Topping The Competition

Winners of the third annual Members’ Circle of Distinction Design Challenge were announced earlier this year by concrete countertop industry expert Fu-Tung

Winners of the third annual Members’ Circle of Distinction Design Challenge were announced earlier this year by concrete countertop industry expert Fu-Tung Cheng at World of Concrete 2007 (WOC) in Las Vegas. Open exclusively to members of the Cheng Concrete Exchange Û an online resource and directory providing training, design ideas, business opportunities, and a complete line of concrete countertop products for building professionals, designers, and do-it-yourselfers Û the industry’s only concrete countertop design competition received 77 submissions from which seven Îbest-in-categoryÌ winners and seven honorable mention recipients were selected. The criteria used to evaluate entries were design, technical skill, and overall aesthetic appeal.

Cheng Concrete Exchange founder Fu-Tung Cheng is the author of two books published by The Taunton Press Û Concrete Countertops and, more recently, Concrete at Home Û whose exploration of residential concrete applications, including key fabrication techniques, expands the range of interior and exterior design possibilities. Currently, approximately 275 concrete professionals comprise the Concrete Exchange membership, the majority of which has completed Cheng’s Advanced Countertop Design Training.

Raising the bar once again to another level, Concrete Exchange members who submitted their work are pushing themselves, their peers, and the industry to innovate and deliver outstanding design solutions and craftsmanship, Cheng asserts. They are redefining what is possible in concrete.

Adds ÎBest of ShowÌ award winner Eric Boyd of Charlotte, N.C.-based Reaching Quiet Design, Fu-Tung’s work is, and always has been, a great inspiration to our design firm. Concrete Countertops taught us how to talk about the material, how to sell it, how to design with it, and most importantly, how to craft it. Û www.concreteexchange.com

CIRCLE OF DISTINCTION DESIGN CHALLENGE AWARD WINNERS

BEST OF SHOW

Eric Boyd
Reaching Quiet Design
Charlotte, N.C.

Best Bathroom Countertop
Chris Becker
Becker Architectural Concrete
South St. Paul, Minn.

Best Integral Sink
Chris Frazer
DC Custom Concrete
San Diego, Calif.

Best Kitchen Countertop
Chris Stollery
Cast in Concrete Design
British Columbia, Canada

Best Functional Feature
Sean Dunston
Concrete Jungle
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Best 3-Dimensional Application
Keelin Kennedy
Barefoot Design
Chicago, Ill.

Best Decorative Finishes
Gregory Mata
Cutting Edge Decorative Concrete
Richfield, Ohio

Honorable Mention

  • Jack Cooper
    Cooper’s Custom Surfaces
    Cardiff by the Sea, Calif. (2)
  • Mike Moncrieff
    New Edge Design
    Lynden, Wash.
  • Sean Dunston
    Concrete Jungle
    Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Michael Power
    Power Design
    Waco, Texas
  • Ian Wyndlow
    Liquid Stone Studios
    British Columbia, Canada
  • Justin Hawkins
    Livingstone Studios
    Lincoln, R.I.