Caroline Hipple to receive the 32nd ARTS Awards Academy of Achievement

Caroline Hipple, Norwalk Furniture President to accept industry’s highest accolade at 32nd event

 

DALLAS/CHARLOTTE – Caroline Hipple, the president of Norwalk Furniture and industry leader for more than three decades, will receive the Academy of Achievement honor at the 32nd ARTS Awards, taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 7, 2022.

The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, acknowledges preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives. The Academy of Achievement, the industry’s highest accolade, recognizes extraordinary contributions to the industry.

 

The 2022 edition of the ARTS Awards is a return to its usual format after a one-year change. Last year’s ARTS Awards was replaced by a one-time special event, the HEARTS Awards, held in partnership and solidarity with twelve leading industry organizations to honor companies and individuals that have shown outstanding leadership, empathy, and service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Caroline is a worthy honoree not simply because of her decades of inspired leadership but because of her deeply positive impact on our industry and the lives of so many people,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “She has led with purpose, passion, and selflessness. We look forward to celebrating her achievements.”

“I don’t know anyone as driven, determined, caring, smart, and selfless as Caroline,” said Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “She is such a rare combination of the best values of our industry and of humankind. It’s truly an honor to present the Academy of Achievement honor to someone so respected and beloved.”

Caroline Hipple has served as president of Norwalk Furniture since 2016. The privately held Norwalk, Ohio company manufactures upholstered furniture in its 440,000 square foot facility. In September 2021, the company announced a transition in ownership to an employee stock ownership plan funded entirely by the company.

Hipple, before joining Norwalk, worked closely with the company as a partner in HB2 Resources, a home furnishings consultancy based in Atlanta she co-founded with Dixon Bartlett. She also served as president of retailer Storehouse Furniture Co., a division of Rowe Furniture Co., which had 72 stores. She began her career and held multiple positions with retailer This End Up, beginning her career with the company as a sales associate and advancing to executive vice president of sales, marketing and merchandising. At its height, This End Up had 250 stores.

She has long been an active supporter of non-profits, professional organizations and educational causes. Hipple served in leadership positions with associations including WithIt (Women in the Home Furnishing Industry Today), AHFA (American Home Furnishings Association), the Home Furnishings Hall of Fame and the Bienenstock Home Furnishings library. In addition, she served for 7 years as a member of the board of governors at St. Catherine’s School and on the board for the Atlanta Girls School.

 

Her leadership has not gone unnoticed. Hipple has also been recognized with accolades including ARTS Awards, WithIt’s Legacy Award and Education Award, the Person to Watch and Inspirational Women in 2019 Awards from leading industry publications, and a HEARTS Award in 2021 for leadership during the pandemic.

The Academy of Achievement honoree is selected each year by the ARTS Awards Committee in order to recognize significant contributions to the industry. The committee serves one year and their duties include a review of the process and selecting the Academy of Achievement honoree. The 32nd ARTS Awards committee members are: Amir Loloi, Loloi; Brian Kleinberg, Elements and Doug Self, j douglas.

Reservations for the ARTS Awards will open October 1, 2021. Tickets are $145 for ART members and $170 for non-members. Tables are also available.

Sponsors for the 32nd ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Business of Home; Designers Today; D Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Textiles Today; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

For more information, visit the ARTS Awards website.

2021 Service Project Update

ART Conference 2021 – Fort Myers, FL

Always one of the favorite events at ART Conference, this year’s community service project touched nearly 200 individuals in southwestern Florida.

For this year’s project, attendees helped fill up 180 bags with provisions for individuals in need. The care packages were distributed by the Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center, Golisano Children’s Hospital and several United Way organizations. 

In all, 20 bags were filled for the children’s hospital, 50 backpacks were filled for the United Way to distribute to children, 30 each were sent to respective women’s and men’s missions and 20 went to an elder care center. 

Additionally, quilts and blankets provided by Avasa were sent as part of the project, and Goode Deals, Inc., a Tulsa, Okla.-based business owned by Rex and Jan Yoakley, went above and beyond with donations. Additional sponsors who contributed tothe project included Elk Home, Loloi, Howard Elliott, Juniper and Aviva Stanoff Designs. 

A special thanks is owed to IMC’s Janice Lassiter, who spearheaded the project and worked closely with the organizations to ensure that everybody touched by the organizations got everything they needed.   Long hours, dedication and persistence, we couldn’t have done it without her.  

It all came together here…..

