The Oscars have come a long way since the first ceremony at a private hotel banquet in 1929 when just 270 people attended, guests had to pay only $5 and all the winners were known ahead of time. More and more people are tuning in every year around this time to watch as Hollywood crowns it’s latest princes and princesses, and deliberates over the finer points of the past years masterpieces.
Now imagine, all you fellow furniture enthusiasts, some parallel universe where, at that first Oscars dinner over 85 years ago, it was not the glittering and gilded persona’s of the movie industry who walked the red carpet and made grandiose acceptance speeches, rather, and bear with me here, it’s was the somewhat more sophisticated and tastefully dressed artists and designers of the furniture industry. Crazy, I know, but think about it, and the more you do, the less ridiculous it will seem.
Picture it, instead of Argo winning the award for Best Picture , Viscount Linley would stride giddily toward the stage to accept an award for best design. And perhaps Coaster Fine Furniture would take home the golden statue (of a tufted wing-back armchair, of course… ) for most comfortable piece, and of course, the main event of the night, the Aeron by Herman Miller walks away with the award for best all around furniture item on the market. Other award categories would included Best Manufacturer, Best Retailer (did someone say Madison Seating? aww, your too kind…), and Best Reclining Recliner.
Pipe dream or intuitive vision of furniture future? You tell me…