At a gala dinner in September at Toronto’s Liberty Grand, the Association of Registered Interior Designers honoured its own, announcing the winners of its prestigious annual awards program. The ARIDO awards honour innovation, creativity and professional achievements in the province’s interior design industry. Total awards numbered 29: Project of the Year; five Awards of Excellence; 20 Awards of Merit; and three Awards of Merit: Sustainable Design (a new category this year).
The top honour went to Ottawa’s Carlyle Design Associates, for One Kids Place, a brand-new, 41,000-square-foot children’s treatment centre in North Bay, Ont. Judges hailed the project — designed for kids and youth living with disabilities, along with their families, providing therapy, treatment and early-learning services — for its “seamless integration of architecture and interiors with a great balance of neutrals and accent colours.” Designed as one level, with generous orientation to the outdoors, One Kids Place maximizes safety and accessibility, encouraging movement as an integral part of therapy and learning activities.
The five Awards of Excellence encompass projects by Burdifilek (Brown Thomas Luxury Hall, a sophisticated retail space in Dublin, Ireland); Watt International (Real Sports Apparel, a fluid new retail environment in Toronto); Walker Lawson Interior Design (Discovery Employee Childcare Centre, a playful corporate daycare facility in Calgary); Cecconi Simone (re Hotel & Residences Model Suite, inspired by haute couture, in Ottawa); and nkA (Nadge Pastry, a clean and refined pastry shop in Toronto).
The three projects receiving awards for eco-friendly designs (each of which also received a regular Award of Merit) are Leon’s Furniture at the Roundhouse, Toronto, by Danielle Josette Interior Design; Air Miles Reward Program Customer Care, in Mississauga, Ont., by figure3; and The Green Grind, in Toronto, By HOK.
“We are very proud that our members are creating award-winning designs within Ontario’s borders and beyond,” says ARIDO president Theo West-Parks. “Our members work in all sectors and have an important influence of the spaces where the public live, work and play.”