Author Archives: Maddy Gorman

People’s Choice Voting | 2019 DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Thank you for participating! Voting has ended. Come back again next year to vote for your favorite project!

Welcome to the 2019 IIDA Design Excellence Awards – People’s Choice voting site! Voting ends on October 9th at 5:30 pm.

For full-sized versions of each board, right click on an image and select “open link in a new tab.”

2019 Design Excellence Awards | Meet the Jurors

GRACE EUN, IIDA, ASID, LEED AP ID+C
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
CLIVE WILKINSON ARCHITECTS

Grace Eun is a Project Manager and Lead Designer at Clive Wilkinson Architects with a decade-long background in leading the design and implementation of commercial, health care, and institutional projects across the globe. Her diverse experience in both architecture and interior design allows her to successfully achieve each client’s vision through an integrated and collaborative design process. As a Lead Designer, Grace approaches every project with purposefulness, creativity and attention to detail.

A strong advocate of sustainable design and design education, she is an active member of the IIDA (International Interior Design Association) and ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and serves as an adjunct professor at the IE University in Madrid, Spain. In 2018, Grace was featured as a ‘rising star in interior design’ by Metropolis magazine.

MICHAEL HSU, AIA, IIDA
FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL OF MICHAEL HSU OFFICE OF ARCHITECTURE

Michael Hsu, AIA, IIDA is the founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, an Austin, Texas based firm of architects and interior designers founded in 2005. The firm opened a second office in Houston in 2018.

Following graduation from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, Hsu worked at OMA in the Netherlands and in Dallas before returning to Austin where he has practiced since 1998.  Hsu is currently the President of the AIA Austin Board of Directors and a member of the University of Texas School of Architecture’s Advisory Council.  His firm has received numerous design awards from AIA Austin, Texas Society of Architects, AIA Los Angeles, IIDA Texas/Oklahoma Chapter and the Heritage Society of Austin. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture was named AIA Austin firm of the year in 2016.

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture was formed with the goal of producing locally engaged, design-driven architecture and interiors. The firm advocates a simple, edited design palette, using available materials and techniques to create unexpected results. MHOA believes in the innate beauty of unadorned natural materials, carefully chosen, composed, and crafted. 

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture collaborates on a wide range of project types including residential, restaurant, retail, commercial, mixed-used, and adaptive reuse. Clients include Sydell, New Waterloo, Hai Hospitality, Parkside Projects, Shake Shack, P. Terry’s, Cielo Property Group, Endeavor Real Estate Group and Radom Capital, among others. 

THOM FORSYTH, SENIOR ASSOCIATE
ROCKWELL GROUP

Thom Forsyth is a Senior Associate at Rockwell Group. His diverse portfolio of hospitality, residential, and travel projects include the flagship Equinox Hotel in New York; the renovation of the historic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City; Station House in Washington, DC; and Brightline train stations in Florida. At Rockwell Group, Thom collaborates with local artisans and manufacturers in lighting, carpet design, furniture, and surface materials to create custom pieces for his projects. Thom was honored as one of Boutique Design magazine’s Boutique 18, the publication’s annual roster of noteworthy emerging designers. Thom graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in Psychology, and received a M.S. from Pratt Institute, where he has served as a Visiting Assistant Professor, Interior Design.

 

Annual Sponsor Spotlight: Absolute Resource

Company Name:
Absolute Resource PNW

Number of years in business:
We are celebrating 10 years in March 2020, can you believe it? That makes 20 years in the design community in Oregon and Washington. Stay tuned for a huge party to celebrate next spring 🙂

Located in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska we strive to be the Northwest’s experts in commercial and contract furniture, textiles, lighting and acoustical products. We provide a direct link between the culture of the brands we represent and designers. Absolute Resource has had the privilege of partnering with premier brands bringing new and exciting innovations to market. We have pioneered brands and solutions that have grown to become industry leading companies. Absolute Resource provides a unique and fun experience in furniture, lighting, acoustical and textile consideration and specification. 

What is your favorite IIDA event and why?: My favourite is the Design Crawl.

