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ISFD Announces Kaitlin Petersen as Keynote Speaker for the 2023 Pinnacle Awards® “Untamed Minds” Gala

Furniture World News Desk on 9/5/2023


As the suspense builds, everyone wants to know who will be the next International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD)  Pinnacle Awards winners. This is the industry’s greatest honor bestowed on exceptional professional and student home furnishings and textile designers. Experience “Untamed Minds,” a remarkable evening saluting this year’s top designers with Kaitlin Petersen, editor in chief of Business of Home (BOH), as the keynote speaker and Bill McLoughlin, editor in chief of Furniture Today, as the master of ceremonies. The Gala will take place on Monday, October 16, 5:30-9:45pm in the Loft at Condon Yards, 410 W English Rd, High Point. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the ISFD Foundation Scholarship Fund which supports gifted student designers from schools across the country. Seating is limited, tickets are available at isfd.org.

Known for her expertise in covering in-depth interior design and home furnishings stories, Petersen will share her insights as she joins in the celebration of the talented minds whose ideas define style and deliver the unexpected. In her role as an editor, Petersen oversees BOH’s daily news coverage, podcast network, quarterly print magazine, biannual guides to High Point Market, and other editorial initiatives, including the site’s 50 States Project, a weekly series that chronicles the unique challenges of running a design firm through interviews with interior designers state by state. She is also the host of the podcast Trade Tales, which explores the challenges of creative entrepreneurship. Petersen 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.

The Pinnacle Awards applaud designs that are produced mostly in larger numbers for sale to consumers. The recipient of the highly coveted Pinnacle Award is the designer or designers who were directly involved in the "design craft" of the product(s). The items or collections entered must be in current production and must have been shown and sold at one of the major home furnishings or fabric markets worldwide.

Joining McLoughlin on the stage will be presenters:

  • Patti Carpenter, Global Trend Ambassador

  • John Conrad, CEO, Conrad Companies, LLC

  • Jane Dagmi, Managing Director, High Point x Design

  • Carrie Dillon, Managing Director, International Textile Alliance

  • Dann Foley, Interior and Product Designer, Dann Foley Lifestyle; President Foley & Stinnette Interior Design

  • Toma Clark-Haines, Chief Executive Officer, The Antiques Diva & Company

  • Breegan Jane, Host of HGTV Dream Home, designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist

  • Corey Damen Jenkins, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, LLC

  • Bob Maracich, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, ANDMORE

  • Tammy Covington-Nagem, President & CEO, High Point Market Authority

  • David Santiago, Owner, Casa Santi Interior Design

  • Scarlette Tapp, Executive Director, Sustainable Furnishings Council

ISFD would like to thank this year’s panel of astute judges and all who help to make the annual Pinnacle Awards a memorable event including the 2023 Pinnacle Awards sponsors: Platinum Sponsor: ANDMORE, Silver Sponsor: High Point Market Authority, Bronze Sponsors: Continental Hardware, Furniture Design Studios, Leggett & Platt and Sherwin-Williams along with partners Elements Studios, and Furniture Today. Also, thanks to the International Textile Alliance (ITA) for their continued support.

 

 

About ISFD
 The International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) is an association of professional and student furniture designers in residential and contract furnishings and accessories. Its mission is to promote and advance outstanding design and to elevate and support the furniture designer through networking, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. Its Pinnacle Awards® recognize the very best in furniture design each year, and its INNOVATION + DESIGN awards promote the outstanding work of designer–makers. Visit ISFD.org for more information about the organization and its programs, or follow its activities on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.