Two students from the Savannah College of Art and Design were named this year’s winners of the Richard Frinier Design Scholarship from the International Casual Furnishings Assn.
The students — Drew Hart and Sebastian Solloa — were awarded a two-night stay in Atlanta during the inaugural Casual Market Atlanta in July. Among the highlights for the students was time with the renowned designer and his wife and business partner, Catherine Frinier. “They really made us feel at home and so graciously hosted us that weekend,” Hart said.
Hart, a furniture design senior at SCAD on track to graduate in spring 2024, grew up in Cincinnati. His winning submission was an outdoor collection titled Osiris, designed around the concept of bringing people together through intentional design.
“This piece was designed by the strong values my family has instilled in me, especially the importance of spending quality time with the ones you love,” said Hart. “I aimed to design a piece that fills the need for genuine connections and allows families to host loved ones.”
Solloa grew up in Mexico City near a town called Satellite, where he studied architecture. Before graduating, he was contacted by the tennis coach at SCAD and enrolled there as a tennis athlete. He graduated from SCAD with a bachelor of fine arts in furniture design and design for sustainability in March 2022.
Since graduating, he has been developing his design studio while offering sustainability assessments for different companies. He is currently the sustainability director for a furniture manufacturing company in Mexico while also designing kitchens and working as a design consultant for Crate & Barrel.
Solloa’s submission to the committee was a project called Calma, an indoor/outdoor piece inspired by nature. Through the use of biomimicry, design and poetry, Solloa said, he transformed the shape of a folding leaf into a chair.
The ICFA/Richard Frinier Design Scholarship was established in 2016 and is awarded annually to the winner of an online competition in which college-level students submit their original designs for outdoor living products.
