M2L Announces Winning Essays For Inaugural “Genuine Design Scholarship”

M2L, a NY-based furniture importer and distributor specializing in modern design, just announced the winners of its first-ever Genuine Design Scholarship. Furthering the company’s mission of promoting authenticity, M2L developed this scholarship in conjunction with Ruth Lynford, founder of NY Eleven, to educate students about knockoffs and their harmful impact on the design industry. The scholarship was open to students at the twelve prestigious NY colleges that offer four-year programs in interior design. After reviewing responses from the participating schools, four students, including the top winner from Cornell University, were selected for their insightful and well-written essays.

To kick off the competition, M2L hosted and recorded a panel discussion at their showroom between moderator Fred Bernstein, M2L Founder Michael Manes, and designers Jeff Miller, Carlos Salgado and Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz to explore the subject of design and intellectual property. Students were asked to view the forum online or in their classroom and submit an essay on one of three possible questions relating to their understanding of design integrity.

Faculty members from the respective schools reviewed all of the students’ submissions and selected their top three choices. The finalists’ essays were then reviewed by a jury of top design journalists including: Paul Makovsky, editorial director, Metropolis; Annie Block, senior editor, Interior Design; Jana Schiowitz, senior editor, Hospitality Design; and Katie Weeks, senior editor, Contract. The judges based their decisions on both the academic and communication skills of the contestants.

First-prize winner Melanie Gowen, a design student at Cornell University, created a scenario of conversations and field trips meant to inform the client, who appreciated high-end design but was faced with a budget restraint. In the process, she beautifully illustrated how an ethically responsible designer would employ equal amounts of knowledge and tact in educating a client about the humanistic side of design philosophy. As an undergraduate design research assistant and student of Sheila Danko, professor of Design and Environmental Analysis, Gowen is keenly aware of the necessary interplay of creative, commercial and social aspects in the design world, and her discussion focused on ethics, integrity and sustainability. She particularly impressed the panel of judges with her command of the topic, both intellectually and practically. To read the essay, click here.

Second-prize winner Kayne Rourke, enrolled in the Graduate Program of Interior Design at Pratt Institute under the care of Anita Cooney, Chair of the Interior Design Department, chose to write on the same topic. Rourke’s multi-faceted approach also involved a sequence of tutorials, exploratory missions and helpful graphics meant to educate the client about the issues surrounding genuine design. Her enthusiasm was contagious and her client couldn’t help but be both convinced by her argument and entranced by her strong examples. Mentioning that auctioned originals very often cost less than knockoffs, Rourke expands the ability to purchase original design to cost-conscious buyers. To read the essay, click here.

Lawrence Chabra, studying at the NY School of Interior Design under the guidance of Associate Dean Ellen Fisher, won third prize for his well-written letter to Senator Charles Schumer. As instructed in this essay option, Chabra wrote a persuasive letter asking the Senator to consider amending the Design Piracy Prohibition Act to include furniture designers. His intellect and creativity were displayed in this detailed discussion of the legislation and suggestions for extending protection to furniture designers. The jury felt that Chabra was well versed and demonstrated a profound understanding of the material at hand. To read the essay, click here.

Fourth prize recipient, Laine Blumenkopf, another pupil of Ellen Fisher at the NY School of Interior Design, also wrote to Senator Schumer. Her strong research and writing skills were evident in her letter to the New York State Senator. Her convincing argument included heartbreaking examples of furniture designers whose creations have been knocked off while those who cheated them were free to copy to their hearts’ content. She clearly showed why our country’s lawmakers should be addressing this particular example of intellectual piracy. To read the essay, click here.

The four winners receive scholarships in the amount of $3500, $2500, $1500 and $1000, respectively.

You can also catch M2L at ICFF this year in Booth 2204 with a selection of brand new iconic pieces from Walter Knoll and Artifort, including the Pierre Paulin-designed F 444 chair.