Wood, design, lighting and technology collide in this entry in the 21st Design Portfolio Awards competition.

The Dahlia Table Lamp, from Byron Conn Design located in Basking Ridge, NJ, is an interactive, versatile lighting solution. Switching between task lighting, ambient lighting, or a low level lighting is done simply by the turn of a shade or swipe of a hand. Both compound curved shades rotate separate from one another, and can be rotated to any position desired. Special, high-tolerance bearings allow these shades to rotate smoothly yet stop precisely where left. The construction is comprised of steel, brass, aluminum, and solid mahogany. A touch switch senses the proximity of a finger, hand, or arm, while remaining hidden behind a thin layer of mahogany.

Byron Conn is a furniture design student in the School for American Crafts, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. He was chosen by the Furniture Society to show the "Canasta Reliquary" in the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City. Other major achievements include; honorable mention of "Demilune" in the Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge 2012, and RIT's honor show selection 2011 and 2012.

21st Design Portfolio Now Open
Categories:
• residential furniture, freestanding
• residential furniture, built-in
• architectural millwork
• commercial/institutional
• kitchen/bath cabinets
• countertop/solid surface
• specialty products

Deadline: October 31, 2013

Winners will be featured in a special December digital edition of Custom Woodworking Business as well as in the January 2014 print issue and will be celebrated at the only national live industry design awards ceremony, to be held during the 2014 Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo at the Garden State Convention Center in Somerset, NJ, April 9-11. Check the Cabinets & Closets Expo site for more show details on the event.