EDA 2024 - Logo
Welcome to the seventh edition of the Elite Design Award contest, organised by luxury bed and mattress manufacturers Elite. Here at Elite, we’re keen to support creativity and promote innovation in design. The bed is the centrepiece of any bedroom, and we’re inviting creative talents to reimagine the shape of the bed itself.

HOUSE OF ELITE

Presentation

Elite is part of the craft tradition of Master Upholsterer Jules-Henri Caillet and was created in Yens-sur-Morges in Switzerland in 1895. Initially, the Caillet family specialised in upholstery and then went on to gain expertise in mattress manufacturing and build a reputation in the region. With the advent of automated tools, Robert Caillet, the founder's son, sought to integrate progress within his company by marrying craft and mechanisation. In his view, and indeed that of successive generations, progress was key to the manufacture of a good mattress.

Artisan production offers freedom of choice and the opportunity to use high-quality natural materials (Swiss wool, alpaca wall, cashmere, pure tail hair, camel wool, Tussar silk, etc.). Expertise in combining these different materials and rigorous design combine to produce exceptional bedding. “Fine materials for a good night’s sleep”. From the outset, the family business was careful to select only environmentally friendly, sustainable raw materials. Production, which still takes place in Switzerland, relies on a relationship of trust with partners, expertise and attention to details by the company’s employees. This leads to ethical, ecological and social responsibility both on the part of partners and customers as on that of its employees.

The birth of a mattress

The birth of a mattress

The Boxspring, an ancestral know-how

The Boxspring, an ancestral know-how

The headboard, the bed's essence

The headboard, the bed's essence

Elite house seeks to forge its own distinctive path and prioritise craftsmanship and well-being. It is alert to customer experience and offers bespoke solutions. It strives its utmost to ensure that its products are both sustainable and environmentally friendly.

From consultation to manufacture, Elite’s employees are constantly on hand to meet their customers’ every demand. A job well done, the pursuit of excellence – these are the values that Elite seeks to convey in designing its products. The company is defined not only by its quality guarantees and commitment to innovation internally, but also by its fine, delicate materials and the talents of its craft workers.

Elite is part of a long tradition of bed making and seeks to advance the design of premium beds. This competition looks to foster new ideas through the combination of design and traditional craftsmanship.

Discover Elite

GOALS

« Modern Heritage » - Theme

The theme for this seventh edition of the contest is « Modern Heritage ». Designers are invited to offer their take on our best-selling Chloé bed, an embodiment of timeless excellence. We’re looking for innovative concepts that further enhance the bed’s styling without losing any of its supremely comfortable feel and enduring appeal. Special care must be taken with the detailing and the choice of materials.

Chloé

With its quilted headboard, the Chloé bed highlights Elite’s expertise in upholstery. The carefully stitched headboard delivers a remarkable sensation of comfort. The interplay of light and shadow on the stitching produces a subtle relief effect, adding a touch of sophistication and vibrancy to the bed’s styling. Contestants are invited to come up with an outstanding design that reflects our firm’s excellence and appeals to our most discerning customers.

Prizes

1CHF 5'000
2CHF 3'000
3CHF 2'000

Goals of the competition

  • Show Elite’s expertise
  • Boost creative design in the field of bedding
  • Transform ideas into product
  • Give students and young professionals the opportunity to be exhibited at the Milan Design Week 2024

CONDITIONS

Who

The Elite Design Award is open to anyone belonging to one of the following categories

  • Graduates from schools of design, architecture, interior design or engineering
  • Practitioners without qualifications who can provide evidence of having worked in the areas of design, architecture or interior design
  • Students of schools of design, architecture, interior design or engineering
  • Any person wishing to innovate in bedding
  • Individually or in teams (2 people max.)

What

The following criteria will be used to assess the proposals

  • Consistency with the positioning of the company (craftsmanship, luxury, well-being)
  • Quality of the presentation and narration (clarity)
  • Aesthetic quality of the project
  • Functional quality of the project (user experience)
  • Technical and functional feasibility
  • Creativity and originality in response to the competition theme and specifications

Technical characteristics and constraints

  • Graduates from schools of design, architecture, interior design or engineering
  • Practitioners without qualifications who can provide evidence of having worked in the areas of design, architecture or interior design
  • Students of schools of design, architecture, interior design or engineering
  • Any person wishing to innovate in bedding
  • Individually or in teams (2 people max.)

