5.20.11 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | HBF has been awarded the prestigious International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Presidential Commendation Award for the Duna lounge series designed by Mario Ruiz of Barcelona, Spain. The Presidential Commendation Award is considered a special merit award given to recognize an outstanding select group of entrants.

Judges from around the world gathered at the Dubai World Trade Center for the tenth annual Office Exhibition,the largest office design exhibition in the Middle East. This year marked IIDA’s first involvement with setting the guidelines and criteria for the Middle East Design Competition. Products were judged for design innovation, technical advancement, cost, value, need and usage within commercial and hospitality applications. Performance, comfort, safety, suitability for intended use, durability, sustainability, accessibility, and user benefits were also evaluated by the judges.

“We are honored to receive this special award recognition,” said Charlie Bell, President of HBF. “Mario’s talent as a European designer, and Duna’s purity of line and form, married happily with HBF’s core competencies and capabilities in upholstery and metal craftsmanship. ”

Duna, meaning Dune in Spanish, is a sophisticated, modern European style collection comprised of a sculpted sofa and lounge chair adaptable for contract, residential and hospitality environments.

The sofa and lounge chairs work beautifully together while appropriate as stand-alone seating units. The twisted, sculpturesque arm provides comfort for the user while emphasizing the exquisite contours of the chair and sofa when viewed from any angle. A brushed stainless steel base featuring cylindrical vertical supports and rectangular horizontal sled bases anchor the Duna series.

Designed with the environment in mind, the Duna lounge series is GREENGUARD® Indoor Air Certified and can contribute to LEED® credits. Comprised of a no urea added plywood frame, Green-Blend panel material, bio-based high resilience foam and brushed stainless steel; the Duna sofa has 41% pre-consumer recycled content, and the Duna lounge chair has 36% pre-consumer recycled content. Committed to protecting and improving the environment, HBF continually seeks new environmental products and processes in the creation of their award winning designs.