Dec 05 2018

Designer Richard Frinier Honored for his Architexture Collection of Sunbrella® Fabrics

Collection Inspired by Architectural Design Elements Wins International Design Excellence Award

A well-known visionary in the furniture design industry, Richard Frinier received the Industrial Designers Society of America 2018 IDEA for his Architexture Collection for Sunbrella^® fabrics.

IDSA recently announced the 145 winners of the IDEA, one of the world’s most prestigious and rigorous design competitions. The Architexture Collection of Sunbrella performance textiles created in collaboration with Frinier, a celebrated designer and long-standing IDSA member, received an award in the Furniture & Lighting category.

“The Architexture Collection was based on my appreciation of the importance architecture plays in the modern landscape,” Frinier said. “Its uniquely developed constructions, patterns and colorways echo architectural design elements found in building surfaces and façade designs around the world.”

Further inspired by the growing global architectural design trend around the surfacing and resurfacing of buildings, the collection reflects various forms and layers of materials used to create these remarkable architectural façades. These design elements were translated into a collection of nine patterns and 11 colorways that reflect elements of this significant movement.

 “We’re proud to be a continual partner of Richard Frinier and to celebrate this award-winning collection,” said Greg Voorhis, executive design director at Sunbrella. “Richard proves time and time again his unique ability to translate global trends and inspiration into design.”

The jury for this year’s IDEA competition boasted nearly three dozen experts from some of the world’s largest brands such as Google, Microsoft, Nike, Dolby Laboratories, Delta Faucet, REI, Targus, Stryker and Cartoon Network; major design studios including Whipsaw, fuseproject, Ammunition, HS Design and Metaphase; and leading universities. Bringing a global perspective to the competition as respected leaders in their fields, the panel was composed of jurors from Canada, China, Germany, Guatemala, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States.

As an IDEA winner, the collection is featured in IDSA’s INNOVATION magazine’s Yearbook of Design Excellence and the 2018 IDEA digital gallery.

The Architexture Collection is available exclusively to the trade through Pindler pindler.com/frinier/architexture

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Richard Frinier is a prolific and internationally acclaimed designer focused on product design, creative visualization and direction. Over 35 years of experience in strategic collaborations spanning product design, brand architecture and evolution, and marketing has led to the creation of thousands of individual designs across hundreds of collections.

As the principal designer and managing partner of the Richard Frinier Design Studio based in the Los Angeles region, he is best known for his award-winning furniture, textile, lighting and accessory designs that bring the quality of indoor living outside and the casual spirit of the outdoors inside. For over three decades, he has successfully created authentic, relevant and memorable designs widely respected by the trade and specified by architects, interior designers and consumers for interior and exterior spaces across residential, contract, hospitality, resort and spa environments.

Today, his designs are sold in over 80 countries with many designs celebrating 10, 20 and 30 years of continuous production. He has received over 90 design excellence and career achievement awards, including his induction into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Class of 2016, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Casual Furnishings Association, and a Stars of Design Award from the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in art and trade exhibitions and film and television productions and has been editorialized internationally in design books and trade, design and lifestyle print and throughout the blogosphere, capturing the prolific and luxurious nature of his creative contributions throughout the design and home furnishings industries. For more information, visit richardfrinier.com.

Sunbrella has revolutionized the way the world thinks about how beautiful fabrics look, feel and perform. With an inspired palette of colors, styles and textures, premium Sunbrella fabric gives consumers, designers and architects the material they need to create the extraordinary in marine, shade, residential/upholstery, commercial and contract applications.

Versatile in style and function, Sunbrella fabrics create welcoming spaces indoors and out, offering durability, fade resistance and ease of cleaning. They also offer peace of mind; Sunbrella fabrics have achieved GREENGUARD GOLD certification as contributing to healthy indoor air quality.

Introduced in 1961, Sunbrella fabrics are manufactured and marketed by Glen Raven, Inc., a 135-year-old family-owned company based in North Carolina with operations worldwide. For more information on Sunbrella, including inspiration, fabric collections and where to buy, visit sunbrella.com.