TORONTO, ON – The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) recently announced the winners of its annual ARIDO Awards Program, during a gala at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. This prestigious awards program honors innovation, creativity and professional achievement in the province’s interior design industry. Judges selected 32 designs from 10 categories. Among the winning entries were 11 Awards of Excellence, 20 Awards of Merit and one Project of the Year.
The winning projects showcase a wide range of interior design talent, from retail to residential, corporate to health care, public and institutional spaces to major restoration projects, and specialty elements to trade show displays. They include a museum of biodiversity, a 2010 Olympic Games store, a retail concourse, conference centre, dental office, a restaurant, as well as private residences, condo sales offices, corporate offices, and a design show display of crystals. An integrated graphics program was honored, along with a custom-made conference table system and a fireplace.
This year's projects are not confined within Ontario's borders. "We are very proud of the fact that a number of ARIDO members are creating award-winning designs for national and international clients," says ARIDO's president, Deborah Rutherford. "Four of this year's Award of Excellence projects are outside of Canada."
The transformation of a historical powerhouse in St. Louis, Missouri, into a modern office building was selected as Project of the Year. The design, by Maureen Donohue of Cannon Design, Toronto, beautifully contrasts the original structure with contemporary elements. A hotel as well as a condo sales office in Atlanta, Georgia, and a retail men's department in Dublin, Ireland, also received top awards. All three of these projects were designed by Diego Burdi of burdifilek, Toronto.
In addition to Project of the Year, interior designers from Cannon Design, Toronto, received two more awards for their workplace designs. And Stantec received awards for the design of its firm's Toronto and Guelph offices, as well as an award for a regional health centre.
Two Awards of Excellence went to Elaine Cecconi and Anna Simone of Cecconi Simone Inc. for an appliance showroom and the Lippincott model suites. Valerie Gow of Gow Hastings Architects Inc. was honored with an Award of Excellence for her design of the Music Production Facility and Recording Studio at Humber College, and an Award of Merit for George Brown's Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts.
"The Association takes great pride in the contribution its members make to public and private spaces," adds Rutherford. "ARIDO's Awards Program builds public awareness of our professional capabilities and the important contribution interior designers make to the built environment."
View the 2009 ARIDO Awards photo gallery.
View a complete list of the 2009 ARIDO Awards winners.
About ARIDO
ARIDO is the 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, visit www.arido.ca.