I was IIDA Oregon Chapter chair of Forums and VP of Forums for years prior to having children. The design crawl was always the most fun to plan and attend. I love getting a chance to explore the award winning projects and listening to the designers talk about their challenges and successes. One of the best parts of IIDA is the support we give to the design community in Oregon. We provide a fertile ground to foster growth. In my 20 years in design I’ve had the pleasure of seeing our community grow and thrive. 

What aspect of your company are you most proud of and why?:
I’m proud of our longevity, our friendships and relationships we’ve made in the industry and the ability we have to identify new and valuable partners to bring to our community of designers.

What value do you see in being an IIDA Oregon Chapter Annual Sponsor?:
Any chance I have to help the our community of Interior Designers grow is great for me personally and wonderful for my business. Being an annual sponsor shows my commitment to the industry of Interior Design, my support of elevating the practice of Interior Design in Oregon and providing resources to help support the wonderful people of our community. 

What impact do you see the IIDA Oregon Chapter having on the A&D community in Oregon?: We are simply single biggest contributor of any association for the Interior Design Community in Oregon. The impact we have is HUGE, from simple networking to working for legislating the profession of Interior Design. 

What gets you excited about design?: I love to see designers come up with new and unique ways to solve problems and innovate within their projects. The juice for me is seeing designers grow and thrive within their practice and their life.

Most inspiration project?: in 2018 we worked with a local firm on a large lighting project in San Jose, CA. Getting a chance to provide lighting to this company was amazing and the project came out looking fabulous. More inspirational than the final project was the chance to see our community interact and influence this leading tech company’s direction and design and having an impact globally. Our community also had a major impact on this Brooklyn based lighting firm by specifying the largest order in their history.

Annual Sponsor Spotlight: Mohawk Group

Company Name: Mohawk
Name: Beth Gish
Number of years in business: Since 1878…141 years!

Mohawk Group is a commercial division of Mohawk Industries which employs over 42,000 globally. The company is headquartered in Calhoun, GA with manufacturing in 19 countries. Mohawk Industries is the world’s largest manufacturer of flooring products and is publicly traded on the NYSE.

  

What is your favorite IIDA event and why?: My favorite IIDA event is the NEXT breakfast. The event brings together thought leaders to share ideas which leaves me really inspired.

What aspect of your company are you most proud of and why?: At Mohawk Group, we are challenging ourselves to design and manufacture innovative products with reduced environmental and social impacts. As part of the world’s largest flooring manufacturer, we feel a profound sense of responsibility to advance our shared mission of a more sustainable future.

What value do you see in being an IIDA Oregon Chapter Annual Sponsor?: By being an IIDA Oregon annual sponsor, we have the opportunity to support design which has a positive and lasting impact in the way all of us work, learn, heal, play and live in the built environment.

What impact do you see the IIDA Oregon Chapter having on the A&D community in Oregon?: Collaboration among design professionals strengthens the industry and IIDA provides the platform to do this.

What gets you excited about design?: I get excited about the positive impact that thoughtful design has on human health and wellbeing.

What are your firm’s core values?: We believe in better Design, Innovation, Sustainability, Project Solutions and Operational Excellence.

Member Spotlight: Kyle Holzkamp

Name: Kyle Holzkamp
Company/Position/Years?: Pacific Furnishings / Technical Designer: 2 1/2
IIDA member since: 2011

Favorite IIDA event: Having worked on the event for several years as a part of the Forums team, the Design Crawl will always be special to me. Hearing about the incredible projects from the design teams while we’re in the space truly showcases the hard work, talent, and tough decisions that define the spaces. It is a logistical challenge from the planning side but always a wonderful evening with a great community.

What does interior design legislation mean to you?: It means the impact that Interior Designers have on the health, safety, and welfare of the users of a building is recognized.

What does being a designer mean to your life?: It means that I’m constantly using the creative process to find solutions in my life. I love diving into the research of a new topic sometimes just for the fun of learning but usually with the ultimate goal of self improvement and growth. There are some design problems that I’ve been working on for years and each problem has an impact on my thought process.  I guess you could say that I love continuously learning and exploring.

Favorite design magazine/blog?: At the moment I have been enjoying the Instagram account Affordablehousingmag. There is a nice international presence and a lot of simple structures in some breathtaking natural areas that seem to celebrate their surroundings and enable people to appreciate the natural elements both inside and out.

