2016 Winners

Winner

Sonneman A Way of Light


Sonneman A Way of Light

Winner
Website

At first glance, Robert Sonneman’s Suspenders LED chandelier system appears to be an art installation. The modular design, available in 11 different configurations, has more expansion possibilities thanks to the advantages of LED over old-fashioned electrical wiring.

Winner

Mojo Stumer Associates

Mojo Stumer Associates

Winner
Website

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more exciting Manhattan terrace,” judge Ellie Cullman says of this Upper West Side penthouse.

The rooftop was reworked to include a waterfall accent wall, metal planters that conceal a safety fence, and an alternating path of limestone and Astroturf that visually breaks up the long, narrow space.

“inviting anytime, day or night.” — Matthew Patrick Smyth

Winner

Bates Masi + Architects

Bates Masi + Architects

Winner
Website

For a young family’s home in a New York suburb, Bates Masi + Architects conceived a series of modest gabled structures, each focused inward onto its own garden courtyard

“I want this house” — Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

“its simplicity and harmony with nature is flawlessly achieved.” — Ally Coulter

Winner

Laura Kaehler Architects

Laura Kaehler Architects

Winner
Website

For the kitchen of this mid-20th-century-modern house in Westchester, architect Laura Kaehler chose natural wood and opaque glass panels for the cabinetry, combining them with durable stainless-steel lower cabinets and crisp white Caesarstone countertops. Judge Matthew Patrick Smyth calls the room “well done, and not easy to pull off without it looking like a Mad Men set.”

Winner

Wesley Moon

Wesley Moon

Winner
Website

When Wesley Moon and his partner purchased their 386-square-foot getaway on Fire Island, he says, “the apartment was simply a white box begging for personality.”

The designer added interest by applying strips of wood to the walls to mimic paneling and installing a beadboard-clad cabinet to conceal a Murphy bed and television.

“happy” and “whimsical.” — Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

“fun, graphic quality.” — Ellie Cullman

Winner

Grade

Grade

Winner
Website

“Drama!” exclaims judge Ippolita Rostagno upon viewing this master bath in a penthouse on East 57th Street. Grade combined sleek, industrial materials with rich, tactile ones to create a space that seems like a five-star hotel. The “handsome, graphic components work perfectly with the straightforward design,” says judge Matthew Patrick Smyth.

Winner

Robert Passal Interior Design & Architecture

Robert Passal Interior Design & Architecture

Winner
Website

For an Upper East Side residence, Robert Passal paired contemporary lighting and furnishings with vintage and antique pieces from across the globe.

“Groupings of art and accessories tell a story and create impact” — designer

“There’s a true respect for the traditional but it’s fresh and modern.” — Matthew Patrick Smyth

Finalist

Weitzner


Weitzner

Finalist
Website

Made from the pulp of abaca and kozo plants, the weblike, chevron-pattern Ives wall covering is available in matte ivory and navy, as well as metallic silver.

Finalist

RitaLuisa Garcés, Bilotta Kitchens

RitaLuisa Garcés, Bilotta Kitchens

Finalist
Website

Judge Ellie Cullman calls this Upper West Side project “one sexy kitchen.” Existing support columns and immovable plumbing are met head-on, thanks to a prep island that’s accessible from the refrigerator and sink along the wall.

Finalist

Cover Table Barry Goralnick


Cover Table Barry Goralnick

Finalist
Website

Why cover up a beautiful table with piles of books and ephemera? Show them off neatly within the Spencer cocktail table’s artfully designed compartments.

Finalist

Inlaid steel Cliff Young


Inlaid steel Cliff Young

Finalist
Website

Inlaid steel in a gunmetal finish makes the Nobu buffet’s bleached- and stained-zebrawood veneer that much sleeker-looking.

Finalist

black-and-white python Get a Room


black-and-white python Get a Room

Finalist
Website

Inset white-lacquer handles and black-and-white python from Osborne & Little lend interest to this custom cerused-oak bar cabinet.

Finalist

LED pendant Hubbardton Forge


LED pendant Hubbardton Forge

Finalist
Website

Inspired by the many pleasures of its namesake season—gentle breezes, sunshine, and soaring box kites—the Arts & Crafts–style Summer LED pendant sports a rectilinear frame with textured panes of either glass or aluminum.

