Best in Show: Stephanie Munson and Bruce Tharp

For the second year in a row, this design duo won Best in Show at DWR's Modern+Design+Function: Chicago Furniture Now competition. Their winning entry, Cubby adds a new dimension to the job of a coat hook.

With thoughts of space and volume in mind, Munson and Tharp designed a "hook" that could also contain what might otherwise be lost in pockets or in the house (keys, gloves, etc.). The idea is for all people in a household to have their own space for what they put on or take off when both leaving the house and coming back home again.

Last year, Munson (who is Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago) and Tharp (who works for Haworth's thinktank, the Ideation Group) found their Best with Progeny, a coat rack designed for both child and adult access.

Both winning entries exemplify the designers' commitment to connecting people with their "things," and more importantly, with their homes and each other. What's not to love about that?