32nd ARTS Awards Finalists Announced

—Home industry’s highest honor to return to in-person event in January 2022—

 

DALLAS/CHARLOTTE  – Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced the finalists for the 32nd ARTS Awards. The finalists will submit materials for judging in the fall, and award recipients will be announced at a live event in Dallas on Friday, January 7, 2022.   “Congratulations to these finalists who represent resilience, creativity, and leadership,” said Cindy Morris president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. Added Sharon Davis, executive director of ART: “Even in challenging times these accomplished individuals and companies have led with purpose. We look forward to celebrating all of them in January.”

The 32nd ARTS Awards finalists are:

MANUFACTURER

Accent Furniture
Currey & Company
Moe’s Home Collection
Norwalk Furniture
REVELATION

Area Rugs
Feizy
Momeni
Nourison
Rizzy Home

Home Accents
A&B Home Group
Cyan Design
GO Home
Park Hill Collection
Phillips Collection
Accent Decor

Home Textiles
Ann Gish
Avasa Home
Aviva Stanoff Design
Lili Alessandra

Lamps
Elk Home
John-Richard
Pacific Coast Lighting
PORT 68

Lighting Fixtures
Fine Art Handcrafted Lighting
Hubbardton Forge
Kuzco Lighting
Visual Comfort

Outdoor Living
Kannoa
POLYWOOD
RATANA
Seasonal Living

Tabletop
Annieglass
Beatriz Ball Collection
Rosenthal China
The Fiesta Tableware Company

Wall Décor
Celadon Art
Itinerant Studio
Paragon Wall Decor
Renwil
The Howard Elliott Collection

PRODUCT DESIGNER

Barry Goralnick, Barry Goralnick Architecture and Design
Kim Salmela, Kim Salmela
Lisa McDennon, Lisa McDennon Design
Rick Janecek, Revelation
Ron Henderson, Varaluz

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Ginger Curtis, Urbanology Designs
Holly Hickey Moore, Holly Hickey Moore Interior Design
Jan Showers, Jan Showers & Associates
Kristi Hopper, Kristi Hopper Designs
Libby Langdon, Libby Langdon Interiors
Starr Miller, Starr Miller Interior Design

 

 

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

East/Atlantic
Amy Lynn Schwartzbard, Life Designs Group
Karen Landes Scherr, Loloi Rugs
Ken Grillo, Grillo Group

Midwest/Southwest
Amy Golightly, In-Detail
Courtney Komlosi, The Buhmann Group
Richard Alan, Richard Alan & Associates

West
Andrea Combet, Art & Function
Leslie Taglio, Taglio and Co.
Sally Simerson, Sally Simmerson Inc.

 

RETAILERS

Furniture Store – Multiple Locations
Clive Daniel Home – Naples, Florida
J. Allan’s Furniture | Interior Design – Brookhaven, Mississippi
HOM Furniture – Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Lee Douglas Interiors – Omaha, Nebraska

Furniture Store – Single Locations
Henry Home Interiors – Norman, Oklahoma
IBB Design Fine Furnishings – Frisco, Texas
Lulu’s Furniture & Decor – Denver, Colorado
Urban Cottage Inc. – Atlanta, Georgia

Home Accents Store – East/Atlantic Region
Bountiful Home – Easton, Maryland
Design Supply – Birmingham, Alabama
Dixon Rye – Atlanta, Georgia
La Maison – Raleigh, North Carolina

Home Accents Store – Midwest/Southwest Region
Coco & Dash – Dallas, Texas
Leon & Lulu – Clawson, Michigan
Nell Hill’s – Kansas City, Missouri

Home Accents Store – West Region
Absolutely Fabulous – Huntington Beach, California
Drees – Olympia, Washington
Jonathons Coastal Living – Fountain Valley,California

Lighting Showroom – East/Atlantic Region
Dominion Lighting – Arlington, Virginia
Hermitage Lighting – Nashville, Tennessee
Patdo Light Studio – Port Chester, New York

Lighting Showroom – Midwest/Southwest Region
Capital City Lighting – Baton Rouge, LA
Circa Lighting – Houston, Texas
Southern Lights – Burnsville, Minnesota

Lighting Showroom – West Region
Black Whale Lighting – Encinitas, California
North Coast Lighting – Seattle, Washington
Western Montana Lighting – Missoula, Montana

Design Studio
Alara The Label – Fort Worth, Texas
In Detail Interiors – Pensacola, Florida
The Design Bar – Burr Ridge, Illinois