Finalist

Tabla table Farrago Design


Tabla table Farrago Design

Finalist
Website

Recalling the shape of the percussion drum it takes its name from, the Tabla table is hand-crafted in India from bone and wood.

Finalist

Carol Kurth Architecture + Interiors

Carol Kurth Architecture + Interiors

Finalist
Website

Nearby farmhouses served as inspiration for this Westchester kitchen remodel, which the homeowners wanted to appear both rustic and industrial. Carol Kurth installed reclaimed timber trusses, vintage pendant lighting, and white cabinetry edged in steel. “A classic and well-done take on a traditional kitchen,” concludes Smyth.

Finalist

Dale Cohen Design Studio

Dale Cohen Design Studio

Finalist
Website

Among the deft details Dale Cohen introduced to save space and make this “typical vanilla one-bedroom” in Union Square feel larger is a built-in oak storage and desk unit and glossy vinyl wallpaper on the ceiling, which pulls light into recesses. “Very chic,” concludes Cullman.

Finalist

Laura Kaehler Architects

Laura Kaehler Architects

Finalist
Website

Laura Kaehler transformed a cramped downtown apartment by tweaking its floor plan, infusing the space with luxurious materials, and adding closets and enhanced lighting. Noriega-Ortiz says that the mahogany detailing “lends great warmth.”

Finalist

Peti Lau

Peti Lau

Finalist
Website

Lau’s client makes a living planning parties and events, so it was crucial that she could host her own gatherings in her 800-square-foot Midtown apartment. “Because it’s a rental, we mixed high and low pieces with her existing furniture to keep the costs down without sacrificing great design,” explains Lau. The strategy paid off: Judge Ippolita Rostagno loves the “great use of color.”

Finalist

Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects

Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects

Finalist
Website

Edmund Hollander divided the terrace of an Upper West Side apartment into three distinct spaces—a dining area, a lounge that’s raised to maximize views, and an intimate conversation nook hidden behind latticework panels and a pergola—to provide flexibility for gatherings of four to 24 people. Cullman picks up on “a real California vibe, which is so exciting in the middle of Manhattan.”

Finalist

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Finalist
Website

To overhaul a tired and overgrown four-acre property on Pound Ridge’s Blue Heron Lake, Louis Fusco Landscape Architects pruned back unruly vegetation, replaced a manicured lawn with a wildflower meadow, and planted native wetland specimens near the shore. Mission accomplished, says judge Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz: “The garden seems so natural that it doesn’t even look planted.”

Finalist

Alisberg Parker Architects

Alisberg Parker Architects

Finalist
Website

This contemporary kitchen in an open-plan suburban home features a streamlined central island and dark oak and sleek white cabinetry, anchored by blond oak flooring. “I love the modern simplicity,” says judge Ippolita Rostagno.

Finalist

Daniel Contelmo Architects

Daniel Contelmo Architects

Finalist
Website

Designed to recall a 150-year-old barn–cum–carriage house, this new stone-and-timber construction contains the owner’s collection of cars—all of which can be viewed from a steel catwalk. Brick flooring and oak beams continue into the attached wing, which houses a library, a sitting area, and a bar. Cullman praises its “nod to the past with all the amenities of the present.”

Finalist

Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Finalist
Website

“The articulation of the volumes makes the huge space feel intimate,” Noriega-Ortiz says of this 6,100-square-foot Colonial in Rye, which features classic curved roofs, projecting bays, and a long viewing porch. Judge Ellie Cullman characterizes the home as “a very credible redux of shingle-style architecture.”

Finalist

Riverside Design

Riverside Design

Finalist
Website

A glass-and-steel clerestory runs the length of three walls in a West Village master bath. The room also incorporates textured-stone floor and wall tiles and a novel pivoting door that closes off the W.C. “The textures make the room feel almost as if it’s outdoors,” says Noriega-Ortiz.

Finalist

Get a Room

Get a Room

Finalist
Website

Waterfall-edge marble vanities, a freestanding tub, and simple mirrored cabinets create a clean, spa-like look in an Armonk master bath. The redesigned room now “suits the architecture,” says Smyth.

Finalist

Charles Rabinovitch Architects

Charles Rabinovitch Architects

Finalist
Website

A stainless steel–framed “sink island” featuring back-to-back vanities with mirrors edged in LED lights takes center stage in the renovated master bath of an Upper East Side townhouse. “It’s creative and has a nice industrial feel,” remarks judge Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.

