Haviland Limoges, a maker of fine porcelain is the winner for a Readers' Choice for best dishware.

The Haviland Limoges story began in 1842 when David Haviland, enthralled with the fine china coming from Limoges, France moved across the Atlantic to begin his own factory. Haviland was an importer working in New York. A customer brought in a broken tea cup looking for a match. Haviland's search for a match eventually led him to Limoges. The pure white kaolin clay found in the region produced a uniquely delicate eggshell porcelain. Not content to import the designs of others he set up his own operation. Unlike other dishware factories in the area Haviland China did not send its products to Paris for decoration. Instead Haviland set up a studio in his factory in order to create patterns that would appeal to American shoppers.

Along his sons Charles-Edward and Théodore, David Haviland grew the company and Haviland Limoges provided the state dining service for several American presidents including Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes and Theodore Roosevelt. The work of Impressionist artists also influenced Haviland's floral designs which went on to become wildly popular in the United States.

Today the company also sells silver, crystal and giftware but remains famous for its dishes. It is estimated that there are as many as 60,000 Haviland china patterns. Haviland Limoges produces some older designs as well as coming out with new collections to appeal to both modern clients and traditionalists. For over a century Haviland china has remained a standard for elegant tables.

The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show is the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice winner for the best antiques resource category.

Since 1989, The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show has been recognized the world over as a premier showcase for exceptional quality works of art from antiquity to the present day. The show features some of the world's top dealers and consistently attracts large crowds.

A superb variety of high-quality items are for sale at the fair, including furniture, paintings, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, glass, clocks, watches, arms, armour, rare books, manuscripts, jewelry, objets de vertu, Fabergé, silver, antiquities and ethnographic art. Many of the pieces are of museum quality. Prices start from as little as a few hundred dollars but rise into the millions.

All works are for sale under the strictest vetting conditions. In fact, at its launch the International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show was the first fair in the United States to introduce vetting; a stringent set of guidelines designed to maintain the highest standards of quality and authenticity in the works of art on view and for sale. The great value of vetting at art and antiques fairs lies in the safeguards and reassurance it offers to buyers. The vetting committees for the International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show combine both academic and commercial expertise in their membership, including museum personnel as well as other eminent specialists.

The show is organized each year by Haughton International Fairs. In 2009, it was held from October 16th until the 22nd with 65 exhibitors from around the world. The fair was held at the Park Avenue Armory, which is located on Park Avenue at 67th Street in New York City.

Niermann Weeks, headquartered in Millersville, Md., is the Readers' Choice Winner for a Luxist Award in the best of lighting category.

This family-owned and operated company was founded in 1978 by Joe Niermann and his wife, Eleanor McKay, both with extensive backgrounds in historic preservation. Niermann is the company's principal designer, while McKay is the company's chief executive officer. Their daughters are both involved with the business with Claire serving as vice president of operations and Eleanor in the role of vice president of merchandising.

Joe Niermann's design style is to extrapolate the traditional form within its historic constraints. The result is spectacular lighting that is a pure exercise in geometry.

Niermann Weeks' lighting is jewelry for the interior. Each piece radiates beauty from every angle and in every light.

More than 40% of the company's business is custom-designed to meet the special needs of professional architect and designer clients. Niermann Weeks features more than 600 standard designs with 500 finishes, available through to-the-trade designer showrooms in the United States and Canada.

Chandeliers range in size from a stately 20 feet tall chandelier suitable for display in the lobby of a hotel down to a more intimate 11 inch tall piece for a small boudoir or powder room. Prices vary from $1,500 for a standard design for a simple sconce to $36,000 for a larger piece. Customization increases the price. Each of its products are hand-crafted at the Niermann Weeks factory outside Annapolis, Md.

The winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the glassware category is Baccarat, which has sold its creations to the royal families of France, Japan, Russia, Arabia, Morocco and even the White House, since it was established in France in 1764.

Since its founding, Baccarat has continued expanding its influence, inspired in roots stemming from an ingenious handcrafted work of the highest quality, throughout the world.

To this day, Baccarat crystal is still handcrafted in the village of Baccarat located in Lorraine in eastern France. The crystal pieces it creates are described as both divine and exhilarating. Yes, they are extravagant but always elegant.

Nothing tastes better than when drunk from a Baccarat crystal glass.

Roche-Bobois is the winner of a Readers' Choice Award for best in furniture.

The company's roots is a tale of two families. In 1950 Jacques Roche bought the old Alexandre Dumas theater on rue de Lyon and built two stores. His sons, Philippe and Francois, joined him and together established the company's developmental strategy. They began to distribute the very best contemporary furniture, which was heavily inspired by Bauhaus designers such as Pierre Paulin and Marc Berthier. At the same time, the Chouchan family were selling furniture in Paris on Boulevard Sebastopol at "Au Beau Bois" (which later became Bobois).

