The Furniture Makers’ Company has announced this year's Design Guild Mark holders.
The Design Guild Mark is a non-profit award programme that was established in 2008 by The Furniture Makers’ Company to raise the profile of British industrial design and recognise excellence in this discipline. Over time, the mark has grown from just Furniture to include categories for Interior Design Elements, and Lighting.
"At a time when sustainability is a given, aesthetics, innovation of materials and creativity have all been key factors in the success of the 16 submissions who received the coveted Design Guild Mark 2025," states the Furniture Makers. "Additionally, one entrant received the accolade of the Jonathan Hindle Prize for an exceptional entry."
The presentation will take place at KI’s new showroom during Clerkenwell Design Week on 20th May at 11am, with a presentation by notable design leader, Sebastian Conran, who has led his own product and brand development consultancy, Sebastian Conran Associates, for many years.
The key criteria upon which each entrant is assessed by a panel of judges includes: innovation – does the design demonstrate new and original thinking and problem solving/is it different/does it do something better?; function – is the design fit for purpose/does it work well and intuitively/ does it benefit the user and how?; form – is the design aesthetically appealing and its appearance appropriate/is it made well/does it incorporate innovative manufacturing materials and processes?; brand – does the design develop a brand’s position/does it provide a competitive advantage or edge in any way?; and environment – does the design demonstrate a responsibility to progressing sustainable and circular practices/is the product designed and made for longevity of appeal and use?
The Design Guild Mark is unique in that applicants are required to present their actual piece in person to the judging panel, to allow for a dialogue and any questions to take place.
Alex Crofts, chairman of the Design Guild Mark, comments: “This is my inaugural year as chairman and the 19th year of the Design Guild Mark, a programme which relentlessly promotes UK design as a leading global creative force. Once again a broad range of entries are demonstrative of this unique accolade, where designers of all level of experience are united in the quality of work to achieve the gold standard for British design. Each recipient of a Design Guild Mark has the unique opportunity to have their creativity and craftsmanship celebrated on a national stage.”
The 2025 product selection is as follows:
Furniture: Roxi Chair, David Colwell, David Colwell Design; Mindflow Chair, Charlie Fowler, TFH; Ringstead Chair and Footstall, Charlie Fowler, Another Country; Barricane Chair, Magnus Long, Morgan; Highmoor Large Extending Dining Table, Benjamin Stanton, Ercol Furniture; Cosi Laptop Table, Pearson Lloyd, Teknion; Ten-pin Side Table, Louis Barrett, The Conran Shop; Ox Stool/Side Table, Matthew Coules, TroubleStudio; Climb, Jones + Partners, Modus Furniture; Folding Surfaces, Jones + Partners, Howe; Mura Sideboard, Tom Rawlings, William Hands; and the Oleander Sideboard, Leonhard Pfeifer, Heal’s.
Interior Elements: Disorder of Stasis, Charlotte Raffo & Joel Weaver, The Monkey Puzzle Tree; and ReSKU 2.0, Jodie Padgett (lead designer) and Jane Marks-Yewdall, Camira.
Lighting: Current, Jones + Partners, Bachmann Group; and Light Mass^, Yael Mar & Shay Alkalay Raw-Edge Studio, Light Mass^.
ReSKU 2.0 by Jodie Padgett (lead designer) and Jane Marks-Yewdall, manufactured by Camira, was awarded the Jonathan Hindle Prize for outstanding design, which is crafted trophy made from solid-surface Corian, and a £1000 cash prize.
Alex Crofts adds: “The wonderful thing about the Design Guild Mark is having British designers and designs appraised and approved by such diverse and eminent judging panels. When these judges chose to elevate one exceptional design, from all the designs submitted, with the Jonathan Hindle Prize, this should be seen as an enormous honour and a source of immense pride to the winner.”
With thanks to sponsors Agua and Crofts & Assinder.
Pictured: ReSKU 2.0
