Chicago, March 30--The International Housewares Association awarded Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company, formerly Home Plus America, with its inaugural Designed Defined honor at the recent 2005 International Homes & Housewares Show.
In total, 24 companies were selected as honorees from a field of more than 300, with Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company being the only floor covering company selected. The products were judged by a team of designers, experienced practitioners, and educators from the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Interdisciplinary Product Development Program.
"What we saw on the floor was a renewed enthusiasm for the promise of quality design in new product launches," said Steven Melamed, head of the UIC Interdisciplinary Product Development Program and Principal of Tres Design Group, a Chicago-based industrial design firm.
Products were evaluated on five standard design criteria: Innovation, Aesthetics, User, Environment and Impact.
Available in both indoor and patent pending indoor-outdoor styles, in 18 sizes and over 40 patterns, with custom sizing available, Anji Mountain Bamboo Rugs are made from 100% Anji Mountain bamboo and are manufactured in the remote Anji Mountains of southeastern China.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company, formerly Home Plus America, sells fine quality natural fiber area rugs as well as the highest quality, domestically manufactured resin storage containers. Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug Company offers container programs as well as domestic warehouse programs, with distribution facilities located in Plano, Illinois.