In 1960, Philippe Roche and Patrick and Jean-Claude Chouchan met at a Scandinavian furniture expo in Copenhagen. They soon designed their first catalog which launches the national franchise. They combine their resources and names and Roche-Bobois is launched.

Today, Roche-Bobois is a global leader in design and distribution of home furnishings, while retaining the unique position of molding its furniture designs. Each piece created is the result of close collaboration between designers, manufacturers and Roche-Bobois. It has three categories of furniture: Les Contemporians (avant-garde pieces), Les Voyages (a fusion of ethnic influences), and Les Provinciales (which rethinks traditional French furniture). Roche-Bobois is prolific as it introduces a new exclusive collection every six months.

Roche-Bobois is among the most internationally renowned and exclusive brands in home furnishings. Its products are sold in nearly 30 different countries. The company is expanding its reach rapidly, too. In fact, a new Roche-Bobois store opens every month somewhere in the world.

Best in Lighting
Each of the finalists for best lighting is a master in their field. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs

Baccarat
Bodner Chandeliers
Jean Perzel
Niermann Weeks
Schonbek

Best in Furniture
The best in furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. The styles may vary but each has a timeless quality that extends far beyond trendiness. Many of their creations are collected by connoisseurs and even museums.

Vladimir Kagan
Kreiss
Roche-Bobois
Stickley Furniture
William Switzer & Associates

Best in Glassware
The Best in Glassware nominees for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs. The styles may vary but all the nominees have their own proud tradition of glass craftsmanship.

Baccarat
Lalique
Orrefors
Steuben
Tiffany

Best in Dishware
Nominees for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for decades; some for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics.

Bernardaud
Haviland Limoges
Pickard China
Tiffany
Wedgwood

Best in Antiques Resources
Nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

American International Fine Art Fair, Palm Beach
International Fine Art and Antique Dealer's Show, New York
Maastricht Art Fair, Netherlands
The San Francisco Art Antiques Fair
Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia, London

William Switzer & Associates, the Vancouver-based furniture house, has been nominated for a Luxist Award for best furniture.

In business for nearly 60 years, William Switzer Collection offers a selection of over 900 products in styles ranging from Louis XV, to Venetian Rococo, Art Deco and 20th century French Moderne designs. The company also offers the Lucien Rollin Collection, which features designs from the internationally acclaimed designer in the French Moderne style.

Quality reproductions are produced from the originals in the William Switzer collection, maintaining the integrity of the original design while adapting to today's contemporary lifestyle. Much of the woodwork, including hand carving elaborate details and marquetry, is done at the family's European workshops. Finishing, including staining, gilding, chinoiserie painting and upholstery, is completed by hand on an individual basis in the company's Vancouver workshop.

The William Switzer Collection and The Lucien Rollin Collection are represented in William Switzer's own showrooms in Dania (Florida), Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Vancouver, and in trade showrooms in 13 other cities throughout the US and around the globe.

Vladimir Kagan Designs is a nominee for a Luxist Award for the best in furniture.

Vladimir Kagan is renowned around the globe for his modern furniture designs with a career that has spanned over sixty years. He started designing in 1946 and by the early fifties, his innovative sculptured designs created a new look in American furniture. Today, his sparkling creations are on the cutting edge of the 21st century. His designs are spearheading creative designs for hotels, furniture, textiles and home furnishings. The New York Times described Kagan as "one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century. Furniture designed by him in the forties, fifties and sixties have become icons of Modernity and an obligatory reference to every designer. He is the creative grandfather of a whole new generation of designers."

Connoisseurs and museums are avidly collecting his designs today. Kagan's furniture is in private collections worldwide. His prize-winning designs have been published in books and magazines internationally and are in the permanent collections of the V&A London, the Vitra Design Museum and Die Neue Samlung in Germany as well as in the most prominent museums in the United States. Corporate enterprises from BMW to LVMH, Helena Rubenstein, NBC television and many more, specified Kagan furniture for their corporate headquarters, exhibits and events.

Kagan pieces are handmade in the United States by master craftsmen and meticulously constructed of sculpted wood with hand rubbed finishes, hand-tied springs, horsehair filling and custom formed foam on hardwood frames. This is the furniture collected by those who cherish and appreciate exceptional design and quality.

Vladimir Kagan Classic Collection can be found at Ralph Pucci International showrooms in New York and Los Angeles. The Classic Collection is a limited edition of authentic recreations of Mr. Kagan's original designs custom made in the United States. Other showrooms that feature Kagan designs include Arkitektura in San Francisco, Haute Living in Chicago and J Batchelor Showroom, among others.

