Balthazars
It's already the fifth time that the Balthazars of Furniture have been awarded at the Brussels' Furniture Fair. These awards are intended to stimulate innovation in the sector. The professional jury headed by Moniek Bucquoye (Interieur Kortrijk, the design authority for Belgium) awards Balthazars in four categories: the Most Innovative Product, the Trendiest Product, the Best Belgian Product and a green Balthazar for sustainability, recycling and ecology.
The other members of the jury were Siegrid Demyttenaere (art director and journalist on DAMn° and Be Magazine, and developer of the style trends for the Furniture Fair), Colette Demil (freelance journalist on architecture and design), Chris De Roock (Optimo, the innovation platform of Fedustria, the Belgian Federation of Furniture, Wood and Textile), Gerard Van Os (Van Os-Sonnevelt, promotion and trade fair specialist), frances van der Steen (freelance trade journalist and product expert in the furniture sector) and Marie-Anne Desiere (Modulo, communication specialist).
A Balthazar is a 12-litre bottle of champagne, and the following companies can start wondering how to keep theirs cool:
- Best of Belgium: Dekoninck Collections, a small family company, for their D-Collectie 2011.
- Trendiest product: Veldeman Bedding with their Stijn Helsen Rooms
- Greenest product: LS Bedding for Ergosleep Clip-On
- In the Most Innovative category , the jury exceptionally handed out two awards. The first goes to Passe Partout for it's In/Outdoor model, the second to Recor Bedding for Sleepsitting. By giving these two awards, the jury also shows its appreciation of these companies' cooperation in the Flemish Masters project.
Sitino received an honorable mention from the jury as a promising newcomer.
Of course it wasn’t easy for the jury to reach this result. A considerable number of companies can also pride themselves on a nomination, and we cannot fail to list these nominated exhibitors here, in alphabetical order.
Bara – Chênevert kitchen
Boone – Commodità
BSM – Bridge
BSM – Isis
Contempo – Theo
Diamond Spring Company – Vindår
Joli – Z-Chair
Juventa – Ox
Karel Mintjens – Ribu
Mirodan Creation – Deer
Papilio – Cyclo & Banana
Passe Partout – Modulo
Probilex
Revor – ClimaControl
Revor – Jr. Box
Sit on It – Plunk
Sitino – Les Intemporelles
Sitino – Struktura
Van Landschoot – Henson Design
Wolmat – Les lits de Grégory et Julie
