Le French Design 100: A hundred projects showcasing French excellence abroad.

Le FRENCH DESIGN 100 prize-winning projects will be revealed at Maison&Objet on Friday January 19 from 10:30 to 11:30 am in The talk - hall7.

The 100 winning projects will be unveiled in the presence of the designers, the jury and the French and international press.  
  
Jury members will include : 

• David KUSUMA, President, wdo, Portland, Oregon, Usa
• Byeongok LEE, Director of Exhibitions and Awards Department, Seoul, South Korea 
• Jennifer ROBERTS, Ceo, Design Miami, Miami, Usa
• Tony ELLWOOD, Director, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

Le FRENCH DESIGN has a signature style that is prized internationally for its mix of tradition, craftsmanship, modernity, and bold spirit. Interior designers in France benefit from an ecosystem of artisans who can fulfill every desire for bespoke items, while French industry continues to develop innovative processes. French designers are seizing on the high-tech craze to invent the styles and uses of the future. As an incubator for talents and firms, Le FRENCH DESIGN by VIA has been partnering with them for 40 years now and promoting them throughout the world.
For the third time, this January, it will award Le FRENCH DESIGN 100, a list of the top hundred space and object design projects that are making French creativity shine throughout the globe. Out of the 570 projects presented, around thirty of the hundred selected will be on display during Maison&Objet In The City from January 17-22, at the Le FRENCH DESIGN GALERIE. “Maison&Objet is one of the key events of the year for this industry, so awarding prizes during this period seemed like the obvious thing to do”, says Jean-Paul Bath, Director of Le FRENCH DESIGN by VIA. Furniture, objects, industrial or artisanal firms, design projects for hotels, restaurants, private residences, offices, or public buildings: the projects recognized by this award represent a vast field of play, where architects, decorators, designers, and manufacturers can make an impression with their creative mastery. “Each award-winner has something exceptional about them, a French innovation”, continues Jean-Paul Bath. “Whether it’s the materials used, the processes, the concept…they go far beyond the usual practices.” At the last edition, talents from every generation were honored, from young Grégory Lacoua to Margaux Keller, Charles Zana, Mathieu Lehanneur, Pierre-Yves Rochon, and Laura Gonzalez.
Projects selected included a bookshop in Shanghai by Matali Crasset, the Ritz Mandarin Oriental in Madrid by Gilles&Boissier, and the Vertigo restaurant in Doha by Jacques Garcia. Among the firms in the spotlight were Moissonnier, Pouénat, and Mériguet-Carrère.
This year, the Jury of Le FRENCH DESIGN 100 is presided over by Laurent Le Bon, Chairman of the Centre Pompidou. The Honorary Chairman will be Hervé Lemoine from the Mobilier National. The rest of the panel is made up of directors of design institutions around the world, notably the United States, South Korea, India, Italy, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. “They were impressed by the abundance, quality, and variety of candidates presented”, concluded Jean-Paul Bath.