Marretti's Bronze Helix Staircase Takes Best in Show at BDNY 2026

A bronze-cladding helix staircase from Italian maker Marretti Stairs won both Best in Show and top honors in architectural materials at the 2026 Best of BDNY Product Design Competition, announced Sunday, November 8th, following a day of product discovery at BDNY 2026 in New York.

A five-member jury of industry experts selected winners and finalists across 14 categories spanning textiles, flooring, surfaces, furnishings, lighting, seating, and sustainability. The panel judged entries on creativity, thoughtful functionality, and design excellence.

The judging bench drew directly from hotel ownership, procurement, and development ranks:

• Chequetta Dessources, vice president, procurement, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts
• Ethan Gabany, vice president, project and development services, JLL
• Nicky Kyrtsis, cofounding principal designer, Studio MaRō
• Tracey Sawyer, founder and CEO, Sawyer & Company
• Christian Schnyder, owner, Beleco

What won across the categories?

The full slate of winners signals where hospitality design procurement is heading, from compressed coir wall panels to a purpose-built HVAC collection:

• Architectural Materials: Double Loop Bronze-Cladding Helix Staircase, Marretti Stairs (finalist: Burlwood, Audrey Lane)
• Art & Accessories: Grand Central, Juniper (finalist: Vinyl Records, Leftbank Art Company)
• Bath & Spa: Mandalay, Native Trails (finalist: Goldenshire Vanity, Lacava)
• Fabric: Michael Ford Collection, Momentum (finalist: Madcap Collection, Culp Hospitality)
• Flooring: Blooming Sparsi, Giovanni Barbieri (finalist: Nautra, TileBar x Kravet)
• Furniture: Leku, Expormim (finalist: Chambre, noHma)
• Lighting: Nuvola, Lib&Co. (finalist: Thin Radius, Juniper)
• Made in America: Appri, ARTO Brick (finalist: Marbella Sun Lounge, Tuuci)
• Other: HVAC Hospitality Collection, Innova (finalist: Axia, VDA Telkonet)
• Outdoor: Ithaca, Gloster (finalist: Brae, Expormim)
• Seating: Cordee, JANUS et Cie (finalist: Evolux, Pellizzoni)
• Surfaces: Wisteria Bloom, Mosaïque Surface (finalist: Pardo Alameda, Design and Direct Source)
• Sustainable: coEco Compressed Coir Wall Panels, coEco Panels (finalist: Frontier Raft by Autex Acoustics, Momentum)
• Wallcovering: Torino, Innovations (finalist: Lumera, Arte)

What does this change for operators and designers?

For hotel developers and design firms, the list functions as a vetted shortlist: every product named survived review by a procurement executive from IHG and a development services leader from JLL, two of the industry's largest buyers of FF&E. Several names repeat across categories, which matters for specifiers consolidating vendors. Momentum appears twice, winning fabric with the Michael Ford Collection and landing a finalist slot in sustainable with Frontier Raft by Autex Acoustics. Juniper also doubles, winning art & accessories with Grand Central while finishing as a lighting finalist with Thin Radius. Spanish manufacturer Expormim took the furniture win with Leku and a finalist position in outdoor with Brae.

The category structure itself tracks current procurement priorities. A dedicated Sustainable category rewarded coEco's compressed coir wall panels, a plant-fiber acoustic and wall solution, over a recycled-content raft product. Made in America, a separate category won by ARTO Brick's Appri, keeps domestic sourcing visible on the agenda at a moment when tariffs and lead times weigh on project budgets.

Best in Show recognition for a custom staircase rather than a volume-produced furniture SKU points to architectural statement pieces retaining their pull in lobby and public-space programming, even as cost discipline shapes the broader FF&E package.

Winners and finalists will now move into the 2026–2027 specification cycle as BDNY-validated options for hospitality projects across North America.