Dania Beach, Fla. – Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) will present the awards for the 3rd annual “Stars of Design”, one of Florida’s most prestigious design industry awards on the evening of Tuesday, January 29, 2008 as part of Wintermarket 2008. There are a number of special programs for the DCOTA Winter Market underwritten by Architectural Digest. These include several panel discussions and seminars in which editor Paige Rense will personally lead or participate. The Architectural Digest “Open Audition” for designers will provide an opportunity for designers to present their work to Architectural Digest editors for consideration for publication in future editions of the magazine.

Design professionals will be honored for significant achievements and contributions to their profession, including interior design, architecture, product design, photography, graphic design, landscape design, urban design, and art. There will also be a special award for lifetime achievement. Mr. Charles S. Cohen, President – CEO of Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation which includes DCOTA, the D&D Building in New York, the Decorative Center in Houston, and the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles will present the “Stars of Design” awards to each recipient.

The jury for the Stars of Design awards is comprised of leaders in their chosen field for their accomplishments and the esteem of their peers. They include:

* William R. Eubanks, Interior Designer, William R. Eubanks Interior Design, Inc.
* Dan Forer, Architectural Photographer, Forer, Inc.
* Margaret Wilesmith, President and Creative Director, Wilesmith Advertising & Design
* Mario Nievera, President and Landscape Designer, Mario Nievera Design, Inc.
* William Kobrynich, Director of Student Affairs, Art Institute Fort Lauderdale
* Irvin Lippman, President and Executive Director, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

The chosen Stars have clearly outshone others in their field, showing unique talent, ideas, creativity and business savvy. With their dedication, these individuals are making a difference in our world today and quite possibly will shape the interior design world of tomorrow.

Graphic Design

Ken Cimetta, Cimetta Design, Inc.

Ken Cimetta was born in New York, and is currently a resident of Southwest Ranches, Florida. He is a graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. With work from Esso, American Express, and Disney, Ken has over 35 years of international experience to draw from. Ken’s first love is photography, but he has embraced the internet/new media generation. As well as being Art and Creative Director at Cimetta Design, he is the driving force behind several new, successful internet startups, showing his versatility in multiple fields.

DCOTA, a unique facility that will shortly celebrate its 22nd Anniversary, is the preeminent design center serving design professionals in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean regions. DCOTA is the largest design campus of its kind, showcasing 775,000 square feet of extraordinary interior design needs for any home, yacht or office project. Fine furniture, fabrics, flooring, lighting, kitchen, bath, art, antiques, accessories, appliances, window treatments, decorative hardware, paint, surfacing and so much more can be found throughout the 150 showrooms at DCOTA that display and sell interior product lines to professional interior designers, architects, decorators and dealers.

DCOTA is located at 1855 Griffin Road, Dania Beach. For additional information, please call (954) 920-7997.