Finalist

Sean Jancski Landscape

Sean Jancski Landscape

Finalist

The firm reimagined a garden in Purchase by expanding the lawn, opening up sight lines, incorporating plantings of varied textures and shapes, and linking the pool, spa, and outdoor living area with a series of walkways. The result is “no-nonsense formality that’s simple and elegant,” says Smyth.

Finalist

Janson Goldstein

Janson Goldstein

Finalist
Website

Following a sensitive restoration of this two-bedroom mid-20th-century home in the Hudson Valley, Janson Goldstein selected era-appropriate furnishings that make “it feel like a set design,” says judge Ippolita Rostagno.

Finalist

Monica Kahn Design

Monica Kahn Design

Finalist
Website

For her own home in Scarsdale, designer Monica Kahn created a neutral backdrop for her decidedly modern furnishings and large-scale contemporary artworks. Among the many elements she added is rich woodwork and paneling, a feature that “helps bring great scale to the rooms,” says judge Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.

Finalist

Rona Landman Interior Design

Rona Landman Interior Design

Finalist
Website

Designer Rona Landman was tasked with creating a comfortable Greenwich Village loft in which the homeowner could work and entertain. She added contemporary elements, like a floating staircase with a glass railing, and furniture, art, and lighting that judge Ally Coulter says “amplify the space with color, simplicity, and a youthful energy.”

Finalist

Janson Goldstein

Janson Goldstein

Finalist
Website

Janson Goldstein’s minimalist guesthouse for a residence in Hudson stands like a sculpture in the middle of a meadow. A covered breezeway divides the structure into two sides: one with living and sleeping areas for guests, and the other with a gym for all to use. Noriega-Ortiz admires the “controlled proportions” and “gradations from solid to translucent to transparent.”

2nd place

De la Torre Design Studio

De la Torre Design Studio

2nd place
Website

In order to make a client feel at home in a newly constructed modern apartment overlooking Gramercy Park, Ernest de la Torre employed luxurious touches.

French straw marquetry, leather-upholstered walls, and silver- and gold-leaf accents lend warmth to the otherwise contemporary space.

“This apartment defines sophisticated Manhattan living” — Ellie Cullman

2nd place

Magness Design

Magness Design

2nd place
Website

In keeping with the original Beaux Arts style of this early-1900s brownstone on the Upper East Side, the designers added wall and ceiling moldings and patterned flooring to the gut-renovated bath—a room Rostagno says is “very sophisticated and quiet.”

Smyth concludes that it represents “well-detailed classic styling.”

2nd place

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

2nd place
Website

Thanks to modern, streamlined furnishings that, according to Cullman, “help expand a small space,” this compact Greenwich Village apartment appears much larger than it actually is.

“cool, soothing palette.” — Cullman

2nd place

Riverside Design

Riverside Design

2nd place
Website

To create a kitchen that would “disappear” into her clients’ West Village loft when not in use, architect Michele Rudolph chose a restrained palette of materials: oak cabinetry, translucent glass panels, a waxed-concrete counter, and rough concrete walls. “The industrial finishes are incorporated in a warm, inviting manner,” comments Smyth.

2nd place

Mojo Stumer Associates

Mojo Stumer Associates

2nd place
Website

All the judges took note of the macassar ebony used throughout, which Noriega-Ortiz says “unifies the spaces” and Coulter praises for its “sleekness and glamour.”

All the judges took note of the macassar ebony used throughout, which says unifies the spaces and Coulter praises for its

“sleekness and glamour.” — Noriega-Ortiz

2nd place

Elizabeth Ward Landscapes

Elizabeth Ward Landscapes

2nd place
Website

For a 1920s Sears kit house in Bedford, Elizabeth Ward created a series of engaging outdoor rooms.

“I love this gentle country garden, with its white picket fence and pastel palette” — Cullman

“super charming and colorful.” — Ippolita Rostagno

2nd place

Rock-crystal top Matthew Studios


Rock-crystal top Matthew Studios

2nd place
Website

Featuring a rock-crystal top and a polished-brass base (also available in polished nickel), the Bennett drinks table exemplifies the height of sophistication.