Disqualification occurs in the following cases

  • If the evaluation criteria, technical characteristics and constraints are not met
  • If more than one project is sent by team or individually
  • If the project contains more than 3 pages or less than 3 pages
  • If the team contains more than 2 people
  • If multiple registrations

CALENDAR

1

Registration Phase

  • September 1, 2023
    Start of competition

  • November 1, 2023
    Registration deadline

2

Submission Phase

  • December 11, 2023
    Project submission deadline - (Midnight Geneva time UTC+2)

3

Selection Phase

  • January 2024
    Selection of the projects by the jury

  • February 2024
    Announcement of the 3 winners*

  • 16 - 21 April 2024
    Presentation of the projects and awards ceremony at the Elite Gallery Milan during the Milan Design Week 2024

* The winners will be informed by email. Other participants will be informed via social media only.

Jury

Once the projects have been submitted, the jury will meet in January to select the prizes winners. Be creative !
Daphna Glaubert

Daphna Glaubert

Architect and Design Management Specialist

Trained as an architect, Daphna Glaubert worked for 8 years in international architecture and design offices before specializing in design management and innovation. She currently collaborates with the HEIG-VD business school and the ECAL design school to promote the practice and culture of design within companies.

Bertille Laguet

Bertille Laguet

Product Designer

Bertille Laguet is a designer graduated from ECAL, and she is also a blacksmith. You can find her at 'La Forge' in Chexbres a village in the vineyard along the lake Geneva in Switzerland.

Laure Gremion

Laure Gremion

Industrial Designer

After her studies at ECAL and Design Academy Eindhoven, Laure Gremion gained professional experience by working in various companies before launching her own studio in early 2017. Stimulated by ambitious projects, she spices up her creations by collaborating with various specialized companies. Following her attempts to bring a new angle that will make you smile and dream while being functional.

Iria Degen

Iria Degen

Interior Designer (Studio Iria Degen)

After a law degree in Zürich and her studies at École Camondo in Paris, Iria Degen worked for the French interior architect, Andrée Putman. In 2000 she founded her own interior design studio. Today she runs her office in Zurich and has realized numerous international projects. She is a member of the Association of Swiss Interior Architects and she is the Swiss delegate of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers.

Raphaël Lutz

Raphaël Lutz

Product and Industrial Designer (Studio Raphaël Lutz)

Graduated from ECAL in 2012, Raphaël Lutz is an industrial and product designer. An hyperactive entrepreneur at heart, he heads Studio Raphaël Lutz and its innovation spin-off HyperAktiv.li as well as the association Designers Table. Innovative and always focused on the needs of the end user, he creates, among other things, custom-made furniture and accessories for companies and individuals. He favours a short circuit and responsible manufacturing processes to minimise the ecological impact.

Lilia Geiser

Lilia Geiser

Architect ECTS

Art has been part of her life since birth, with a mother who was an artist and a father who was an architect. Her architectural studies at the Athenaeum School of Architecture allow her to contribute to the creation of living and working spaces that correspond to everyone's expectations. In love with beautiful objects, captivated by colours and materials, passionate about interior architecture and design, she joined the team of Behr Créateur d'Intérieurs in Lutry in 2018 and became the head of the design office.

Fabien Roy

Fabien Roy

Designer and Architect

Swiss designer and architect graduated from University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Fribourg and ECAL, Fabien Roy worked as an architect for over ten years before setting up his own studio dedicated to furniture and product design as well as interior architecture. In 2022, he founded RISOU, a project dedicated to the development of wooden furniture made and sourced locally.

François Pugliese

François Pugliese

Director & CEO of Elite

François Pugliese has an enterprising mindset and always wants to innovate in the bedding sector in oder to offer exceptional products within a focus on well-being and craftsmanship.

COMPETITION RESULTS

EDA - Winner portrait

1st prize

"CÓMODO"Joanna Furmanowicz

Joanna Furmanowicz is a master's student specializing in interior design at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland. She works as a junior interior designer in the Kamiko Interior Studio, creating residential and public interiors. Joanna is passionate about discovering new cultures, flavors, and new paths which are a constant source of inspiration, driving her to embark on creative

EDA - Winner portrait

2nd prize

"CLÉO"Benjamin Bailly

Benjamin Bailly, a product designer graduated from Strate School in 2021, gained valuable experience during internships at Saint-Gobain Recherche Paris and Big-Game Industrial Design before joining Mathieu Lehanneur's studio. With a sensitivity to ecological issues, he now advocates for a frugal and local design, promoting respect for ecosystems. He also played a role in developing sustainable materials for Faurecia.

EDA - Winner portrait

3rd prize

"BESSONE"Lora Deneva

Lora Deneva, originally from Bulgaria, earned her bachelor's degree in furniture engineering, design, and manufacturing in Sofia. She then pursued her master's degree in interior design at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan. After gaining experience in renowned Milanese interior design studios, she founded her own studio in 2020, working on private projects in Bulgaria and internationally.