Carla Ridge by Lucas Interior; Photograph by Douglas Friedman
GRAY Media announces the residential interior design finalists for the 7th Annual GRAY Awards.
SEATTLE, December 21, 2023 — Now in its 7th year, GRAY Awards — the international cross-disciplinary design awards program — continues to recognize the outstanding work happening around the world. Finalists have been selected in the fields of ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE, and PRODUCT DESIGN.
JUDGES CATEGORIES
Designers and manufacturers were invited to submit their projects in nine judges categories plus an editors’ pick Design for Good category. An esteemed panel of international design luminaries will select a winner in each of the initial nine categories. The winning designers will receive print and digital recognition as well as a custom designed trophy by acclaimed glass artist John Hogan.
GRAY CATEGORIES
GRAY encourages designers and manufacturers to create "Design for Good" projects —projects that have made a positive impact through design on a humanitarian, community, or environmental issue — and offers an award dedicated to these works each year.
In 2020, when the GRAY Awards expanded from a regional to international program, GRAY added a Legacy Award dedicated exclusively to a Pacific Northwest-based designer's lifetime achievement, honoring the region where GRAY began and the home to the GRAY Awards Parties. GRAY will name the next Legacy at the Party.
BREAKOUT CATEGORIES
Newly introduced at the 6th annual GRAY Awards last year, GRAY added several Breakout Categories, opening up opportunities to win GRAY Awards in micro-categories from Kitchens to Collaborations.
All winners will be announced at the GRAY Awards Party held in Seattle in March, 2024. The party is one of the most highly anticipated design bashes of the year, where all guests are treated like winners.
To purchase tickets, visit the 7th annual GRAY Awards Party page.
JUDGES
It is our privilege each year to welcome an international group of distinguished creatives to the GRAY Awards judging panel. Each working at the top of their game, these professionals now focus a discerning eye on determining the winners of the coveted GRAY Awards trophies.
7th annual GRAY Awards judging panel: Lee Broom, Brigitte Shim, Alessandro Munge, Silvia Tcherassi, Stephen Burks
FINALISTS - INTERIOR DESIGN, RESIDENTIAL
Photograph by Michael Clifford
This whole home renovation project aimed to enhance the design of a residence for a busy family with young children. We were challenged to create a sophisticated gallery-like home that would also be child-friendly for their two young boys. The clients sought to add additional layers of detail and craftsmanship to make this home shine while providing durability and a “bullet-proof “execution that was able to stand the energy and joie de vivre that comes with young children and their play. The home was renovated, inside and out with a high-level edit to provide a more elegant and sophisticated execution that would grow with their family.
Photograph by Douglas Friedman
This cheerful Trousdale residence is best described as a home that represents a lifetime passion for art, design and architecture. After deciding to split their time between their townhome in New York City and this new residence in Beverly Hills, the homeowners set out to edit their expansive collection of eclectic art and curated furnishings. Once they purchased the property in Trousdale, they turned to siblings Suzie and David Lucas to design a new structure with a nod to the mid-century Trousdale aesthetic without being a modern reproduction. Mid-Century elements worked well to fold those details into a new home that felt current, immaculate and inspired by the couple’s collection.
A collaboration between Lucas, Landscape Designer David Hocker and Sculptor David Wiseman created a dialogue around established artists, site-specific art, landscape as a visual bridge between art and site and the comfort of intimate spaces. Suzie and David focused on function specific to the couple’s day-to-day lifestyle, forgoing a formal dining room for a flexible room where they can read the paper and sit by the fire. Other notable functional design elements include a sunken TV lounge and the husband’s artfully cluttered office.
Photograph by Aaron Leitz
The home is located in Manhattan Beach, a neighborhood of Brooklyn right near the ocean. The original house, built in the 1930s, was a top/bottom duplex without much architectural character. As the designers at Jessica Helgerson Interor Design often take inspiration from the architecture of the house they are working with, they decided on a theme they could draw upon instead. The clients loved French design, but something with a more American influence felt more authentic to us in this case, and so the designers (together with the clients) decided on “French Quarter New Orleans” as the guiding light for the project.
Very early on, it was decided to have large doors and windows across the front, connecting them with long porches on both levels which immediately evoked images of beautiful old homes in New Orleans. The deisgners used that inspiration as the basis for creating the architectural character of the home. The clients also love bright color edged with modern glam, so those elements were woven in through the furniture, lighting and accessories. The intent was to create something sophisticated and vibrant, but not chaotic, and above all, livable and functional for a family.
Photograph by Haris Kenjar
The clients initially came to Hoedemaker Pfeiffer for interior architecture advice on a new build they were developing with another architecture firm. As they moved through the process and came to reality with building costs in Seattle and a lengthy timeline to completion, they pivoted and purchased this waterfront property instead. Hoedemaker Pfeiffer’s scope then became a renovation and full furnishings package. With two children, the family is passionate about sustainability and mindful living and place a heavy emphasis on spending screen-free quality time. The primary goal was to create a living environment that inspired tranquility and fostered engaging conversation. Hoedemaker Pfeiffer designed a space reflective of the family's former Southern California life.
Photograph by Haris Kenjar
While in the middle of an extensive renovation on an existing mediterranean home in Sonoma County, California, the Kincade fire leveled the project. It was tragic. Rather than jump right in to rebuild what was originally planned, the design team asked the clients to allow themselves to dream up exactly what they would want if they hadn’t had previous constraints. Subsequently, Caitlin Jones Ghajar (design principal) had an actual dream about the project, which informed much of the layout and finishes of the home.
The client’s had worked previously with the design team on their first Marin County, California home (they originally hail from the Pacific Northwest), but the new project was a much larger scale. After the fire, they maximized the footprint to create an H shaped layout with clear distinction between public and private spaces. The clients are empty nesters, and although the home is large, they wanted to ensure that they would always feel cozy and connected, while offering their many guests privacy and comfort.
7th Annual GRAY Awards finalists' announcements began December 18, 2023 and will continue to publish daily until all categories have been announced. For more information, visit our GRAY Awards Party page.
Thank you to our 7th annual GRAY Awards sponsors and industry partners:
