Celebrate 40 Years Of Hall Of Fame With 2024 Inductees—And A Philanthropic Mission

Just as Hollywood has the Academy Awards, the A&D industry has Interior Design‘s Hall of Fame gala, an event that brings together the crème de la crème to honor individual achievements and showcase innovation throughout the decades. This year, Hall of Fame turns 40, which makes for an extra celebratory evening.

For the event’s anniversary edition, Interior Design will recognize five standout creatives as well as two special tributes during the black-tie gala, which will take place December 11 at The Glasshouse in Manhattan. The newest group of inductees, selected by Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen as well as a nominating committee of Hall of Fame members, includes: Adam Rolston, Drew Stuart, and Gabriel Benroth, founding partners of INC Architecture & Design; David Galullo, CEO and chief creative officer of Rapt Studio; and Holly Hunt, founder of HOLLY HUNT and House of Hunt. Special tributes will be made to DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), which is also celebrating 40 years, as well as the late architect, Jeffrey Beers.

“As we look back on the past four decades, we are excited to honor the legacy we’ve built and the incredible work that lies ahead,” says Allen. “And this year’s stellar talent certainly honors the past, but their vision and impact speaks to the future of design.”

Interior Design‘s 2024 Hall of Fame gala will feature award-winning documentaries, 2024 inductees, and—for the first time—a silent auction, which will take place throughout the event with all proceeds going towards supporting DIFFA’s mission to support those affected by HIV/AIDS and food insecurity, as well as mental health and housing challenges.

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Get ready for the big bash: See what’s next for Interior Design‘s Hall of Fame event with a peek at what we’re planning for the 40th annual gala. Discover Hall of Fame details.

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Get to Know Interior Design‘s 2024 Hall of Famers

Founding Partners of INC Architecture & Design

David Galullo, CEO and Chief Creative Office of Rapt Studio

Holly Hunt, Founder of HOLLY HUNT and House of Hunt

DIFFA

Jeffrey Beers, Founder and CEO of Jeffrey Beers International (1956-2024)

The Leslie-Lohman Museum Of Art Examines Queer Design

What distinguishes queer design? Earlier this summer, The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in Manhattan, a space dedicated to preserving LGBTQIA+ history, teamed up with legacy paint brand Farrow & Ball to delve into this concept. The queering of design is not new, of course, but more prominent visibility for these forms is cause for celebration. In the decades since the museum’s founding, which traces back to a SoHo loft exhibit hosted by its founders in 1969, the demand and interest in works by queer designers is stronger than ever.

Capping off Pride month, multimedia artist and designer, Liz Collins; fashion designer, Christopher John Rogers; Leslie-Lohman executive director, Alyssa Nitchun; and Editor in Chief of Elle Decor, Asad Syrkett, gathered at the museum for a conversation that centered on queerness and design. Following the talk, Nitchun and Collins, who also co-curated the “Design Dysphoria” show held in a Bushwick studio during the NYCxDESIGN Festival this year, shared their thoughts on what makes queer design stand out with Interior Design.

Interior Design: What led the museum to host a conversation centered on queer design at this moment in time?  

Alyssa Nitchun: Our friend Jesse Smiley introduced us to Farrow & Ball to makeover our offices—it was a love match. They were joined in supporting us by queer designers and queer-led design brands. This led to some fascinating conversations and we thought it would be valuable to bring together some of the folks involved to have a public conversation around the notion of queer design.

ID: In your view, what are some prominent examples of queer narratives reflected in design?

AN: If a designer is queer, I’d argue that inherently a kind of queerness is reflected in their work by virtue of their personal experience of holding that identity in the world. Queerness functions as a political and ideological framework alongside sexuality, gender, and desire and those intersections play out within design. Queerness is in the eye of the beholder. 

ID: The Leslie Lohman Museum of Art offers a vital look at lesser-known aspects of queer history. How does design factor into this account?

AN: Working in a queer art museum, I’m all too frequently reminded of how queer history is marked by omissions and erasures. Leslie-Lohman offers a history—both from the past but also the history we make on a daily basis—of queer creativity in action. Design meets at the crossroads of creativity and functionality, offering us a different way to engage and to perceive, an opportunity to queer space. Historically we’ve originated several design oriented exhibitions. We were the originating institution of the exhibition “Queer Threads,” with that catalogue edited and design by Todd Oldham, the show has toured for 10 years. The show included twenty-four artists from around the world who use thread-based craft materials and techniques to examine the diversity queer experiences. In the exhibition “On Our Backs,” the  installation involved art within a peep show architecture and a bedroom, design and desire inextricably entwined. And the exhibition “Omniscient” featured a rug by Liz Collins.

ID: In the last few years, I’ve heard artists and designers talk about the “queering of design,” in terms of mixing mediums and moving beyond binaries. Do you feel your work speaks to this idea and, if so, in what ways?

Liz Collins: I work fluidly between art and design in a feedback loop and am always pushing against the compartmentalization of the two areas. The fabrics I design and produce with textile mills are a bridge, functioning as upholstery as well as base canvas for my paintings. Creating environments that function as social space in queer focused contexts with queer collaborators, I use interior design strategies to build worlds that give a feeling of comfort, pleasure, and celebration of queer community and life as we know it and want it to be. 

