2008 marked the 6th annual joint venture ASID IIDA Interior Design Excellence Awards.

2008 had many entries in both the residential and contract categories. All are wonderful examples of the designers' work, and each should be very proud. We went west for our jury to the Tennessee Chapter of ASID, headed up by Evelyn Gammon, ASID; the jury represented a cross section of experience. The jurors reviewed the projects submitted and were asked to rank entries as First Place or Honorable Mention by category. The jurors could award as many of both or neither in each category as they chose. The decision of the jury was final.

The first entry was in the student entry category. For the winning project the student designed the corporate offices for WL Gore, the inventor of Goretex. First Place in the Student Category was awarded to Britney Bishop, a Senior at Virginia Tech.

In the Residential Singular Space category, the designer was asked to redesign the living room of this art deco inspired home. An Honorable mention in the Residential Singular Space category, for the design of the Woodley House Living Room in Fairfax Station, VA, was awarded to Kelsie Hornby of Elegant Designs, Inc. in Williamsburg, VA., Lighting Designer Brian McIntyre.

Also in Residential singular space, this designer was challenged with the redesign of this overused guest and children’s bathroom. A First Place in the Residential Singular Space category, for the design of the Mast Residence Family Bathroom in Midlothian, VA, was awarded to Meredith Hayes with Reflections Interior Design in Mechanicsville, VA.

In the Multi-family category, this designer refurbished a building that is approximately 100 years old and had been vacant for over 20 years. An Honorable Mention in the Residential Multi-Family Category for the design of the Circle Design Studio and Apartments in Staunton, VA, was awarded to John and Theresa Dorlini with Circle Design Studios, LLC, in Staunton, VA.

In the Contract Corporate category, the first entry in corporate under 35,000 SF was the design of a law firm’s offices in an older downtown Richmond high rise. An Honorable Mention in Contract Corporate for the design of the offices for Bowman and Brooke was awarded to Amanda Monger with Evolve Architecture Inc., in Richmond, VA., Architecture also by Evolve.

Also in Contract Corporate under 35,000 SF the offices for a Swedish Engineering firm have been designed around the idea that they are a company committed to their people and are leaders in the construction industry. A First Place in Contract Corporate under 35,000 SF for the design of the SKANSKA USA Civil Southeast Regional Headquarters in Virginia Beach, VA was awarded to Susan Drew, Valerie Schmidt and Catherine Terhune with Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering in Norfolk, VA., Architecture by Ben Hathcer and Lighting Design by Dan Rusnack, both with Clark Nexsen.

The last entry in Contract Corporate under 35,000 SF, was the design of a new corporate headquarters integrates 2 sites into one central location. A First Place in Contract Corporate for the design on the Corporate Headquarters for Snag-A-Job in Glen Allen, VA was awarded to Angie McConnell with Evolve Architecture, Inc., Architecture also by Evolve.

In Contract Corporate over 35,000 SF the first entry was challenged to consolidate several offices into one downtown headquarters location. An Honorable Mention in Contract Corporate over 35,000 SF for the design of the offices for Dominion Enterprises in Norfolk, VA was awarded to Susan Pniewski with CMSS Architects, PC in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture and Landscape Architecture also by CMSS, Lighting Design by Old Dominion Lighting.

Also in Contract Corporate over 35,000 SF, the interior design team incorporated significant and symbolic devises to emblematically communicate the design vision. An Honorable Mention in Contract Corporate for the design of the offices for the Blackhawk! Products Group in Norfolk, VA was awarded to Maxine Baer and Hannah Flauaus with HBA Architecture and Interior Design in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture by David May with HBA.

In the Contract Health Care category, the design team was challenged to provide areas of intimate space within a large practice. An Honorable Mention in Contract Health Care for the design of the West End Orthopedic Clinic in Richmond, VA was awarded to Anne Tait, and Catherine Saunders with Tait, Saunders, Mulvaney, PC.

Also in the Contract Healthcare category, the design team was challenged to reuse all the existing furniture and develop a plan that provided easy movement through the facility for patients and staff. An Honorable Mention in Contract Healthcare for the design of the offices for Commonwealth Dermatology was awarded to Amy Fox with Evolve Architecture, Inc. of Richmond, VA.

Lastly in the Contract Healthcare category was the design of a retirement community for Virginia Veterans. A first place in Contract Healthcare for the design of the Sitter Barfoot Veteran’s Center in Richmond, VA was awarded to Melodi Terhune with Clark Nexsen in Norfolk, VA., Architecture by David Keith and Lighting Design by Ron Keller both with Clark Nexsen.

