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In one corner you have Knoll Inc. In the other corner you have Alphaville Design. And in the middle you have Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Barcelona furniture designs from the 1920s.
The trouble started when Knoll sued Danrick LLC, dba ModernCollection.com last July in New York because the contract furniture maker claims exclusive trademark rights to the Barcelona chair design. Alphaville Designs joined in the court battle with its customer Danrick and the suit was dismissed in January.
Now, Alphaville Designs has filed a declaratory relief lawsuit against Knoll in San Francisco. Alphaville Design's lawsuit seeks to overturn Knoll's trade dress claims that it has exclusive rights to the 1920's Mies van der Rohe Barcelona furniture designs.
“Our case will clarify the law and show that Knoll cannot keep others from using these 1920's designs that have been made by a myriad of manufacturers for over 40 years,” says David Lee, President of Alphaville Designs. “We seek a full cancellation of Knoll's trademark registrations with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.”
I guess this proves that good design is worth fighting for. Stay tuned.
Before you answer, check out the 2009 Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge Woodworking Competition Grand Prize winner (see above), Andrew Prioli, a graduating high school senior in a WoodLINKS program at Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, N.C. Prioli earned the top honor and $3,000 for “Inverurie,” a walnut dining room table with inlays of curly maple, cocobolo, maple burl and walnut burl veneers depicting three stallions and Celtic knots. Certainly Wood, distributor for the project, received a cash award of $2,000, and salesman Jim Carroll received $1,000, in recognition of their participation in the supply chain.
“We were very impressed with the caliber of the student work. They gave the pros a real run for the money,” says Will Sampson, editor-in-chief of CabinetMaker magazine, one of three judges for this year’s competition that rewards excellence in woodwork featuring natural veneer and wood product applications. “This speaks well for the future of the industry. We all should be looking over our shoulders at the up and coming talent.”
Prioli is headed to the Rhode Island School of Design in the fall aiming to be a furniture design major. He also was a 2008 Craftsman’s Challenge honorable mention winner in the Student Designs category.
This year’s competition category winners, each receiving $1,000, are:
*Architectural Woodworking, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork, Salt Lake City, for the Alice Tully Hall at the Julliard School of Music, designed by Diller, Scofidio & Renfro
*Cabinetry, Paul and Robin Mann of Paul Mann Custom Boats, Manns Harbor, N.C., for the sportfish yacht, Ann Warrick
*Furniture, John W. Harper of EMC Woodworking, Phoenix, for “Office Piece;” in Specialty Items, for the second year in a row, Geoffrey Kaiser aka Tockhwock, and Bruce Grimes, Santa Rosa, Calif, for “Sunset on the Aegean,” a reproducing grand piano
*Store Fixtures, Mark Ramsey of Tahiti Cabinets Inc., Anaheim, Calif., for “Something Silver;”
*Student Designs, Michael Poorman, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C., for the dinner table “A Poor Man’s Legacy.”
*Honorable Mention, In recognition of his striking use of marquetry, Chuck Sharbaugh of Sharbaugh Woodwork, Holly, Mich, received a special judges’ plaque for his furniture entry, a standing cabinet titled “Tribute.”
The Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge entries for 2010 will be accepted beginning September 30, 2009. The results of next year’s competition will be announced at the IWFshow in Atlanta, Ga. CabinetMaker+FDM magazine again will be Craftsman’s Challenge partner sponsor.
Following the philosophy of ‘more experience than hotel,’ theWit’s millwork sets the stage for a dramatic 27-story sensory experience {see New Chicago boutique hotel features $2.4M in millwork }.
For almost a year, DeLeers Millwork, Green Bay, Wis. crafted a large assortment of furnishings that included drapery valances and bathroom vanities for 270 guest rooms, kitchenettes for 90 condominiums, gift shop display cases, closet shelving, and the lobby registration desk. All of theWit furnishings feature a modern, flawless high-end look to properly represent the personality of theWit.
On the assortment of furnishings, DeLeers used premium-grade wood finishes, rift sliced white oak veneer, custom-made chrome footings for bathroom vanities, high-gloss lacquer finishes, and used blueprint-match paneling and doors in several public spaces.
The project used a variety of the materials, which were hand sanded by DeLeers team members. The company also used a Global Finishing Solutions dryer, which created a harder, more protective finish, and reduced the cure time by 75 percent.
The project garnered DeLeers The Architectural Woodwork Institute’s ‘Quality Certification Program’ (QCP) certification, which includes comprehensive testing and inspection.
TheWit, a Double Tree hotel is located on Chicago’s historic State Street.
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry awarded Superior Woodcraft Inc. 2009 Contractor of the Year in the category Residential Interior Under $100,000.
The library is an exquisite blend of luxury and sustainability. The project used ESP-certified (KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program) custom cabinetry from plantation grown lyptus (a highly renewable hardwood), domestic core no-added urea formaldehyde plywood, rapidly renewable cork paneling, low VOC finishes, as well as products and processes recognized and approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.
This green modern media room has all the trappings of a traditional library including wainscot paneling, cabinetry, and a coffered ceiling, which seamlessly integrates with state-of-the-art media. The contest was judged by an independent panel of industry experts who looked at functionality, problem solving, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation and degree of difficulty.
When a bottle of wine costs more than what many people make in a week, a cheap wire rack just won’t do.
Revel Custom Wine Cellars provides high-end collectors a new spin on displaying and storing prized wine collections. Uninspired by traditional diamond bins and standard cork out storage racks, owner, James Cash designed a system that makes the wine the star not the rack.
Revel’s design uses dowel-bottom sliding drawers and carousels, which creates airflow between bottles and reduces wood consumption. It also provides improved bottle visibility and ease of access. All shelves higher than eye level can be stocked with labels facing downward, allowing them to be seen from below.
Similar to kitchen cabinetry, the design uses base units and upper units. Each unit contains a series of sliding drawers that holds multiple bottles as opposed to a matrix of stationary, single-bottle cubicles. Revel’s base units can accommodate either individual bottles or boxes, and are 25 inches deep. Upper units can either be hung from the wall or stacked upon the base unit and are available in 17 inches or 25 inches deep.
The Wine Wheel available in a base-unit height or in a floor-to-ceiling model can accommodate up to 18 standard bottles and operates like a Lazy Susan. The Wine Wheel allows collectors working with limited space to make efficient use of corner space that would otherwise be wasted.
The Furniture Buying Index fell two points this month to a reading of 57, according to America’s Research Group.
“… more consumers have put discretionary spending on a complete and total hold,” Britt Beemer, chairman of the group, said.
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America’s Research Group from interviews with 5,000 to 8,000 consumers across the country.The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association is forecasting a continued slowdown for the office furniture industry.
Orders and shipments of office furniture for the first quarter of 2009 came in below expectations, according to the association, which recently refined its forecast model to better reflect the image of some of the model’s drivers and improve accuracy.
The domestic market should improve as 2009 progresses, but recovery for the rest of the world will be slower.
Projections as of late May are:
*2009U.S. Production: $8.0 billion, a decrease of 28.6 percentU.S. Consumption: $9.4 billion, a decrease of 27.4 percent
*2010U.S. Production: $8.2 billion, an increase of 2.8 percentU.S. Consumption: $9.8 billion, an increase of 3.9 percent
In one corner you have Knoll Inc. In the other corner you have Alphaville Design. And in the middle you have Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Barcelona furniture designs from the 1920s.
