Textiles Cos. Award for Design Acumen

New York — Shades of India was awarded "Best of Market" last week in the Best New Product competition at the New York Home Textiles Market Week segment of the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Center.

Awards also were presented in four product categories to winners and finalists selected by a panel of trade and consumer editors. Criteria included innovation in design, creative use of materials/construction and new fiber, material or technology.

The winners and finalists, selected from more than 100 entries overall, are:

Shades of India (Palo Alto, Calif.) for its Terra Cuite table runner in string/gold, featuring fine gold leaf printed onto a linen base, creating an antique parchment effect.

Winner: Mastro Raphael (Spoleto, Italy) for its Victor Victoria bed collection, featuring silhouettes of butterflies and giant floral patterns on sheet sets and jacquard bedspreads. Finalist: Blissliving Home (Rockville, Md.) for its Corina duvet set. Finalist: Marcel Miller (Smyrna, Calif.) for its Pur bedding.

Winner: Forza Home (Bursa, Turkey) for its Bamboo Towel Collection, featuring 100% bamboo steamed in natural spring water, spun and hand-loomed into waffle weave towels. Finalist: Libeco Home (New York) for its Tibo men's robe.

Finalist: Anali Exquisite Needlework (Redmond, Wash.) for its Breeze & Sunburst bath linens.

Winner: V Rugs & Home (Miami) for its Napkin Roll with Pin, a sea shell pin used to keep a napkin rolled by inserting it into the button or pin holes. Finalist: Joao Eduardo de Sousa, LDA (Funchal, Portugal) for its Sea Food tablecloth. Finalist: Settings by Mona (Las Vegas) for its Corset tablecloth.

Winner: Matteo (Los Angeles) for its Tube throw, a 100% four-ply Nepalese cashmere throw blanket knitted to form a tube and designed to be worn.Finalist: Unison (Chicago) for its Larch organic cotton flannel blanket and throw pillow. Finalist: Culturally Chic, LLC (New York) for its Boldog collection.

Judges were: Chandra Palermo, editor, Accessory Merchandising; Dara Caponigro, decoration director, Domino; Christine Bockelman, senior editor, home textiles, HFN; Jenny Heinzen York, editor-in-chief, Home Accents Today; Jim Carper, editor-in-chief, Home Décor Buyer; Pamela Graves, editor, Home Fashion & Furniture Trends; Jennifer Marks, editor-in-chief, Home Textiles Today; Sabine Rothman, senior editor, House & Garden; Wanda Jankowski, editor-in-chief, LDB; and Arlene Hirst, articles senior editor, design and news, Metropolitan Home.