The Accessories Resource Team (ART) and the Dallas Market Center recently announced the finalists for the 23rd Annual ARTS Awards. The winners will be announced on Jan. 21 at a new location – the Hilton Anatole, which was the site of the first ARTS Awards.

Sharon Davis, executive director of ART, (pictured with ART President Bill Fortson at last year’s ARTS Awards) says the Anatole offers better logistics than the previous space in the Dallas Market Center.

“There are a lot of things about having a different venue that will be very exciting for this program,” Davis says. “Specifically, the logistics of the space are much better, so there will be better seats. For instance, we are now able to have 10 tables across the front of the stage instead of just four, so it’s exciting to be able to reconfigure that.”

Another change this year is that all of the tables will now seat 10 people instead of eight, Davis says, and the price for reserving an entire table will reflect that.

There are also a few changes to the judging process for this year’s awards. According to Davis, all manufacturer nominees will now be considered for the second annual Green Manufacturer award, instead of manufacturers having to enter that category separately. Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, will review all of the manufacturers’ presentation binders and announce a winner at the ARTS Awards in January.

In addition, all finalist binders will now include a digital component that will be submitted by e-mail, and entries for the product designer and sales representative categories will be entirely digital.

For the second year in a row, lighting showrooms have dominated the International Retailer category. All three of last year’s nominees were Canadian lighting showrooms, including Design Lighting in Surrey, BC; Prima Lighting in Vaughan, ON; and Union Lighting & Furnishings in Toronto. Four out of five of this year’s International Retailer nominees are lighting showrooms, including last year’s winner, Design Lighting; Spectro Lighting Group in the Dominican Republic; Luminaires & Cie Inc. in Laval, QC; and Vaughan Electrical Supply Co. in Woodbridge, ON.

This year’s ARTS Awards winners will be chosen by Martha Griffin, executive editor of Design Guide; Donna Moss, interior designer, retailer and star of HGTV’s “Donna Decorates Dallas”; and Melanie Belew, interior designer and owner of Belew Design Studio. Judging will take place in November, with the winners announced at the ARTS Awards gala on Jan. 21. Tickets will be available online starting in November.

23rd Annual ARTS Awards Finalists

MANUFACTURERS

Lighting Fixtures:
Corbett Lighting
Hinkley Lighting
Hubbardton Forge
Schonbek

Portable Lamps:
Barbara Cosgrove Lamps
Currey & Co.
Sonneman A Way of Light
The Bradburn Co.
Worlds Away

Accent Furniture:
Baker
GuildMaster
Ibolili
Phillips Collection
Stein World

Area Rugs:
Jaipur Rugs
Safavieh
Surya

Decorative Accessories:
A&B Home
Creative Co-Op
PORT 68
Sterling Industries

Home Textiles:
Treasures
Lacefield Designs
Pom Pom at Home
Textillery Weavers

Outdoor Living:
Antonini Outdoor North America LLC
Emissary Trading Company
Foreside Home & Garden
Loloi Rugs

Permanent Floral:
American Best
Artistry in Silk
Direct Export Co.
NDI
The Ivy Guild Inc.

Tabletop:
Beatriz Ball Collection
Chalkboard China
TAG Ltd.
The GG Collection
Vagabond

Wall Décor:
John Richard
Leftbank Art
Propac Images
Stylecraft Home Collection
Wendover Art Group

Product Designers:
Tom Caldwell – Currey & Co.
Jason Phillips – Phillips Collection
J. Michael Sandel – GuildMaster Inc.
Luca Rossi – Antonini Outdoor North America LLC
Randal Weeks – Aidan Gray Home Inc.

RETAILERS

Lighting Showroom:

East/Atlantic:
Cleveland Lighting – Lyndhurst, OH
Elements – Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings – Carle Place, NY
Southern Lighting Gallery Inc. – Augusta, GA

Midwest/Southwest:
Lighting by Fox – Glenview, IL
Passion Lighting – Grapevine, TX
Southern Lights – Burnsville, MN

West:
Hacienda Lighting – Scottsdale, AZ
Light Bulbs Etc./Lightstyles – Costa Mesa, CA
Valley Light Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ

Furniture Store:
Laurie’s Home Furnishings – Tomball, TX
Seaside Home – Coronado, CA
The Arrangement Distinctive Interiors – Dallas

Home Accent Store:

East/Atlantic:
G&G Interiors – Knoxville, TN
The French Basket – Florence, AL
The Miller House – Stephens City, VA

Midwest/Southwest:
Charley & Bella’s – Marshall, TX
MECOX – Dallas
Rustic Hutch – Fort Wayne, IN

West:
Bella Casa – Portland, OR
Gardenology – Encinitas, CA
Jak Home LLC – San Francisco

International Retailers:
Casa Palacio – Mexico City
Design Lighting – Surrey, BC
Luminaires & Cie Inc. – Laval, QC
Spectro Lighting Group, SRL – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Vaughan Electrical Supply Co. Ltd. – Woodbridge, ON

Rising Star Retailers:
Colorado Villa Décor – Parker, CO
Melissa Jeffrey Home – Boerne, TX
The Mercantile – Atlanta, GA

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

National/Key Accounts:
Anne Jarboe – jdouglas
Heather Steeley – Taylors on Ten
Joshua J. McDowell – JM Group/Restoration Hardware

East/Atlantic:
Jennifer Jackson – jdouglas
Robin Clarke – Southern Accessories Today
Sue Kinard – Fine Art Lamps

Midwest/Southwest:
Cindy Rogers – CSR Associates
Derek Ricketts – CODARUS
Richard Alan – Richard Alan & Associates LLC

West:
Angie Zabritski – Homestyle
Michelle Korthuis – Elements in Décor
Mickey Lang – California Marketing Associates