In the Contract Hospitality category, the entry incorporates a rustic contemporary aesthetic for a restaurant that focuses on wood fire cuisine and new world wine selections. An Honorable Mention in the Contract Hospitality category for the design of the Fire and Vine Restaurant in Virginia Beach, VA was awarded to Karen Haynie with Aatlantia Design Group, Architecture by William Haynie also with Aatlantia Design Group, lighting design by PM&E Design Group.

Also in the Contract Hospitality category was the design of a community club house on the Chesapeake Bay. A First Place in Contract Hospitality for the design of the Bayfront Club at East Beach in Norfolk, VA was awarded to Susan Pniewski with CMSS Architects, PC in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture and Landscape Architecture also by CMSS Architects.

The first entry in Contract Institutional was the design of an elementary school in Henrico County. An Honorable Mention in Contract Institutional for the design of the Colonial Trail Elementary School in Glen Allen, VA was awarded to Elena Epstein with BCWH Architects in Richmond, VA., Architecture by Charles Piper, BCWH.

The second entry in Contract Institutional design was for a university law school library. An Honorable Mention in Contract Institutional for the design of the Wolf Law Library Addition and Renovation at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA was awarded to HSMM AECOM in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture and Lighting Design by HSMM.

Also in the Contract Institutional category was the design of a media center in a community high school for under privileged teens. An Honorable Mention in Contract Institutional for the design of “An Achievable Dream – Media Center” in Newport News, VA was awarded to Emily Anne Croft with Ionic DeZign Studios in Virginia Beach, VA.

Lastly in the Contract Institutional category was the design of an interactive learning experience for a live butterfly exhibit. A First Place in Contract Institutional for the design of the National Museum of Natural History Butterfly Pavilion in Washington DC. was awarded to HSMM AECOM in Roanoke, VA., Architecture and Lighting Design also by HSMM.

In the Contract Government category was the design of a U.S. Embassy complex in The Ivory Coast. A First Place in Contract Government category for the design of the US Embassy Abidjan was awarded to Susan Pniewski and Thomas Dinneny with CMSS Architects, PC in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture also by CMSS.

In the Historic Preservation category, the design team was challenged with the redesign of a cottage on this Florida CampusAn Honorable Mention in Historic Preservation for the design of the Rollins College Residence Hall in Winter Park, FL, was awarded to Barbara Strickland Page with Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas and Company in Norfolk, VA., Architecture and Lighting Design also by Hanbury Evans.

Also in the Historic Preservation category was the design of a bed and breakfast in a residence originally built in 1840 with a 1900 addition; An Honorable Mention in the Historic Preservation Category for the Huffman House Bed and Breakfast in Newport, VA was awarded to Lisa Marie Tucker with Architectural Adaptations in Christiansburg, VA.

Lastly in the Historic Preservation category was the adaptive reuse of a bakery warehouse built in the early 1900’s. A first place in Historic Preservation, for the design of the Nolde Bakery Lofts in Richmond, VA, was awarded to Maria Rogers and Susan Pniewski with CMSS Architects PC, in Virginia Beach, VA., Architecture also by CMSS.

In the Custom Design category the first entry was the design of a custom octagonal stone inlay for this foyer in an art deco home. An Honorable Mention in the Custom Design category for the Woodley House Foyer Floor medallion in Fairfax Station, VA was awarded to Kelsie Hornby with Elegant Designs, Inc. in Williamsburg, VA., Fabrication by Stoneworks of Art in Miami, FL, installation by Steve DelBorrell.

Also in the Custom Design category and part of the same home was the design of a custom entry door. An Honorable Mention in the Custom Design category for the design of the Woodley House Entry Door in Fairfax Station, VA was awarded to Kelsie Hornby with Elegant Designs, Inc. in Williamsburg, VA., Fabrication by Suburban Woodwork in Jessup, MD.

Last year the “Brightest IDEA” Award was added to the lineup to illuminate the best of the best. From the project identification through the design solution this project was a pinnacle of what can be achieved through innovative design. We asked our judges to select the project that embodied the best IDEA among our winners. This year, our winner of the Brightest IDEA Award for 2008 was the National Museum of Natural History Butterfly Pavilion in Washington DC, by HSMM AECOM in Roanoke, VA.