Beinenstock Design Competition winners – Natascha Kruusi, left, and Isabela Pedraza
HIGH POINT — The Bienenstock Furniture Library (BFL) has picked winners for its 2026 annual student design competition for furniture and interior design, awarding a total of $15,000 to the top performers and their academic departments.
For this year’s Dudley Moore Sr. Furniture Design Competition, students were challenged to design an original chair that is aesthetically stunning, fiscally feasible and suitable for mass production within the residential and/or contract trade markets.
Standing out among the submissions, Isabella Raffo Pedraza of the University of Illinois took first-place, earning a $5,000 prize. Judges praised the uniqueness of her “floating back” concept and noted how the soft radius of the arms perfectly complemented the seat.
“Building the physical model was one of the most valuable parts of designing Nilo,” said Pedraza. “It helped me understand how manufacturable the chair actually was in a way 3D renders could not. Prototyping pushed the project toward more practical, well-considered decisions and ultimately made the chair stronger and more refined.” In recognition of the top entry, the University of Illinois design department will receive a $1,000 prize.
Second place and a $1,500 cash prize went to Mason McKay of Appalachian State University for a design described by judges as a “fresh, modern take on a classic design; well-proportioned and well-executed.”
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Meanwhile, The Barbour Spangle Interior Design Competition interior design challenge — requiring students to combine two brick row houses into a single, cohesive art gallery — was awarded to Natascha Kruusi of Saddleback College. She took home a cash prize of $5,000. The project was also intended for a site in Troy, N.Y., requiring space for a variety of mediums — including photography, sculpture and multimedia — as well as a catering kitchen, community meeting space and private third-floor living quarters.
Competition judge Christi Spangle lauded the project for its “effective use of lighting” and “cool architectural elements that allowed space for art to breathe.”
Second place and $1,500 was awarded to Nayelis Soto of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Judge Bri Verstat noted Soto’s “great attention to detail” and “wonderful movement with shapes throughout.”
The Bienenstock Furniture Library is committed to supporting the future of the design industry. Its annual design competitions are open to college and university undergraduate and graduate students. Projects are judged on a scale of one to five across several categories, including design brief, ideation thumbnails, aesthetic, originality, functionality, feasibility and overall presentation.
The 2026 judging panel included industry leaders from Barbour Spangle Design, Otto & Moore Inc., Davis Furniture and other firms in the furniture and interior design sectors.
