2007 ARIDO Awards of Excellence Honour Ontario's Top Interior Designers

26, September, 2007 took place the 23 rd annual Awards of Excellence organised by The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario, awards offered in the industry of design. Many awards were offered, between them the most important is : the Award of Excellence.

The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario Press Release:
The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) announces the winners of its 23rd annual Awards of Excellence, which were held during a gala dinner last night at the Direct Energy Centre as part of IIDEX/NeoCon Canada. The prestigious award program, honouring creativity and professional achievement in the province's interior design industry, recognized 26 entries in 12 different categories. Among the winning entries, there were two Projects of the Year, four Awards of Excellence and twenty-one Awards of Merit.

"We are extremely proud of the achievement and professionalism of Ontario's interior design community," says Peter Grimley, president of ARIDO. "While the awards recognize success on an individual and corporate level, they also serve to build public awareness of the power and effect of good interior design on business to remain competitive in today's economy."

Judged by nine esteemed representatives from business, media and design, each entry was judged on its own merit and on the specific circumstances under which it was completed. In their submissions, entrants were asked to consider existing design elements, budget and project objectives, strategies employed, overall creativity, examples of project results, and sustainability and collaborative elements. This year's show revealed a shifting emphasis on the re-design of public spaces, as the majority of awards were from commercial and retail-based sectors.

The focus on retail was demonstrated by Diego Burdi of burdifilek design who won five awards in total: three Awards of Merit for spectacular luxury retail designs in Holt Renfrew, an Award of Excellence for his work in Capezio as well as the coveted Project of the Year for his design of the retail and tasting areas of Stratus Winery. Christopher Wright of figure3 scored the other Project of the Year for his dramatic and interactive interpretation of Umbra's new flagship retail location in Toronto.

Indicative of the current commercial building boom, Anna Simone and Elaine Cecconi took an Award of Excellence for their sleek and fashionable Project "X" condominium sales centre. The final Award of Excellence went to Carol Smith of SGH Design Partners who wowed judges with the subtle branding and natural elements found in the reception area, boardroom and salon of the marketing centre of hair care creator Ojon.

<< ARIDO congratulates all of the 2007 ARIDO Awards of Excellence recipients:

INTERIOR DESIGNER/ PROJECT ------------------

------- DESIGN FIRM

----------- PROJECTS OF THE YEAR

Christopher Wright/ UMBRA Premiere Retail Location figure3
Diego Burdi/ Stratus Winery burdifilek AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Diego Burdi/ Capezio burdifilek Elaine Cecconi and "X" The Condominium Anna Simone/ Cecconi Simone Inc.

Carol Smith/ Ojon Smith Grimley Harris Design Partners

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Diego Burdi/ Capezio burdifilek Elaine Cecconi and "X" The Condominium Anna Simone/ Cecconi Simone Inc.
Carol Smith/ Ojon Smith Grimley Harris Design Partners

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE - CONCEPT Jenny Lee/ Offspring - Interior Design Show 2007 full scale + partners inc.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Elaine Cecconi/ Private Residence Cecconi Simone Inc.
Diego Burdi/ Holt Renfrew Personal Shopping Suites burdifilek Diego Burdi/ Holt Renfrew Designer Collection Floor burdifilek
Diego Burdi/ Holt Renfrew Designer Collection Floor - burdifilek Feature Display Table Donald Crichton/ MediaCom

WWP HOK Christopher Wright/ Work Space on-Demand Office Model for figure3 IBM Inger Bartlett/ George Weston Limited Lobby Bartlett & Associates
Inger Bartlett/ Saatchi & Saatchi workstation/exhibition Bartlett & Associates Ltd. furniture system Trevor Kruse/ The Laneway Mews Interior Design Show
Hudson Kruse Design 2005 Gerry Anacleto/ Re-imagine,
Re-treat(*)
Anacleto Design (*)
(Received two Awards of Merit for this project for: Marketing Centre and Sustainability) Jenny Lee/ Offspring - Interior Design Show 2007 full scale + partners inc.

Jenny Lee/ California Thai Fusion Restaurant full scale + partners inc.
Brian Gluckstein/ Four Seasons Sales Office Gluckstein Design Planning Inc. Mike Niven/ 9T6

St. Patrick Model Suite Mike Niven Interior Design Inc. Alex Chapman/ Park Place Condominium Chapman Design Group Ltd. Alex Chapman/ The Residences of College Park Chapman Design Group Ltd. Ian Graham/ Chaggar Dental Oomph Valerie Gow/ Humber College School of Spa Management Gow Hastings

Architects Susan Chang/ Sherbourne Health Centre IBI Group Ann Callaghan/ Callaghan Letellier Wiens Gibbons Callaghan Letellier Wiens Gibbons Facility Planning and Design >>


About ARIDO ARIDO -is currently a voluntary professional association for Interior Designers in Ontario. ARIDO's mandate is to serve the interests of both the public and the interior design industry. It does so by registering Interior Designers who voluntarily meet required standards of education, experience and examination. For more information on ARIDO, please visit www.arido.ca.

Source: The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario