture maker Molmic, lighting wholesaler OneWorld and for The Rug Collection. As well as sharing her design expertise on her YouTube channel, Shaynna has written for titles including the Herald Sun, The Lifestyle Channel, Belle, OK! Magazine and Cosmo and has made regular appearances on The Morning Show, The Circle, Today Tonight, A Current Affair and The Renovators. Shaynna launched her book, Design Your Home, in 2013 with her second set for release in 2015.
Josep Congost - Design Manager of Roca Design Center & Innovation Lab, Barcelona
As Design Manager for Roca, the world’s largest global bathroom products company, Josep Congost oversees a multidisciplinary team that spans the fields of engineering, manufacturing, design and development.
From 1981 to 1989, he was a founding associate and President of the Board of Directors at Ecotècnia S. Coop. And from 1989 to 1997, he served as Director of Vehicle Design for the Nissan European Technology Center of Barcelona (NETC-B). He also holds a degree in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
In 1997, Josep began working with Roca Sanitario, SA and today he is the Design Manager at the renowned Roca Design Center & Innovation Lab in Barcelona.
Suzie Dyson – General Manager, Omvivo
Suzie Dyson is General Manager of leading Australian bathroom product manufacturer Omvivo, a subsidiary of Schiavello. She has more than 14 years experience in top end residential and commercial bathroom design across team, sales, retail and product management, as well as marketing and product design and development.
Suzie oversees the design and creation of bathroom focused products for the Omvivo collection and project-specific solutions, working closely with industry professionals on residential and commercial developments.
Suzie is passionate about exceptional design and quality.
Mark Tuckey - Furniture Designer and Owner, Mark Tuckey
With consistent presence in lifestyle magazines and design blogs, as well as being featured on the popular reality TV series The Block, Mark Tuckey is recognised as an iconic Australian furniture maker.
Mark started his furniture and design business in 1990, from a small garage in Armadale, Melbourne. What was then called ‘Ancient Modes’ began with only $200, and an old F100 truck used to collect recycled timber from building sites. Mark’s passion was to be able to use his hands, his head and his heart and he had a desire to be engaged in an environmentally friendly, creative process. He had no formal higher education training and no ‘how to’ textbook to refer to, but what he did have was a strong vision and determination to succeed.
The business has grown steadily and prides itself on making bespoke solid timber furniture designed and made in Australia. Mark is passionate about using recycled or sustainably managed forestry timbers to create furniture that has integrity, simplicity and strength. Mark’s wife Louella came on board in 2005 and soon after Ancient Modes became MARK TUCKEY. Today MARK TUCKEY has furniture showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne and an extensive factory in Melbourne with more than 45 passionate staff.
Visit bathroominnovation.com.au for more information.
