Design team 'Daniel Emma' discovered

Over 200 design industry, media and VIP guests saw design team 'Daniel Emma' win the top prize at the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award, held at the Sydney Opera House late last year, for its 'Basics Collection' design.

The award is offered annually to recognise outstanding work by emerging Australian designers and was presented by Neale Whitaker, editor-in-chief of belle Magazine and guest judge on the panel for the 2010 awards.

"The judges felt that the winners, Daniel Emma, were ‘the complete package’, displaying a proactive independence of spirit, brand awareness, great interaction with their end-user and a reliance on local production," said Whitaker.

"One of the judges commented on the simple ‘heart and emotion’ of Daniel Emma’s well-edited range which is both international and uniquely Australian in its appeal."

The Adelaide designers (Daniel To and Emma Aiston) are inspired by simplicity and won this year’s award for their ‘Basics’ Collection – paperweight, pendant light, magnetic paperclip holder and mirror.

The award win sees Daniel Emma receive a $30,000 cash prize and a trip to Milan to attend the international design fair Salone del Mobile in 2011.

This year’s four runners up, who receive $2,500 each, include Henry Wilson for ‘Factory Slide’, David Knott for ‘Cantilabra’, John Quan for ‘Flexible Desk Lamp’ and Adam Cornish for his innovative ‘Monkey Grip’.

Recipients of $1,000 prize money for being shortlisted finalists included designers Michael Hoppe for ‘Monkey Grip’, Andrew Simpson & Oliver Smith for ‘Stilla’, Ben Edwards for ‘Offcut Stools’, Toby

Horrocks for ‘Flatform Shelves’ and Nick Rennie for ‘labro’ & ‘organis’. Gary Galego is the winner of the 2009 Vogue Living People’s Choice Award for his design ‘Carbonwood’.

This year judges witnessed incredible diversity in the range of materials used. There were solutions for the home and the workplace, with designs that re-imagined everyday objects and offered fresh insights into how people engage with their surroundings.

According to judge Terri Winter of top3 by design, "it was very interesting to see a more thoughtful and quietly innovative range of entries this year and the products submitted were carefully considered and sensitive pieces".

The Bombay Sapphire® Design Discovery Award 2010 finalist designs will be on display at a public exhibition in early 2011.

www.bombaysapphire.com/designdiscoveryaward