Two critics on 10 years of atypical design awards Ten years ago, we had an idea. What if awards weren?t so boring" What if you got a prize not for being the best but for being the most" What if the black-clad masses of the design world could laugh at themselves" And lo, we began our own awards cycle, first at Design Observer and then here at Curbed, making up the prizes and handing them out. And now here we are at the end of the misbegotten decade, and we must ask: What exactly did it all come to, and who is responsible"
Below, we revisit our past prizes, pairing our initial write-ups with new commentary that reflects on the original award and how, if at all, our views have changed. These are the highlights of the last 10 sodden years, the ups and downs (mostly downs) as our culture and politics shriveled into a polarized narcissistic frenzy headed for climatic destruction. Enjoy!
2010
Best Use of White Plastic From Italy: The dapper drones at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce got a new office, and the bright spot was Roger Sterling?s Nesso lamp, a glowing mushroom designed in 1964 by Giancarlo Mattioli.
For several years in the early aughts, no design story came without a reference to AMC?s Mad Men, the impeccably art-directed show that introduced a new generation to conversation pits, electric typewriters, Eames chairs, op art, and much, much more.
Baby Rem Award: Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, for the three-letter firm name (BIG), the delirious Ne...