Hunter Douglas Wins Most Awards Ever In Esteemed WCMA Product Competition

PEARL RIVER, N.Y., April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 18^th consecutive year Hunter Douglas has won more awards than any other company in the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) Product Awards, the benchmark of industry excellence.  This year the window fashions leader outdid itself, capturing an unprecedented 34 honors out of the 56 conferred. Hunter Douglas also earned the coveted Product of the Year for the 13^th year as well as the prestigious Judges' Award reserved for a submission selected by the panel that exhibits measurable benefit or standout aesthetic appeal to end-users.  The company also swept two product categories and won 10 out of 13 Merchandising Awards. 

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"We're very pleased that the Window Covering Manufacturers Association independent panel of judges has given such a strong endorsement of our innovative products and programs," said Marv Hopkins, Hunter Douglas President and CEO.  "We're grateful for these honors and look forward to providing our many exciting new products and programs to our loyal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada."

Product of the Year went to the Platinum™ App for Hunter Douglas motorized window treatments. Offering precise control from a mobile device, this free App provides a user-friendly interface with a personal touch.  You can move all the window coverings in the home or a room at the same time or one at a time, in real time. Or use the timer feature to schedule it for later. Customized slider bars for each product style make operation slide-to-set simple. Choose to operate by scene (activity), by room, or by time.  The Platinum App is a taste of home automation, with design style to boot, at a fraction of the cost.

The App also garnered Most Innovative Overall Concept in the Motorization Category.

In the Cellular Shades Category, the 2013 Duette® Honeycomb Shades Collection was named Best Style Concept.  The industry's largest and most comprehensive offering, the collection includes five new highly insulating Architella® fabrics with the cell-within-a-cell construction.  New Duette Architella Trielle™ is the most energy-efficient Hunter Douglas window covering with its unique construction that creates five pockets of insulating air in a new 1 ½" pleat size.  Renewal™ boasts more than 25 percent recycled content.  Batiste Semi-Sheer is the first view-through honeycomb in Architella.  India Silk is a luxuriously woven fabric with a subtle texture paired with a slight shimmer. Opalessence™ is highlighted with mica in copper, silver and gold hues. The popular Elan® fabric also has an expanded offering.  In addition, there are exciting new options for covering skylights and specialty shapes as well as enhancements to the Vertiglide™ design option.

Not surprisingly, Duette® Architella® Trielle™ walked away with Most Innovative Overall Concept in the Green Products – Energy Efficiency Category.  This new proprietary product provides similar light transmission as original Duette Architella shades, but with 20 percent more energy efficiency by adding an additional cell within a honeycomb cell, creating six fabric layers and five separate air pockets for insulation.  

Another Duette Architella fabric, Renewal™ with over 25 percent recycled PET, won Best New Style Concept in the Green Products – Sustainability Category.  

Hunter Douglas Inc., headquartered in Pearl River, N.Y, is the leading manufacturer and marketer of custom window fashions in North America and a major manufacturer of architectural products.  The company is a national sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, covering windows in every Habitat home built in the U.S. and Canada. 

All Hunter Douglas brand products are designed, developed and custom-crafted in the U.S. 

For more information, visit www.hunterdouglas.com or call 1-800-274-2985.

SOURCE Hunter Douglas