Good Design Award 2016

Chicago Athenaeum, in partnership with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, has bestowed the prestigious award.

Confluence was first presented in the collection in 2014 and adds its third prize in three years to its list of achievements. After the Muuuz International Award in Paris in 2014 and the NYCxDesign Award in 2016, now it’s the turn of the Good Design Award. The Good Design programme was created in 1950 by top architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames and recognises excellent design worldwide, “from the spoon to the city”, as the current President of Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, Christian Narkiewicz-Laine says.

Chosen in the 66th Awards from among thousands of designs nominated for the prize, from 46 different countries, Confluence wins in the furniture 2016 section for its design marked out by sophisticated contrasts. The steel structure comes alive in a dynamic interaction of sinuous curves, which trace out smooth, elegant geometric shapes. The table top, resting on the long ribbon-like contours of the legs, creates the definitive notion of lightness that has guided all of Xavier Lust’s stylistic choices in this project, the poster child of the company. Confluence’s unique features make it an outstandingly distinctive piece, in every one of its versions. Square, rectangular, circular or oval: the top can have four different shapes, which can also be customised in a wide range of finishes, creating a total of 72 possible combinations.
Confluence demonstrates its winning style in being a product that expresses a strong, sharp design, combined with the possibility of being made to meet a broad and highly varied range of requirements.
Likewise, Pianca has made a winning, richly satisfying decision in increasingly relying on major names in international design, and focussing on research, innovation and quality.
The award ceremony took place on 27th January in New York and was attended by hundreds of designers, leading design firms and members of the international press.
Confluence is now going to become part of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum Permanent Collection and will feature in the Good Design Yearbook 2016-2017.