Brisbane’s Deka Furniture principal designer, Lasse Kinnunen, was named the Queensland Government Smart State Designer of the Year at the Queensland Design Awards tonight.
Arts Minister, Rod Welford, said Mr Kinnunen’s designs reflected a continuing commitment to design excellence and an ability to inform and inspire other designers in Queensland.
“The Smart State Designer of the Year award recognises that designers are capable of transforming lifestyles, cultural perceptions and economies,” Mr Welford said.
“The high calibre of entrants for this category reflects the depth of talent in Queensland’s design community, with finalists including fashion designer Richard De Chazal and architect Michael Lavery.
“As winner of the Queensland Government Smart State Designer of the Year award, Mr Kinnunen received a $5000 travel bursary, which he will use to travel to the 2007 Milan Furniture Fair.
“Through the award, Mr Kinnunen will be able to experience firsthand the international developments in interior styling and bring that knowledge back to Australia.”
Mr Kinnunen specialises in high quality contemporary furniture for residential and office interiors, and is passionate about educating other furniture designers, interior designers and the public about the importance of good design and manufacturing in Queensland.
He has designed and manufactured furniture for 28 years, and is currently the principal designer at Deka Furniture in FortitudeValley.
The Queensland Design Awards are part of the Design Institute of Australia's commitment to raising awareness of design in Queensland, identifying and promoting the value of good design and employing professional designers.
The awards consider a designer’s range of work throughout their career.
Other awards were presented at tonight’s ceremony at the QueenslandArtGallery in the disciplines of interior design, three-dimensional design and visual communication design.
In total, there were 74 finalists selected from a record number of entries in 20 categories. An exhibition of the finalists’ work is on display at the QueenslandArtGallery until 18 June.
Media contact: Marnie Stitz on 3237 1000 or 0419 734 985
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