Vellum/CAED Furniture Competition & Exhibition
Vellum 22
Annual Furniture Competition
Lecture: Friday, November 7, 2025 | 3:00PM
Location: Advanced Technologies Lab (ATL) (07-002)
Reception: Friday, November 7, 2025 | 6:30PM to 10:30PM
Reception: Saturday, November 8, 2025 | 10:30AM to 5:30PM
Location: 876 Marsh St.
The San Luis Obispo firm Vellum Design Build and Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design partnered to host the 22nd annual Vellum Furniture Design Exhibition, a juried competition among students of the college. This annual event, now in its 22nd year, will be exhibiting hundreds of pieces.
“This competition provides a forum for students to expeditiously exhibit their design passions with alacrity and with a facility for craft,” said co-organizer Tom di Santo, a professor in Cal Poly’s Architecture Department. “It is amazing to see so many brilliant examples of ‘Learn by Doing’ that the students achieve in such a short period of time.”
“Vellum provides a true life-test case employing real budgets, real materials, real engagement with suppliers, fabricators and manufacturers plus real design timelines and construction schedules not typically incorporated into academic enterprise.”
Vellum Design Build, a San Luis Obispo design-and-build firm, and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly team up to sponsor the annual competition that asks students to conceive and construct projects that range from tables and chairs to light fixtures, toys and other furniture design solutions.
Over 250 Cal Poly students will participate. Designs must be original and fabricated by each student or team of students. Their projects will be judged on function, individuality and beauty by a panel of experts in their field.
The student or team of students who design the top project, and receive The Space Architects’ Milano Grand Prize, will get tickets to Milan, Italy, in April for the Salone International del Mobile. It’s the world’s largest trade fair that annually showcases the latest in furniture and design from countries around the globe.
Past Competition Judges
A panel of judges is comprised of artists, furniture designers, architects, CAED faculty members, and laureates which have included: Monica Oller, Tom Pejic, Nitsan Tomtov, Silvia Manca, Beate Von Bischopinck, Pepe Sanchez, Joshua Aidlin, Robert Arens, Jory Brigham, Bruce Bolander, Chris Deam, TJ Esser, Eric Pfeiffer, George Garcia, Joanna Gawunder, Matthew Granelli, Tricia Hamachai, Mark Horton, Tim Kobe, Laura Joines-Novotny, Hugo Martinez, Whitney Moon, Hilary Nagler, Mark Rawson, Jonathan Reich, Larissa Sand, Jill Salisbury, Dawn Sherry, Joey Shimoda, Colin Sprenkle, Craig Steely, and Len Wujcik.
Past Competition Sponsors
The Vellum Competition and Exhibitions relies on the generosity of a number of sponsors(platinum, gold and silver) who have over the years enabled the public success of this event. Past sponsors have included: Alpha Rho Chi, Design Within Reach, Coverings, Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects, CAED, Architecture Department, Henri + Tracee de Hahn, G.J. Garner Homes, Access Compliance Consultants, Mission Community Bank, R2L, Timothy B. Becher, AIA, Chris and Arlene Connors, Studio Design Group, Architects, Inc., Curt Illingworth Architecture, garcia architecture + design, M:OME Modern Sustainable Living, Todd + Korie Newman, Jenee Arends, Eric MacSwain, CWA Studios, Gideon Hillman, NOVO Restaurant, Corner View Restaurant, Pacific Coast Lumber/Don Seawater, Daniel Lewis, 8 Inc., The Copelands, Vulpine Design Works, Sotheby's, Kreuzberg.CA Book Lounge + Coffee House, Space Architects: Enrico Como + Scott Michael Stapleton, RRM Design Group - creating environments people enjoy, and Ian Anderson: Anderson Design + Visualization
Publications
Two publications by AEDPress have been released showcasing student work celebrating five and seven years of Vellum excellence.
Vellum_7 (2012)
Vellum_7: Seven Years of the Vellum Furniture Competition, a publication to document and display a small cross-section of the furniture and constructions conceived and fabricated in the context of this annual design competition held in San Luis Obispo for five years running. The Vellum Furniture Competition, now entering it’s ninth year, has been a collaborative effort between the community and the College of Architecture + Environmental Design - - most notably, the Architecture Department, architect Tom di Santo and local design-build and retail outfit Vellum Inc.
The publication is part of the Architectural Environmental Design Press (AEDPress)
Vellum_5 (2009)
Vellum_5: Five Years of the Vellum Furniture Competition, a publication to document and display a small cross-section of the furniture and constructions conceived and fabricated in the context of this annual design competition held in San Luis Obispo for five years running. The Vellum Furniture Competition, now entering it’s sixth year, has been a collaborative effort between the community and the College of Architecture + Environmental Design - - most notably, the Architecture Department, architect Tom di Santo and local design-build and retail outfit Vellum Inc.
The publication is part of the Architectural Environmental Design Press (AEDPress) and can be purchased from Lulu Marketplace (112 pages, color, paperback).
Updated 12.10.25