Toronto’s storied Royal York (officially the Fairmont Royal York Hotel) was the setting for the annual ARIDO Awards gala dinner at the end of September. As always, the evening proved to be the season’s most joyful and well-attended event. The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario never fails to put on a good show.
The ARIDO Awards recognize excellence, innovation and creativity in the province’s interior design industry. Total awards this year number 19: Project of the Year; three Awards of Excellence; and 15 Awards of Merit.
The big winner of the evening – taking home Project of the Year – was Sharon Martens of MartensGroup Licensed Interior Design Studio Ltd., for her project Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP. These extensive offices for the prestigious Calgary law firm employ refined materials in a palette of contrasting black and white; the project’s outstanding feature is a fanciful 100-foot millwork screen angling across the floor plate. “ARIDO members consistently defy expectations, creating groundbreaking, world-class projects,” says ARIDO president Janine Grossmann. “This law office conveys a progressive yet professional image befitting a top-tier firm.”
Alex Chapman of Union31 took home an Award of Excellence for One55 Cumberland, a dramatic reimagining of a condo in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. The remaining two Awards of Excellence went to Michel Arcand and Don Parker of IN8 Design Inc. for a pair of Toronto projects, one for the sophisticated Empty Nesters Condo Renovation, the other for Entro, an inspiring new office for the brand communications and
graphics firm.
“ARIDO congratulates all award winners,” says Grossmann. “Their talent and commitment to design excellence strengthen ARIDO’s position as the guardian of the highest standards for interior design in Ontario.”
To view the full list of winners, visit arido.ca and click on Awards.