Jan. 15, 2025

Ferris State alumni named among furniture industry’s elite in 2024 ISFD Pinnacle Awards

Six graduates of Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design are among the winners in the 2024 International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) Pinnacle Awards, recognized since 1995 as the highest honor for designers working in the home furnishings industry.

Held during the largest home furnishing industry trade show in the world—High Point Market in North Carolina —the 2024 ceremony presented 21 awards to independent designers and in-house design teams.

“Each year when I see the exceptionally creative pieces that the professional and student furniture and textile designers enter, I appreciate the daunting task that the judges have in selecting the finalists and ultimately the winners,” said ISFD Executive Director David Blair said, “Once again, the designers outdid themselves by submitting pieces and collections that continue to raise the bar in this prominent industry competition and make winning a highly valued Pinnacle Award an even greater honor.”

This year’s KCAD-connected honorees continue a longstanding tradition of alumni distinction in these awards—and leadership in the furniture industry. With eight KCAD graduates on the ISFD Board of Directors and many more in key industry roles, the college’s impact remains significant and far-reaching.

“Our alumni are embedded at the forefront of the furniture industry, pushing the boundaries of form, function, and materials while setting benchmarks for excellence,” said KCAD professor Gayle DeBruyn, who chairs the Collaborative Design and Master of Arts in Design programs and teaches furniture design in the Product Design program. “From training the craftspeople who made Grand Rapids the furniture capital of the world in the early 20th century, to the global influence our graduates are having on the industry today, KCAD has always cultivated designers who think, create, and lead with purpose.”

After being nominated for their first Pinnacle Awards in 2023, recent graduates and current ISFD Board members Joe Dunaske and Jake Hanson were part of the L. & J.G. Stickley Design Team that won a pair of awards this year. Dunaske graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Collaborative Design in 2020, and Hanson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design in 2023.

Dunaske, Hanson, and their Stickley colleagues took top honors in the Bedroom | Luxury category with the Maidstone Bedroom Collection and repeated the feat in the Motion Upholstery category with the Surrey Hills Recliner.

“Being part of these awards makes me proud to be a KCAD alum and honored to work alongside everyone at Stickley,” said Dunaske, an associate designer with the firm since 2021.

For both winning pieces, designers utilized the latest 3D modeling technology to uncover the perfect marriage between form, function, and ease of engineering—particularly for the compound curves of the Maidstone Collection bed and the organic shape of the sculpted arm on the Surrey Hills Recliner.

“Both pieces proved challenging to translate to the production process, so collaborating with engineering and sharing our models were vital to achieving the desired look,” Dunaske said. “For the arm, we had to divide it in 3D to retrieve accurate section drawings so our engineers could cut it on the machinery. It was exciting to see how new technology can be used alongside more traditional methods.”

Another pair of alumni in Laura Niece and Liz Moore of Otto & Moore Furniture Designers won the Pinnacle Award in the Entertainment Furniture category with the Cosmo Credenza, designed for Universal Furniture. Niece and Moore both have Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Furniture Design.

“Winning this Pinnacle Award is an incredible honor and privilege to be recognized in our field,” Niece said. “It is a validation of our collaborative efforts and a reminder to keep striving for excellence.”

The piece was inspired by a material sourcing trip Niece took to India alongside Universal Vice President of Product Development—and fellow KCAD alum—Shannon Lookabill. After stumbling upon small pieces of pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, at one of the factories the pair toured, Niece began sketching ideas for a series of statement accent items utilizing the natural material. Lookabill graduated win 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design.

“Pyrite typically forms in cube-shaped crystals, with sharp, angular edges that give it a geometric, almost sculptural quality. I wanted to bring that dimensional look into the doors of a credenza,” she said. “Since I was still traveling and short on time, I handed off the credenza sketch and inspiration patterns for the pyrite to Liz and she skillfully conceived the door pattern design.”

Moore and Niece collaborated back and forth until they were satisfied with the credenza’s design.

“It was important to find a nice balance of squares that looked effortless, but that was also very interesting to the eye and highlighted the natural beauty of the material,” said Moore, who also serves on the ISFD Board. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to work on this design with Laura and see her thought process as a senior designer in our office.”

Rounding out the group of KCAD-connected winners was Christopher Sandomenico (’01, BFA Furniture Design) and Cory Martin. Both of Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Furniture Design.

Sandomenico was part of the Caracole design team that won top honors in the Stationary Upholstery category with the Parallax Chaise.

Martin, who also serves on the ISFD board, built on his already healthy collection of Pinnacle Awards by winning his first in the Leather Upholstery category as part of the Bernhardt Furniture design team behind the Bowie Leather Chair.

More information on the 2024 ISFD Pinnacle Awards can be found at isfd.org.