2014 Winners

Columbia Forest Products and the PureBond Fabricator Network
proudly announce the winners of the 2014 PureBond Quality Awards.

Announcing the 2014 Winners of the Third Annual PureBond Quality Awards

Eleven winners in four project categories, Residential Kitchen, Residential Bath, Residential Other, and Commercial, were chosen by a team of expert judges. Selections were made based on use of PureBond® hardwood plywood in a project that lead to a quality finished project.

“The PureBond Quality Awards (PQA) is a way for Columbia Forest Products to annually recognize the world-class work being produced by our PureBond Fabricator Network members,” said Director of Marketing Todd Vogelsinger. “We created a partnership of craftsmen who build quality custom woodwork for residential and commercial clients using our flagship PureBond brand of hardwood plywood. For the past several years, we’ve admired their work so much, that we thought an annual competition would be a great way to spotlight their accomplishments.”

Residential Kitchen Category

  • First Place: Ruffino Cabinetry
  • Second Place: Fitucci Cabinets
  • Third Place: Glenwood Kitchen, Ltd.

Residential Bath Category

  • First Place: Cole Wagner Cabinetry
  • Second Place: Fitucci Cabinets
  • Third Place: Ruffino Cabinetry

Residential Other Category

  • First Place: Rivendell Woodworks, Inc.
  • Second Place: Fairfield County Millwork
  • Third Place: Wm. H. Fry Construction Co.

Commercial Category

  • First Place: Neil Kelly Cabinets
  • Second Place: urbangreen furniture

 

Residential Kitchen

The first place winner of the Residential Kitchen category is Ruffino Cabinetry of Fort Myers, FL. The winning design was created for a transitional style home and the stately kitchen project consisted of custom made cabinetry that utilized PureBond ¾” poplar core panels throughout.

 

kit1

“Since 1981 Ruffino Cabinetry has been providing luxury kitchens and fitted furniture throughout Florida and selected projects Nationally and Internationally. Through the years we have assembled a remarkable team of designers and artisans who together have made the company the top choice among discerning custom homebuilders, architects and interior designers. Our products have been manufactured in the United States for over 30 years. Every room of cabinetry is made to order and specifically tailored to fit each client’s request. Using only the finest materials, our team of craftsmen fashion raw materials into luxury cabinetry suited for every room in the home. From Kitchens to monumental bathrooms and libraries Ruffino Cabinetry is capable of taking on any request.,” said Stephen C. Ruffino of Ruffino Cabinetry.

kit2The second place winner was Fitucci Cabinets of Van Nuys, CA. with a fabulous kitchen installation created with quarter sawn walnut veneers and plain sliced walnut.

kit3The third place prize in the Residential Kitchen category went to Glenwood Kitchen, Ltd. of Shediac, NB with a stately and inviting kitchen created using prefinished Birch UV coated PureBond hardwood plywood.

 

Residential Bath

The first place winner of the Residential Bath category is Cole Wagner Cabinetry of Rochchester Hills, MI. The winning design was for a bath that highlighted pre-finished Maple PureBond hardwood plywood panels in a custom design that included a freestanding vanity and column with an arch panel, which surrounds the bathtub area.

 

bath1

According to Lori Millbauer, a company spokesperson, “Purebond hardwood plywood was a perfect choice for this client and all of our clients. The PureBond project product helped to make this client’s home safer and helped to reduce their allergies. Using a product that does not have any VOC’s or gasses being let off into their environment is extremely important not only to the client, but to our company as well. We are a green company and it is important that we use products that are eco-friendly, while still offering to our clients a high quality product that meets our high standards.”

bath2The second place winner was Fitucci Cabinets of Van Nuys, CA. with a wonderful bath created for a mountain estate that highlighted the use of PureBond panels with quarter sawn walnut veneers and plain sliced walnut.

 

bath3The third place winner was Ruffino Cabinetry of Fort Myers, FL. The winning design was created for a transitional style home and the inviting bath creation consisted of custom made cabinetry that utilized PureBond ¾” poplar core walnut panels throughout.

 

Residential Other

The Residential Other category, which was open to, projects such built-in furnishings, furniture and closet systems and was won this year by Rivendell Woodworks, Inc. of Concord, CA. The winning entry is one in which Rivendell created an elegant family room/study with custom cabinetry and wall paneling, highlighting clear finished PureBond hardwood plywood panels in Maple.

 

res1

Commenting on the winning project, Kanda Alahan of Rivendell said, “The client demanded domestic (local if possible) materials, with plywood using the PureBond adhesive to avoid formaldehyde off-gassing.” And “We at Rivendell find the PureBond products, in particular the clear finished maple plywood, a excellent fit for our cabinetry which we promote as “green,” built primarily from sustainably harvested woods and plywood free from of formaldehyde-based adhesives.”

res2The second place winner, with a wonderfully creative custom wine room was Fairfield County Millwork out of Bethany, CT that used PureBond White Oak panels in the construction.

res3Third place in the Residential Other category was awarded to Wm. H. Fry Construction Co. of Cupertino, CA with an elegant wine tasting room that used PureBond hardwood plywood panels.

 

Commercial

com1The Commercial category was open to any type of commercial application. The first place submission came from Neil Kelly Cabinets of Portland, OR. The winning entry, a conference table large enough to seat more than 20 people was created for Moda Health Network in Anchorage, Alaska utilizing formaldehyde-free PureBond panels in the construction.

A spokesperson for Neil Kelly Cabinets, stated. “This conference table meets the needs of the client because it contains no formaldehyde, is lighter-weight, uses responsibly sourced resources, and exceeds product engineering requirements.”

cpm2The second place winning entry was from urbangreen furniture of Brooklyn, NY with custom cabinetry created
for Jacques Torre, a chocolatier based in New York, NY using Maple PureBond hardwood plywood panels.

 

 


 

Judging the Competition

The panel of judges assembled for the 2014 PureBond Quality Awards competition included: William Sampson, editor of CabinetMaker+FDM Magazine, with a lengthy history in publishing, woodworking and business; Eric Pfeiffer, an award-winning product designer and co-author of “Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture,”; Whitney Gainer and Ashley Turner, the two sisters behind the Shanty2Chic blog which teaches followers how to transform their homes on a budget with DIY projects and How-To Tutorials; and Suzanne VanGilder is the editorial director for Surface & Panel magazine, a publication with the tagline “uniting materials, technology and design.”

The criterion for the winners was simply demonstrating “quality” use of PureBond hardwood plywood. “The contest has grown dramatically between our first and second year,” Vogelsinger noted. “In fact, we received nearly twice as many entries this year. Every single one was impressive and instructive,” he added.

About PureBond Technology

Columbia’s formaldehyde-free PureBond® technology was a major breakthrough in the engineered wood panel market. Developed by Columbia Forest Products in conjunction with scientists at Oregon State University, the first PureBond hardwood plywood panels were produced in 2005. Since then, more than 50 million have been shipped.

PureBond formaldehyde-free technology continues to be a market differentiator for woodshops that cater to a health-conscious clientele. Over 850 fabricators have joined the PureBond Fabricator Network to identify themselves as leading-edge suppliers who are thoughtful about the materials they use and the concern customers have with good indoor air quality and home resale value.

The PureBond Quality Awards competition will be held again in 2015. “We are very pleased with the participation among the members of the PureBond Fabricators Network, and hope for even more entries next year,” Vogelsinger stated.

To join the PureBond Fabricator Network and become eligible to compete in the PureBond Quality Awards, click here.