In 2008, Vladimir Kagan launched his newest venture, The Vladimir Kagan Couture Collection, a showroom to Designers and Architects at 200 Lexington Avenue, New York. The collection is an amalgamation of his designs from the 50s to the 21st century, custom manufactured in the United States. The showroom will feature exclusive fabrics and leathers, art exhibits and vintage Kagan furniture.

Bodner Chandeliers, nominated for a Luxist Award in lighting, are creations that one might expect from a true artist.

Award winning lighting artist and designer, Jessica Kay Bodner's creations include sculpted suspended "Beehive" forms (as seen above), wrought of spiraling steel, casts stellar light projecting shadows that spin abstract lines onto the surrounding surfaces, creating a double dimension of drawing.

The Ventura, Ca.-based artist is also known for her series of suspended galaxy forms. Orbs of light appear like stars or distant planets that float on spiraling tube steel, stellar light that has no beginning and no end emanates from these celestial forms.

Other commissioned works include large woven metal baskets, wrought iron forms reminiscent of archaeological subjects, illuminated flora and fauna sculptures forged in steel and large scale paintings and installations. Her work has been commissioned for public and private projects in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Europe and the Virgin Islands.

Notable installations and commissions by Bodner can be seen at the Landmarc Restaurant at the Time Warner Center in New York, N.Y., the Tohona Native American Museum at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tuscon, Az. and the Gansevooert South Hotel (as seen above) in South Beach, Miami.

Bodner can be purchased through Bloominglites. The company also offers customized work.

Gallery: More from Bodner Chandeliers

Bernardaud is a Luxist Award nominee for best in dishware.

Bernardaud's porcelain collections are characterized by delicate colors and patterns in combination with beautiful designs, making its china a match for both classic and contemporary settings alike.

The roots of Bernardaud, which date back to 1863, are in the Limoges region, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. To this day, the company remains one of the oldest and last-remaining companies to be family-owned and operated in Limoges. The insight and techniques for the production of Bernardaud porcelain have been handed down from father to son. Michel Bernardaud is the fifth generation to become the worldwide ambassador of his family brand.

Since 1863, Bernardaud has upheld a corporate philosophy of cutting-edge innovation, which has placed the company at the forefront of Limoges porcelain manufacturers and exporters today. The company uses only the finest quality 20 to 23 carat gold and the richest grades of platinum to decorate its dinnerware patterns. Both gold and platinum are specially adapted for use on china, for the ultimate in wear, flexibility, and practicality. Every year, Bernardaud uses hundreds of kilos of gold to embellish its designs, lending every gold-accented pattern its inimitable stamp of authenticity.

A trendsetter in design, Bernardaud was the first, for example, to bring out square porcelain flatware. It also offers custom-designed porcelain for individual clients, embassies, hotels, restaurants, celebrities, and corporations.

Steuben Glass is a nominee for a Luxist Award for the best glassware category.

Since 1903, Steuben Glass has been made by hand at its Corning, New York factory. For more than fifty years, Steuben has been the choice of every White House incumbent to present as an official gift of state. In 1993, the Steuben Mobius Prism was presented by the President of the United States as a royal wedding gift to Japan's Crown Prince and Princess Hirohito.

Today, Steuben's state-of-the-art melting process ensures glass that is exceptionally pure and free of even the tiniest visual imperfections. Its skilled artisans work in teams around reheating ovens called glory holes, directed by a master "gaffer." Each gather of molten glass is carried from tank to glory hole, where it is formed "at the fire" with blowpipes, pontil rods, shears, calipers, and other tools little changed over centuries. Finished pieces are slowly cooled in annealing ovens, then cut, polished, and engraved by hand. Each example is minutely inspected before it is signed with a diamond-tipped pen. Imperfect items are destroyed as there are no seconds at Steuben.

Steuben's magnificent 6,100-square-foot flagship store at 667 Madison Avenue was launched to welcome the new millennium in 2000. The store occupies a three-level space in a neighborhood of luxury shops an area recently designated as Manhattan's Crystal District.

Stickley Furniture is a nominee for a Luxist Award for the best in furniture.

The company's roots are humble. In 1900 Leopold Stickley and his younger brother John George Stickley began manufacturing furniture in Fayetteville, NY. Four years later their company was incorporated as L. & J.G. Stickley. Their major retailer in the New York metropolitan area was E.J. Audi who launched his furniture business in 1928. Of all the fine lines he carried, E.J. Audi had an affinity for what Stickley furniture represented in quality construction, finish, and enduring value. In 1974, Audi's son, Alfred, bought the then-struggling L. & J.G. Stickley.

