Furniture and interior design students are recognized with cash awards
HIGH POINT, NC — The Bienenstock Furniture Library (BFL) is proud to announce the 2026 winners of its annual student design competitions for furniture and interior design, awarding a total of $15,000 to the top performers and their academic departments.
For this year’s Dudley Moore Sr. Furniture Design Competition, students were challenged to design an original chair that is aesthetically stunning, fiscally feasible, and suitable for mass production within the residential and/or contract trade markets.
The first-place prize of $5,000 was awarded to Isabella Raffo Pedraza of the University of Illinois. The judges praised the uniqueness of her “floating back” concept and noted how the soft radius of the arms perfectly complemented the seat.
“Building the physical model was one of the most valuable parts of designing Nilo,” said Pedraza. “It helped me understand how manufacturable the chair actually was in a way 3D renders could not. Prototyping pushed the project toward more practical, well-considered decisions and ultimately made the chair stronger and more refined.”
In recognition of the top entry, the University of Illinois design department will receive a $1,000 prize.
Second place and a $1,500 cash prize went to Mason McKay of Appalachian State University for a design described by judges as a “fresh, modern take on a classic design; well-proportioned and well-executed.”
The Barbour Spangle Interior Design Competition interior design challenge required students to combine two brick row houses into a single, cohesive art gallery. The project, intended for a site in Troy, New York, required space for a variety of mediums—including photography, sculpture, and multimedia—as well as a catering kitchen, community meeting space, and private third-floor living quarters.
The first-place prize of $5,000 was awarded to Natascha Kruusi of Saddleback College. As a competition judge, Christi Spangle lauded the project for its “effective use of lighting” and “cool architectural elements that allowed space for art to breathe.”
“I envisioned Steel + Oak Gallery as a cultural landmark… inspired by the grit, craft legacy, and reinvention of a Rust Belt city,” Kruusi stated. “The concept pairs steel and oak to balance strength and warmth, industry and humanity. I’m honored to bring Troy’s story to life through this project.”
Kruusi extended special thanks to her professor, Farida Gabdrakhmanova, who accepted a $1,000 award on behalf of the Saddleback College design department.
Second place and $1,500 was awarded to Nayelis Soto of the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). Judge Bri Verstat noted Soto’s “great attention to detail” and “wonderful movement with shapes throughout.”
The Bienenstock Furniture Library is committed to supporting the future of the design industry, Its annual design competitions are open to college and university undergraduate and graduate students. Projects are judged on a scale of one to five across several categories, including design brief, ideation thumbnails, aesthetic, originality, functionality, feasibility, and overall presentation.
The 2026 judging panel included industry leaders from Barbour Spangle Design, Otto & Moore Inc., Davis Furniture, and other recognized firms in the furniture and interior design sectors.
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