The ARTS Awards process begins with the nomination of retailers, manufacturers, designers, and sales representatives. After nominations are received, a nomination committee of industry peers evaluates the entries and determines finalists.  A separate judging panel then convenes in the fall to review and score finalists’ materials including creative digital presentations that vary based upon category and may consist of product development, marketing, merchandising, company differentiation examples, and/or professional information. Once all components of judging are complete, a designated accounting firm tabulates and secures the scores until the winners are announced for the first time at the ARTS Awards gala on Friday, January 7, 2022. Neither membership in ART nor representation at Dallas Market Center is necessary to nominate or to be a nominee.

Sponsors for the ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Business of Home; Designers Today; D Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Textiles Today; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

32nd ARTS Awards Nominating Committee Announced

Charlotte, NC –  July 29, 2021 –  Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced the members of the ARTS Awards Nominating Committee, a group of independent industry professionals who will evaluate the list of hundreds of nominees submitted online. The results will be the list of ARTS Awards finalists, who will then submit materials for judging in the fall.

The 2022 ARTS Awards Nomination Committee are:

Laurie Burns Executive Director, Gift & Home Trade Association
Patti Carpenter Principal, Carpenter + Co. and co-founder, The Kaleidoscope Project
Traci Connell Owner/Principal, Traci Connell Interiors
Jane Dagmi Editor-in-Chief, Designers Today
Lois Del Negro CFO, Global Views
Diane Falvey Editor-in-Chief, Furniture, Lighting, & Décor
Adam Japko CEO, Esteem Media
Susan Jones Publisher, Furniture, Lighting, & Décor
Brian Kleinberg President, Elements Trade
Thomas Lester Business Editor, Home Accents Today
Amir Loloi President, Loloi Rugs
Linda Longo Lighting industry consultant
Jane Murray Owner, Taylors
Doug Self President, J. Douglas
Dorian Sims President, Stacy Furniture
Bobby Wilson General Manager, Wilson Lighting
Allison Zisko Editor-in-Chief, Home Accents Today

“These experts, influencers, and business leaders will provide the process with transparency and professional oversight,” said Cindy Morris president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. Added Sharon Davis, executive director of ART: “With these respected individuals’ participation, the process moves forward toward a list of finalists and then our gala event in January celebrating the incredible accomplishments by individuals and companies.”

The ARTS Awards process begins with the nomination of retailers, manufacturers, designers, and sales representatives. After nominations are received, a nomination committee of industry peers evaluates the entries and determines finalists. A separate judging panel then convenes in the fall to review and score finalists’ materials. Winners will be announced during a gala event on Friday, January 7, 2022. Neither membership in ART nor representation at Dallas Market Center is necessary to nominate or to be a nominee.

The 32nd ARTS Awards categories are:
• Manufacturer
• Retailer
• Sales Representative
• Product Designer
• Interior Designer

Sponsors for the ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Business of Home; Designers Today; D Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Textiles Today; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

For more information visit the ARTS Awards website: https://dallasmarketcenter.com/artsawards/.

ART Member Spotlight – Aviva Stanoff

Aviva Stanoff

Vista, CA

The gift of a virtual hug

For nearly a decade, Aviva Stanoff has designed weighted blankets that are as aesthetically pleasing as they are effective. The need stemmed from raising a special needs son.

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the world, Stanoff saw the blankets as a way to give a hug to folks who need it. So she decided if people will cover the cost of shipping, she will send a blanket to a requested individual who could use it.

“Everybody needs a hug right now. It’s almost like a swaddling effect,” Stanoff said. “It was a blessing because people were able to do something. I was able to do something. It made us all feel like it’s all going to be OK. That was my toe in the water to help.”

Stanoff said being able to contribute gave her a feeling of affirmation. “Everything will be OK. You just have to give in this moment and put it out there and they will connect.”
She said the generosity shown by her contemporaries and colleagues was also inspiring.

“The part that’s the most fascinating is there was more money offered to pay for other families than for weighted blankets to be sent to their recipients. That’s our community. This was just my mailing list from my home furnishings design world. It was our design tribe,” Stanoff said. “When I sent the email out, I had to turn the computer off because requests were coming in so fast. There were more requests than weighted blankets. Then it was people offering to pay for another family and another family.”

Stanoff said there are still some blankets available, and requests can be made by emailing her at aviva@avivastanoff.com.