Dallas Market Center Announces Judges for the 37th ARTS Awards
Six industry leaders will select this year’s ARTS Award winners
DALLAS – September 14, 2026 — Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, today revealed the judging panel for the 37th ARTS Awards, taking place Friday, January 8, 2027, at the Hilton Anatole, during the run of Total Home & Gift Market (Jan. 6–12) and Lightovation (Jan. 5–9). The ARTS Awards celebrate the top manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives shaping the home industry.
Judges will evaluate finalist submissions on criteria specific to each category, spanning product development, marketing, merchandising, and company differentiation. The panel will convene in Dallas this fall to review submissions over two days; a designated accounting firm will then tabulate and safeguard the results until winners are revealed at the ARTS Awards gala.
The 37th ARTS Awards judges are:
Michela O’Connor Abrams, Board Chair, Sustainable Furnishings Council and Sustainable Furnishings Educational Fund
Michela exclusively serves as the Green Award judge and reviews only the manufacturing finalists’ submissions.
Michela is the Founder of MOCA+, which focuses on integrating design thinking and leadership into business strategy. The former CEO of Dwell Media, she grew the brand from a startup to an international name. With experience at IDG, Softbank, McGraw Hill, Ziff Davis, and Future Media, she has led companies through growth and turnaround phases. Michela serves on the board of Arcbazar and advises several companies, including Turkel Design and Nebia. She is a sought-after speaker on the topics of leadership, design, and media.
Dann Foley, Stylecraft Home Collection and Harp & Finial
Interior designer, lifestyle brand collaborator (Savoy House, Stylecraft, Harp + Finial, Phillips Collection, Durell Fabric, A+B Home), author, writer, speaker, TV personality, and creative director of the Stylecraft and Harp + Finial brands, Dann is also a 9-time ARTS Award nominee and winner. His 35-plus years of experience creating original designs for international clientele, his infectious smile and personality, and his ability to inspire both clients and fellow designers alike have made Dann an industry leader and go-to speaker. Television, writing, design, and personal appearances bring his unique brand of accessible design and high style to both the Markets and to consumers. As a judge, Dann brings his multifaceted design industry experience and expertise to the table for honored nominees.
Lorele Lesoing, Lee Douglas Interiors
Lorele Lesoing is the founder, president, and lead interior designer of Lee Douglas Interiors, a full-service design firm and home décor retailer based in Nebraska. Since launching in 1989, she has grown the company into one of the Midwest’s top design destinations, with three locations, including a 30,000-square-foot flagship in Omaha. With over 35 years of experience, Lorele blends business acumen with creative vision to deliver timeless design and curated client experiences. She remains closely involved in every aspect of the business, ensuring each project reflects the elevated, functional Lee Douglas Interiors signature.
Kaitlin Petersen, Business of Home
Kaitlin Petersen is the editor in chief of Business of Home, where she directs the company’s coverage of the home industry, including daily news online, weekly newsletters, a podcast network, a quarterly print magazine, and members-only programming and events. She is also the host of Trade Tales and Ask Us Anything, two podcasts that examine the unique challenges of creative entrepreneurship and offer designers tools and insights to build better businesses. Kaitlin has been writing about style and design for more than a decade, and her work has appeared in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home and Veranda, as well as Chicago, Texas Monthly, Time Out New York, and the international editions of Vanity Fair and Vogue.
Ericka Saurit, Saurit Creative
Ericka Saurit is a designer, educator, and brand strategist obsessed with how our built environment shapes the human experience. Over a 25-year global career, she has worked with culture-shifting brands including Airbnb, Tag Heuer, Estée Lauder, and Procter & Gamble. Her boutique brand strategy and design agency, Saurit Creative, helps home and lifestyle brands transform their position in the marketplace with story-driven brand and marketing services, and creative professionals around the world learn how to grow their business and their careers under her guidance on her interactive learning platform and popular podcast, Marketing School for Creatives. She serves on the board of High Point x Design (HPxD) and is a co-founder, with industry superstars Jane Dagmi and Jessica Duce, of the award-winning Vacation Rental Design Summit, held around the U.S. in partnership with HPxD and ANDMORE. In 2025, the three launched The Pretty Smart Podcast. Ericka’s work sits at the forefront of the conversations reshaping brand, marketing, and storytelling in the home industry. A frequent contributor and educator for Business of Home, HPMKT, Designer Society of America, and Home Goods Merchandiser Magazine, she also served as the keynote speaker for the 2026 AI in Design Summit. A Southerner at heart and traveler by trade, she maintains residences in both North Carolina and the south of France.
J. Douglas Self, Jr., JDouglas
Doug Self is a 34-year veteran of the home furnishings industry. Since founding JDouglas in 2001, he has built the company into a leading manufacturer’s representative organization serving the Southeast, with showrooms in Atlanta and High Point. Throughout his career, Doug has worked closely with manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, and sales professionals, developing broad expertise in product, brand development, and sales strategy. He has served on the boards of AmericasMart Atlanta, the Accessories Resource Team (ART), and Gift for Life, and helped found Home vs. Hunger, an industry initiative supporting World Central Kitchen.
A full list of the 37th ARTS Awards finalists can be viewed here. Reservations for the ARTS Awards open in early October.
ABOUT THE ARTS AWARDS
The ARTS Awards process started with industry professionals, companies, and individuals submitting nominations online across various categories. An independent panel of experts reviewed these nominations and selected a shortlist of finalists. Finalists will next submit additional materials for further evaluation by a separate judging panel. Winners are determined and announced at the ARTS Awards ceremony on January 8, 2027, where they are celebrated for their excellence. Neither membership in ART nor representation at Dallas Market Center is necessary to nominate or to be a nominee.
To learn more about ARTS Awards, visit dallasmarketcenter.com/ArtsAwards/.
Gold media and organization sponsors for the ARTS Awards are: Business of Home, Designers Today, Furniture Today, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Accents Today, and Home Textiles Today. Silver media and organization sponsors are: aspire design and home, Design News Now, Home News Now, and Lighting News Now. Bronze media and organization sponsors are: American Society of Interior Designers Texas Chapter (ASID), Interior Design Society (IDS), International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA), PaperCity, Modern Luxury Interiors, and Cascale | Sustainable Furnishings Council.
For information about all upcoming markets and events, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the new, completely redesigned Dallas Market Center mobile app. Stay current by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose blog, and use #ARTSAwards to stay connected.
ABOUT ART
Founded in 1988, ART is the creative home furnishings network representing manufacturers, retailers, representatives and other individuals and companies interested in promoting and enhancing the market position of the home furnishings industry. Each year ART sponsors programs such as the ART conference, regional educational seminars, the ART card, and the ARTS Awards. The ART website is available at www.accessoriesresourceteam.org.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in gourmet and housewares, home décor, holiday/floral, gifts, lighting, and apparel. Inside its dynamic, 5 million-square-foot campus, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education, and new products from exhibitors throughout the year via dominant trade events for gift, home décor, holiday, and floral; the nation’s most comprehensive apparel and accessories markets featuring the latest styles from East Coast and West Coast designers; the largest residential lighting trade event in North America; and the largest and most successful open-daily design center. To make plans for upcoming markets, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the Dallas Market Center App.
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