2017 Winners

Winner

Renée Byers Landscape Architect

Renée Byers Landscape Architect

Winner
Website Houzz

Renée Byers was hired to design a swimming pool for a property in Woodstock, but rather than take the easy way out and plop it on the site’s single flat area, she positioned it on a slope that screens the pool from the road and offers views of the countryside. A plinth carved into the hill allows easy access to the pool from both levels of the house; an L-shaped retaining wall tames the grade.

“It works beautifully with the landscape.It’s a smart, simple design that has subtle depth and elegance” — JUDGE MATTHEW PATRICK SMYTH

Winner

Jasmine Lam Interior Design + Architecture

Jasmine Lam Interior Design + Architecture

Winner
Website Houzz

The decorator enlivened the bones of this SoHo loft—which includes original wood columns, oversize windows, and 10-foot ceilings—with bold colors and lots of new artwork, which she and her client shopped for together.

The client informed Jasmine that he wanted a bold color palette and that “he was not afraid of color”.

A combination of new and vintage furnishings results in what judge Matthew Patrick Smyth calls “a handsome and elegant interior with a wonderful use of textures and shapes.”

Winner

Studio Fōr
(formerly Fōz Design)

Studio Fōr
(formerly Fōz Design)

Winner

Extensive updates to the exterior include custom finished solid wood siding that was installed vertically to resemble a traditional barn and horizontal siding with metal trim at select window and door locations to add modern details.

An original, enclosed front porch was fully removed and a new 350 SF raised deck was constructed off the dining room

The house retains some of its original charms, including hand-hewn beams and a stone hearth.

The new interiors feature a dramatic cathedral ceiling, an open stairway with steel rails, and custom millwork, while the exterior sports contrasting vertical and horizontal siding.

“It’s a house I would love to live in.”
— JUDGE SMYTH

“[I love] the modern, clean lines.” — JUDGE JUDY ROSS

When shown the “before” photos of this 1830s farmhouse in Hyde Park, judge Alison Spear asked, “Was it even worth saving?” But Studio Fōr reimagined the dilapidated structure, creating a contemporary retreat.

Winner

DB Design

DB Design

Winner
Website Houzz

The designers of this Rye kitchen set out to create a space that’s “light and soft, with a touch of funky,” while also making it practical for a busy family of six. They removed a doorway, which opened up the space and allowed for a desk, additional cabinets, and a custom L-shaped vinyl banquette.

The marble countertops, tile floors, and backsplash adhere to a gray and white color scheme. “A lovely combination of materials and movement,” remarks judge Alison Spear.

Winner

Shagreen Geo Tray CHRISTINA Z. ANTONIO


Shagreen Geo Tray CHRISTINA Z. ANTONIO

Winner

London-born, New York City–based artisan Christina Antonio was inspired by M. C. Escher when designing her geometric textural tray, which features a pattern of cubes in various shades of gray.

Winner

Wettling Architects

Wettling Architects

Winner
Website Houzz

For the redesign of a powder room in an Upper East Side residence, Wettling Architects chose a monochromatic palette and faceted-stone wall tiles to serve as the backdrop for the client’s black-and-white photography collection. Judge Judy Ross praises the space’s “soothing” color scheme, while judge Caleb Anderson adds that “the elegant use of an unexpected wall material elevates the space.”

Winner

Daedalus Workshop Architects

Daedalus Workshop Architects

Winner
Website Houzz

To convert a cramped 600-square-foot apartment near Central Park into a bright, inviting home, Daedalus Workshop Architects replaced an awkward bathroom door with translucent sliding panels and freshened up the kitchen with white Corian countertops, a glass tile backsplash, and under-cabinet lighting. A double-sided wall of cabinets separates the living area from the bedroom and provides additional storage.

“Clean spaces with a lot of flexibility.” — JUDGE ALISON SPEAR

Finalist

Alisberg Parker Architects

Alisberg Parker Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

After working with Alisberg Parker on their main residence, these clients returned to design a pool and pool house. The entire interior is tiled for easy cleaning and houses a large shower area.

Finalist

Cate Clustered Cocktail Tables BARRY GORALNICK for VANGUARD


Cate Clustered Cocktail Tables BARRY GORALNICK for VANGUARD

Finalist

These mirror-topped cocktail tables can be used separately or grouped together and are available in three different storage configurations and several finishes.

Finalist

Squarish Chair CAROL KURTH ARCHITECTURE, PC


Squarish Chair CAROL KURTH ARCHITECTURE, PC

Finalist

Bold architectural forms influence this edgy swivel chair, which is upholstered in a silvery taupe velvet that recalls the Manhattan skyline.

Finalist

Horn Freya Pull MATTHEW STUDIOS


Horn Freya Pull MATTHEW STUDIOS

Finalist

Sustainably sourced horn is the star of Harlem-based Matthew Studios’ pulls, which come in both light and dark shades as well as multiple sizes and metal finishes.

Finalist

CWB Architects

CWB Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

For this home, CWB proposed the construction of a two-story extension designed to respond to the traditional row house tea porch aesthetic that is commonly seen throughout Brooklyn Heights. The newly renovated space exudes casual elegance with finishing touches and soft furnishings curated by the homeowner.

Finalist

Loix Armchair And Stool LIAIGRE


Loix Armchair And Stool LIAIGRE

Finalist

The Loix armchair and matching stool feature a chic mix of wood and leather.

