Over 650 people attended this year’s ARTS Awards on Jan. 21 at the Hilton Anatole, during the Dallas Intl. Lighting Market. The awards are sponsored by the Accessories Resource Team (ART) and the Dallas Market Center, as well as the awards’ first-ever corporate sponsor, Swarovski Elements, who donated decorations and favors for the event.

In the lighting categories, Corbett Lighting won for Lighting Fixtures for the second year in a row, while Currey & Co. took home the award for Portable Lamps. The Lighting Showroom awards were divided into three regions. Elements – Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings in Carle Place, NY, took home the award in the East/Atlantic division; Southern Lights in Burnsville, MN, won in the Midwest/Southwest; and Valley Light Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, won in the West.

Lighting showrooms made up four out of five finalists in this year’s International Retailer category. Spectro Lighting Group in the Dominican Republic won the honor, beating out Design Lighting in Surrey, BC; Luminaires & Cie Inc. in Laval, QC; and Vaughan Electrical Supply Co. in Woodbridge, ON.

This year’s Academy of Achievement Award went to Allan Palecek, founder/CEO and lead designer of Palecek, for his commitment to sustainability, community and design. Palecek’s family joined him on stage to accept the award.

Celebrity presenters Donna Moss, interior designer and star of HGTV’s “Donna Decorates Dallas,” and Dann Foley, lifestyle expert and principal of Dann Inc., lent some star power to the awards gala. Swarovski Elements also upped the glamour of the event by decorating the Anatole’s ballroom, a new location for the awards, with a custom crystal curtain, two crystal embellished podiums and a crystal napkin ring for each guest.

The judging panel for this year’s ARTS Awards included Moss; Martha Griffin, executive editor of Design Guide; and Melanie Belew, interior designer and owner of Belew Design Studio.

23rd Annual ARTS Awards Winners

MANUFACTURERS

Lighting Fixtures: Corbett Lighting

Portable Lamps: Currey & Co.

Accent Furniture: Phillips Collection

Area Rugs: Jaipur Rugs

Decorative Accessories: Creative Co-Op

Home Textiles: Pom Pom at Home

Outdoor Living: Loloi Rugs

Permanent Floral: NDI

Tabletop: Beatriz Ball Collection

Wall Décor: Leftbank Art

Product Designer: Randal Weeks – Aidan Gray Home Inc.

Green Manufacturer: Guildmaster Inc. and TAG Ltd.

RETAILERS

Lighting Showroom:
East/Atlantic: Elements – Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings – Carle Place, NY
Midwest/Southwest: Southern Lights – Burnsville, MN
West: Valley Light Gallery – Scottsdale, AZ

Furniture Store: Seaside Home – Coronado, CA

Home Accent Store:
East/Atlantic: The French Basket – Florence, AL
Midwest/Southewest: MECOX – Dallas
West: Jak Home LLC – San Francisco

International Retailers: Spectro Lighting Group, SRL – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Rising Star Retailer: The Mercantile, Atlanta

SALES REPRESENTATIVES

National/Key Accounts: Heather Steeley – Taylors on Ten

East/Atlantic: Jennifer Jackson – jdouglas

Midwest/Southwest: Derek Ricketts – CODARUS

West: Michelle Korthuis – Elements in Décor