Titi Ogufere of Nigeria is among the judges for Dezeen Awards 2023

All images source: Dezeen

Exceptional talent and outstanding performance never hide in the world of inventive creativity as our own Titi Ogufere, the CEO of Essential Media Group and the founder of Design Week Lagos, who possessed such exclusive qualities was named among the judges for Dezeen Awards 2023. The Nigerian born interior design icon who is also the owner of Essential Interiors was named alongside Creative Director Giulio Cappellini, design gallerist Rossana Orlandi, interiors stylist Colin King and Dutch architect Ben van Berkel according to Dezeen website.

Dezeen Awards 2023 was launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. In order to save as much as 20% of the entry fees, you have to make an entry before 29^th of March 2023. In the last six years, the programme has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers from all over the world with winners selected by a prestigious panel of international judges.

MEET SOME OF THE JUDGES AS INTRODUCED BY DEZEEN

Titi Ogufere is the CEO of Essential Media Group and the founder of Design Week Lagos, she will be joined by Cappellini on the design judging panel. The interior design icon Ogufere who also founded the Interior Design Association Nigeria, a body that champions global interior design standards in Nigeria, is the youngest and first person of African descent to be elected the 21st president of the International Federation of Interior Architects. She recently co-produced the Netflix series Made by Design, a series that celebrates the work of 13 architects and designers who live and work in Nigeria.

Giulio Cappellini is the founder and creative director of Italian furniture company Cappellini

Cappellini, he will judge the design categories for this year’s programme. The Milan-based designer who is also the art director of Ceramica Flaminia, IGV lift, Icone Luce, Olmar and Istituto Marangoni Design Campus, teaches as a visiting professor in several design and architecture schools across the globe and has organized exhibitions and events globally.

Rossana Orlandi opened her eponymous Milan gallery Spazio Rossana Orlandi in 2002

Orlandi is the founder and curator of her eponymous design gallery Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan and will also be joining Titi Ogufere on the design panel. She founded her contemporary design gallery in 2002, showcasing avant-garde designs and emerging global talent. Notable exhibitors include Marteen Baas, Formafantasma and Piet Hein Eek.

In 2018 she launched Guiltless Plastic, a project aimed at changing the perception of plastic and ensuring the material is used responsibly. As part of the initiative, Dezeen partnered with Orlandi on the Ro Plastic Prize competition in February 2019, which challenged designers to develop new ways of recycling and reusing the material in more cost, time and energy-efficient ways.

American stylist Colin King is publishing his first book Arranging Things later this year

New York-based interiors stylist and designer King will be judging the interiors categories for this year’s programme. King regularly contributes to publications including Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. His collaboration with Morocco-based Beni Rugs recently saw him named artistic director-at-large. This year King will also release his first book, Arranging Things, in which he shares his process of elevating spaces.

Ben van Berkel is co-founder and principal of architectural practice UNStudio

Dutch architect and UNStudio co-founder Van Berkel will judge the architecture categories for the sixth edition of Dezeen Awards. Last year UNStudio designed the Seoul headquarters of South Korean music agency YG Entertainment to resemble a speaker with a central glazed section flanked by metal panel cladding. The Amsterdam-based practice has also completed projects including the Raffles City mixed-use development in Hangzhou and the Canaletto Tower in London.

A BRIEF ABOUT DEZEEN AWARDS 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.

Source: Dezeen website

Edited by MJ Buildace Magazine