Stickley furniture is simple and pure. Its sofa sectionals range from small fabric-covered sectionals with chaise lounges to large, custom-made leather sectional sofas. Of course, Stickley is best known for its timeless Mission Collection, and that is well represented with everything from solid oak bedroom furniture to Mission cherry dining rooms. Among Gustav and Leopold Stickley's earliest mission oak furniture designs were comfortable chairs with adjustable backs---the forerunners of the ever-popular leather recliner chairs of today. Stickley is also a destination for those seeking oak office furniture.

Stickley Furniture is distributed out of fourteen showrooms located in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Western Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado. The names of its showrooms may vary slightly, depending on their location and are either called Stickley, Audi & Co., Stickley Furniture, or Stickley Furniture. Stickley designers will visit a customer's home and provide design assistance at no charge.

The Maastricht Fair, also called the TEFAF (which stands for The European Fine Art Fair), has been nominated for a Luxist Award for the best antiques resource category.

Commonly called "Maastricht", the fair, which is held in Maastricht, The Netherlands, this is where some of the most distinguished dealers, academics, art critics and collectors in the world gather once a year.

Maastricht was once two separate international fairs until they were merged to form the The European Fine Art Fair. Here, visitors will have the opportunity to view and buy genuine masterpieces from Bruegel to Bacon in addition to some of the world's finest antiques and antiquities.

Perhaps no where else will you find such rigorous investigation of their quality, condition and authenticity. Indeed, there are no fewer than 25 different vetting committees, consisting of 150 international experts, specialized in the fields that are presented at the fair. Each object is examined for its quality, authenticity and condition. Works of art that don't meet the high standards of the The European Fine Art Fair are removed from the stands and locked away until after the fair. In addition, the Art Loss Register, the world's largest database of stolen art, checks the objects against their lists of reported art theft, thus enabling collectors to acquire works of art at the Fair with the highest level of confidence.

The rough estimate for the total value of the objects presented at Maastricht exceeds $1 billion, which doesn't even include the magnificent contemporary jewelry section. All works of art shown by exhibitors at the fair are for sale (apart from stand furniture). The fair is 30,500 square meters, which is roughly the size of six football (or soccer) fields. Typically, there are 240 art and antiques dealers from 15 countries who exhibit at the fair; approximately 82% of the participants are non-Dutch.

Kreiss is a nominee the Luxist Award category of best in furniture.

Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Kreiss has been family-owned and operated. The company is credited with pioneering the "California Look" with its stylish use of natural materials and casual yet elegant and comfortable designs.

Each Kreiss piece is an impressive combination of originality and master craftsmanship. They are made with all natural materials including pure, artfully woven fabrics. Every design is an original, inspired by the lives and travels of the Kreiss family while created by craftspeople whose skills in hand-detailing and hand-finishing is unrivaled. Indeed, everything made by Kreiss is "done by hand", from being handmade, hand-carved, hand-finished and hand-stuffed to hand-packed and hand-delivered.

The Kreiss Collection of furniture, offers hundreds of combinations, encompasses California Casual as well as European Formal, Spanish Mediterranean and other classic styles. This diverse selection allows a versatility to create living spaces that suites homeowners' unique personalities and lifestyles. From a coffee table with a polished travertine top, to an armoire finished with French wax, a bed of hand welded iron or the look of hand distressed wood, the Kreiss Collection offers fine furnishings and accessories for a life of casual elegance.

First available only to the trade, the Kreiss Collection has now grown to 20 retail/trade Kreiss showrooms across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company has a loyal following of clients, ranging from international celebrities, to captains of industry, to a cross section of discerning homeowners.

The entire Kreiss Collection is designed and manufactured at the company's San Diego headquarters.

Orrefors, the Swedish glassmaker, is a nominee for a Luxist Award for best glassware.

Its beginnings date back to 1726, when Lars Johan Silversparre received permission to build a furnace and a smithy at "the beautiful river that flows into Lake Orrenas". The iron works was given the name Orrefors, which means "the Orre waterfall".

The company's international breakthrough came at the Paris Exhibition of 1925. From the Hotel de Ville, the Town Hall of Paris, the Swedish pavilion borrowed a magnificent glass goblet designed by Simon Gate that had been presented as a gift to the City of Paris from the City of Stockholm in 1922. The goblet became a sensation, and the prestigious Grand Prix award was given to Orrefors and its designers. The glassblowers and engravers received gold medals

Since then, Orrefors has won thousands of design and glassmaking awards. Its pieces have been collected by individuals and museums and showcased in exhibits and public installations the world over, from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.