Explore Queer Designs Featured in “Design Dysphoria,” Co-curated by Liz Collins and Hosted in Studio S II in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Take A Seat In This Lounge Chair Bursting With Personality

While Svoya Studio cofounder Denys Sokolov was designing furnishings for fellow Ukrainian company Noom, there was a moment when he sensed that a nearly finished lounge chair was, well…winking at him! In the spirit of greeting the seat back, he named it Hello, a moniker that also captures the inviting nature of the soft, ample, injection molded–foam forms. The design begat a mini-collection comprising the chair in low and high variants, a three-seater sofa, and two coffee tables, all equal parts art piece and functional furniture. Topping off the series (figuratively and, in the case of the seating, quite literally) is a spherical pillow that just begs to be tossed around. noom-home.com

Harness The Power Of Color With This Yinka Illori x Momentum Collab

Color the world with British-Nigerian designer Yinka Illori’s vivacious textile and wallcovering collection in collaboration with Momentum. Brought to life in the Momentum showroom at NeoCon 2024, join Illori, who has enlivened the design scene for more than a decade, and Interior Design editor-in-chief Cindy Allen as they walk through the experiential space. Be mesmerized by Illori’s signature love of color, exemplified by geometric patterns and energizing hues like bold pinks, limes, oranges, and reds.

The result is a vibrant collection that conjures happiness and embraces the power of dreams and affirmations, something Illori himself is also passionate about. Made of 100% silicone and sustainable, Illori imagines this wallcovering collection to take residence in healthcare and hospitality spaces, bringing joy to people everywhere. Learn more about this bold collection below!

Want to explore more conversations with innovative designers and brands? Check out the full library of videos on DesignTV by SANDOW.

Piero Lissoni Awarded Prestigious Compasso d’Oro

Have A Ball With These Groovy Sound-Absorbing Spheres

The term noise-dampening and the word joy don’t often show up in the same sentence, but that’s about to change. The shape and vivid color palette of Cloud sound-absorbing spheres are sure to infuse any interior with energy. And the good vibes don’t end with the groovy aesthetics: The balls are manufactured using sustainably hand-picked reindeer moss, whose soft and spongy feel makes it a natural for buffering ambient sound. The plant, native to mountain ranges in northern Scandinavia, is also fire-resistant, hypoallergenic, and maintenance-free. Cloud can be specified in three sizes and both bold and natural hues, so you can create a visually compelling arrangement. In other words—you’ll have a ball! scandinavianspaces.com

“Cloud delivers architectural interest in a whimsical way”

Henrik Pedersen Introduces Outdoor Furnishes With A Nautical Twist

Danish designer Henrik Pedersen, founder of Aarhus-based studio 365°, introduces Deck, a seating and table collection whose name and materiality derive from seafaring vessels. The simple yet striking silhouettes are precision-crafted of solid plantation teak slats that have ends finished with subtle curves. The collection encompasses large and small seating units, an ottoman, plus three sizes of dining tables, two sofa tables, and a coffee table. Though rooted in the uncompromising craftsmanship of yore, the collection has a future-minded ethos, suggestive of global adventuring yet encouraging lounging and chillaxing right where you are. “Traveling, exploring, and being inspired by the moment are essential to being able to see beyond tomorrow,” Pedersen says. All aboard! gloster.com

“The linear style exemplifies the Gloster aesthetic”

Submit Now to Interior Design’s 2024 Best of Year Awards

What do leading architects and designers have in common? An Interior Design Best of Year Award, for one. Make today the day you join the ranks, or add to your current awards collection, by submitting top projects and products to Interior Design‘s Best of Year Awards. Now in its 19th year, the Best of Year Awards—the leading global design awards program—celebrates the industry’s most groundbreaking works, and the creative minds behind them.

A festive ceremony celebrating winners and honorees, hosted by Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen and live-streamed as part of DesignTV by SANDOW, will take place December 12 in New York, but the window to submit Best of Year Awards entries closes much sooner—September 13, 2024, to be exact. Take advantage of our special Early Bird Entry Fee and submit by August 23. As for students, entry is free so go ahead, share your most innovative product designs with much to gain.

Ready to take home an Interior Design Best of Year Award? Enter your stellar project and product designs before submissions close on September 13, 2024. Don’t miss out!

Explore Shadowy Shapes in Design Pool’s Latest Window Film

Design Pool is notable as the only pattern library created exclusively for interior designers, with a focus on commercial markets. The New Hampshire company partners with digital printers that leverage on-demand technology, thus giving designers more options when specifying materials. Design Pool’s partners can print any of the nearly 1,000 available patterns onto vinyl flooring, faux leather upholstery, acoustic panels, wallpaper, window film, and more. Check out company founder Kristen Dettoni’s evocative new Light Play collection made of Veilish, a semi-transparent woven-polyester window film manufactured by Graphix Unlimited. The 14 designs, conceived to add decorative élan to the transition zone between inside and out, were inspired by cast shadows. designpoolpatterns.com; graphixunlimited.com

Heller’s Striking Outdoor Seat Takes Inspiration from a Cookie

When Heller CEO and president John Edelman discovered Jumbo on Instagram, he was immediately struck by how much the New York studio’s designs embodied the essence of his brand. Founded in 1971, Heller has produced award-winning modern furniture by some of the world’s greatest talents, among them Frank Gehry, Massimo and Lella Vignelli, and Mario Bellini; Jumbo founders Justin Donnelly and Monling Lee now join that elite roster. The pair explain they have an abiding interest in “reductivism, whimsy, and gastronomy,” the latter passion influencing their Fortune chair, named for the iconic cookie and channeling its pinched-circle shape. Fully recyclable and U.S.-made using a high percentage of postconsumer-recycled plastic, the perch comes in six foodie hues: Oatmeal, Cookie, Olive, Tomato, Dark Cherry, and Licorice. Available exclusively at DWR. dwr.com; hellerfurniture.com