Student design challenge grows internationally

Groovystuff announces inclusion of Thailand

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 5/30/2012 1:52:48 PM

DALLAS, Texas — Groovystuff announced the international expansion of the By Design: Connecting Education to Industry cooperative with the inclusion of Thailand's King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang as the next class of undergraduates to participate.
The newly expanded international cooperative offers international exposure, permanent royalties to participating students and introduces retailers carrying the Groovystuff line to the cutting-edge design trends happening in Asia.
KMITL is the ninth university to collaborate with Groovystuff since the cooperative's inception in 2010. Other design program participants include Appalachian State University, The Art Institute of Las Vegas, Auburn University, University of Georgia, University of North Carolina, University of Idaho and Purdue University.
Founded in 1960, KMITL is known as the top-ranking engineering institute in Thailand. Its School of Architecture and Design has a philosophy of producing graduates with a well-grounded knowledge in design and the capability of blending art and technology with environmental concerns, making them ideal candidates to work with the sustainable and reclaimed materials found in the Groovystuff line of furniture, lighting and home décor.
Under the leadership of Professor Torvong Puipanthavong, 22 KMITL industrial design students will get first-hand exposure to the U.S. residential home furnishings market this summer by designing a product competitive enough to be included in the exclusive and celebrity endorsed Dick Idol Gallery of home furnishings.
The class of undergraduates received a pallet of reclaimed materials from Groovystuff last week and are tasked with researching the ergo-dynamic considerations of the American consumer to create a 20" x 30" final product board, a ¼"-scale miniature model and a product pedestal that will be voted on by trade show participants at the High Point Market next fall. The winner of the "Popular Vote at Market" will receive a cash prize. The products will then move into the production stage for release in the U.S. market. The student design with the "Most Written Orders" will ultimately be the product design inducted into the Dick Idol Gallery.
"This new cooperative with the industrial design students in Thailand offers dealers carrying the Groovystuff line a whole new round of products designed from an entirely new perspective, untarnished by the pressures of U.S. trends and product saturation," according to Chris Bruning, Groovystuff founder and visionary of By Design: Connecting Education to Industry. "Professor Tor is helping us get our message of sustainability out to a more global audience. His instructional platform is based on energy conservation, quality of life, and the responsible use of resources when teaching design, and we couldn't be more pleased by our partnership with him and the students."
Groovystuff designs, produces and distributes reclaimed teak home furnishings at upper-medium and high-end price points. Based in Dallas, it has permanent showrooms in High Point at The Suites at Market Square, G-1025, in Las Vegas at World Market Center, B-146, and in the Dallas World Trade Center, 10th Floor, Showroom 10027. Groovystuff also shows at the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market in Chicago at The Merchandise Mart, No. 8-4046. For more information, please visit www.groovystuff.com or www.facebook.com/groovystuff.