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ROHM AND HAAS PAINT QUALITY INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ITS “PRETTIEST PAINTED ROOMS IN AMERICA” COMPETITION

One Grand Prize Winner and Four Runners-up Selected;
Designers Nationwide Participate

SPRING HOUSE, Pa., June 7, 2006 – The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institutesm (PQI), the educational arm of the global specialty materials company Rohm and Haas, announces the winners of its “Prettiest Painted Rooms in America” competition. The panel of judges selected Penny Drue Baird, a New York City-based interior designer, as the Grand Prize winner, along with four Runners-up. The competition invited professional designers to submit images of work they had completed within the last three years. Entries were judged on the creativity employed in the use of paint and color and the overall design of the room. The competition ran from February 9 to May 1, 2006.

“ It was an honor to be selected especially by such an illustrious panel of judges,” said Baird. “I think most people underestimate the value of paint. It’s important to show the public the great variety of things you can do with paint and how it helps to show rooms to their best advantage.”

The Winning Entries

Penny Drue Baird, (Grand Prize winner), designed a media room that originally consisted of plain white walls. Her painting techniques and variety of color enhanced the total design of the room and was unanimously chosen by the judges. Baird used wainscoting and beadboard applied in varying directions and painted them in shades of turquoise and pale green. This created a tranquil and inviting atmosphere.

Baird divides her time between New York City and Paris. Her work has appeared in leading magazines and show houses and she has been quoted in more than 100 publications in the United States and abroad. She has a Ph.D in psychology and is the mother of four boys and two stepsons.

Grady Cooley, (Runner-up), painted a botanical theme on the walls of a spec house to replicate an 18th century wallcovering. He has clients in the United States and Europe, worked in the fashion industry before entering the world of interior design and has designed a number of the hottest restaurants in Southern California. Cooley divides his time between New York City and Los Angeles.

Justine Cushing, (Runner-up), painted the walls of her own small Manhattan apartment with a cantaloupe strié glaze that changes character with the changing light throughout the day. Her work has appeared in Vogue, House & Garden and House Beautiful and she studied at the Foxcroft School in Middlebury, Va., and Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass.

Karen Harris, (Runner-up), created a room for a seven-year-old boy with an abstract rainbow theme. Harris, an Allied Member, ASID, is president of eff.ess Studios, LLC, a firm specializing in residential and interior product design, presently based in Akron, Ohio. She has a B.S. in architecture from the University of Virginia.

Keita L. Turner, (Runner-up), designed her award-winning room for the Fall 2005 ESSENCE Showhouse in Harlem. It featured soothing blue punctuated by rich chocolates and vibrant fuchsias. Turner is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her work has been showcased in print, film, TV and in the African American Design Archive at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Debbie Zimmer, color and decorating expert with PQI and a competition judges said, “This competition has attracted talented designers from across the country. The numerous submissions showcased a diverse range of work that was fascinating to see. Choosing the winners was a challenging process for the judges who were amazed to see such a variety of submissions.”

The prestigious panel of judges included the following:

• Scott Agelloff, Dean of the New York School of Interior Design

• Mario Buatta, legendary designer known as “The Prince of Chintz”

• Clodagh, internationally renowned designer, a proponent of green design

• Elaine Griffin, designer and contributor to O at Home

• Louis Gropp, former editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, House & Garden and Elle Décor magazines

• Michael Payne, interior designer and host of HGTV’s “Designing for the Sexes”

• Debbie Zimmer, PQI decorating and color expert

The Grand Prize winner has a choice of either a “Deluxe New York City Weekend for Two” or a “South Beach Extravaganza for Two.” Runners-up receive a Howard Miller clock.