Why are you a member of IIDA?: I’m a member to support growth in the industry.  At a time when people are spending a majority of their time indoors, the spaces we create have a lasting and powerful impact on how people learn, breathe, heal, relax, work…essentially live!

Annual Sponsor Spotlight: Willis

Company Name: Willis
Name: Katy Rothert
Local Rep’s Position/Years: Willis Commercial Architectural Rep for 2 years. Industry representative for 19 years.
IIDA member since: 2000

Based in Toronto and established in 1967, Willis is a North American distributor of world class building materials such as Corian® Design, Arpa laminate and Fenix NTM/NTA.  We are focused on meeting the needs of today’s evolving market with superior customer service, innovative sales and marketing, distribution, sourcing and manufacturing.  We cover Western Washington and Oregon, Alaska, California, Hawaii, and all of Canada.  Willis is committed to providing materials that support your creative vision in an innovative and responsible manner.  Check out Willis and our partners at:

www.4willis.com,  @willis_distribution

www.coriandesign.com,  @coriandesign

www.fenixforinteriors.com,  @fenixforinteriors

www.arpaindustriale.com

  

What is your favorite IIDA event and why?: 2 years ago I would have said the Design Excellence Awards – I love the opportunity to hear about the thought process behind the design and to celebrate with the community, but now I have to say the Next breakfast speaker series is my favorite.  I always come away inspired and challenged to see my world a little differently.

What is your favorite product/service offered by your company and why?: While all of our products offer great material solutions, my current favorite is Fenix® which employs nanotechnology for an ultra-matte surface with heightened durability.  Their new Alloy line offers a brushed metal that does not fingerprint!

What aspect of your company are you most proud of and why?: In a word – Culture.  Known as the Willis Way, it embraces progressive values that count both personally and professionally – that we work as a team where individuality and diversity are valued, and that commitment to family and community service is a given.

What value do you see in being an IIDA Oregon Chapter Annual Sponsor?: The opportunity to connect with so many people in our industry is really important to me – designers and other product reps alike.  There is always something new to learn!

What impact do you see the IIDA Oregon Chapter having on the A&D community in Oregon?: What IIDA Oregon does for the newest generation of designers is so great – throughout the years I’ve noticed a trend that the incoming graduates who involve themselves in IIDA end up being the ones who connect the quickest with the community and grow the fastest in their careers. That community support system is huge!

What gets you excited about design?: More and more I am fascinated about the science behind good design and how it affects our physical and mental well-being, whether we are aware of it or not.  It’s what makes good design universal.  Now that I think about it, the IIDA Design Manifesto pretty much sums it up!

On a typical Saturday where can we find you?: In my garden!  It’s an ongoing labor of love, sweat, and dirty fingernails.  It’s also the location of one of the best happy hours around!

NEXT Breakfast Advocacy Survey Results

In February, as part of IIDA Oregon Chapter’s annual keynote speaker event, NEXT, the Advocacy Committee conducted a short Advocacy Survey. The goal of this survey was to determine how our members and other members of the design community feel about Commercial Interior Design advocacy. We were excited to see the results, the details of  which can be viewed below. With a response rate of 47% of all attendees, we heard from a variety of voices, representing multiple professional organizations and a wide range of occupations within the industry. It is clear that, for a majority of the respondents, legal recognition of Commercial Interior Designers and advocacy for the profession are issues of importance. This was true for IIDA members and non-members alike. The results also show that there are opportunities for education on the topic both within and outside the design industry. Another promising result was the number of people who expressed interest in being involved with future advocacy efforts.

Collection of this type of data is just a small part of the ongoing work that the IIDA Oregon Chapter Advocacy Committee is doing. These efforts are all part of a larger strategic plan that is currently in development, and outlines the various ways our Chapter plans to support the advancement of the Commercial Interior Design profession in the State of Oregon.

Are you interested in helping with these efforts? There are a range of ways to get involved and no small parts. An example of an upcoming opportunity is the Annual Advocacy Golf Scramble, for which we will be seeking day-of volunteers.   The registration form is available here.

We look forward to working with you!