Finalist

Marble Attaché DALTILE


Marble Attaché DALTILE

Finalist

Daltile’s Marble Attaché series mimics the look of real marble and has the durability of porcelain. It’s available in six colors and three finishes and can be purchased as planks, tiles, or mosaics.

Finalist

The Slim Table LINHERR HOLLINGSWORTH


The Slim Table LINHERR HOLLINGSWORTH

Finalist

This clean-lined table merges a sleek quartzite top with an antiqued-steel base.

Finalist

SoHo Chair PLEXI-CRAFT


SoHo Chair PLEXI-CRAFT

Finalist

Pink velvet gives a luxe touch to the classic silhouette of Plexi-Craft’s clear acrylic SoHo chair.

Finalist

Marble Collection Rug J. D. STARON


Marble Collection Rug J. D. STARON

Finalist

Inspired by Mother Nature, Jakub Staron transferred the irregular veining of natural marble onto this handspun wool-and-silk rug.

Finalist

Brett Helsham Designs

Brett Helsham Designs

Finalist
Website Houzz

Keeping nothing but the floors, Brett Helsham Designs wanted to create a stripped down, modern space that kept hints of the building’s pre-war origins as well as the client’s Parisian heritage.

Finalist

Melanie Roy Design

Melanie Roy Design

Finalist
Website Houzz

A kitchen with built-in eating area was designed to accommodate a busy family with two boys. Melanie Roy topped the custom-designed island and counter tops with Carrera marble.

Finalist

Milano Bench CLIFF YOUNG LTD.


Milano Bench CLIFF YOUNG LTD.

Finalist

As its name suggests, the Milano bench takes its cue from Italian design, featuring a cerused-ash frame, brass legs, and a textured moss-velvet seat.

Finalist

Andre Tchelistcheff Architects

Andre Tchelistcheff Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

Avid collectors of contemporary art and furniture, the clients desired a minimal, streamlined space that would elegantly frame their collection. The floor and ceiling flow continuously throughout the entire apartment, making the space appear expansive and visually calm.

The kitchen was outfitted with Quartzite countertops, window sills, and jambs, along with burnished nickel accents & custom pulls.

Finalist

Keita Turner Design

Keita Turner Design

Finalist
Website Houzz

Taking cues from the client’s existing Oriental and Persian rugs, Turner built a color saturated, warm and visually stimulating scheme of colors, fabrics and finishes to complement the movement of the rugs.

Finalist

B Interior LLC

B Interior LLC

Finalist
Website Houzz

The owners, an out-of-country family, commissioned the B Interior design team to transform this Chelsea apartment to a modern and comfy retreat where they can feel home away from home.

Finalist

Keller/Eaton Architects

Keller/Eaton Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

A sense of light, air and sky is seen in the spacious living room/dining room that constitutes a large part of the rear of the home.

An interior courtyard contains a bridge and four 38-foot stone columns that recall the exterior stone façade and natural surroundings, as well as a floating staircase connecting the three levels of the home.

Finalist

Jo Machinist Architect

Jo Machinist Architect

Finalist
Website Houzz

This Sleepy Hollow bathroom was graced with abundant natural light and bucolic views, but it also had dated pink tiles, poorly placed windows, and a leaky roof. Architect Jo Machinist reconfigured the 175-square-foot space, incorporating a shower/steam room, a toilet enclosure, a large tub, and built-in storage. “This bathroom will be beautiful in every season,” says judge Alison Spear, referencing the large window overlooking a wooded area. “The relationship to the land is a stunning aspect of this design.”

Finalist

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

The overall site development includes restoration of an acre of lawn hillside into native meadow and a woodland terrace/path system connection to an adjacent Nature Preserve. Recycled granite slab stones for the bridge, steps and walkways, along with reuse of site boulders and fieldstone for waterfalls, sitting walls and patios, resulted in a seamless integration of the natural and man-made.

Finalist

Keita Turner Design

Keita Turner Design

Finalist
Website Houzz

Situated between ocean and pond, this sleek Sagaponack residence features a cantilevered design that was built to weather heavy storms.

Finalist

Melanie Roy Design

Melanie Roy Design

Finalist
Website Houzz

The chandelier in the bathroom combines alabaster with platinum, adding to the overall soft and elegant streamlined design.

Finalist

Brett Helsham Designs

Brett Helsham Designs

Finalist
Website Houzz

This bathroom was a small powder room that could not be expanded any more than the current footprint of 31-square-feet. The client needed it to function as a full second bath, so Brett Helsham Designs turned it into what they call a shower room. With the smallest shower, the designer felt the whole room could be used as a shower if necessary, so it was tiled and treated as such.

Finalist

Clean Design Partners

Clean Design Partners

Finalist
Website Houzz

After gutting the existing master bath in a Rye home, Clean Design Partners installed a patterned tile floor to serve as the room’s focal point. A simple floating vanity, frameless mirror, glass shower, and a sleek marble tub surround keep the space light and airy. “Very serene,” notes Anderson.

3rd place

Worth Interiors

Worth Interiors

3rd place
Website Houzz

Located on the 56th floor of an Upper West Side building, this penthouse offers sweeping vistas of the city, but previously lacked comfort and warmth. Enter Worth Interiors, which incorporated neutral hues—beige, taupe, gray—as a backdrop for the clients’ extensive art collection, a scheme that amplifies, rather than undermines, the view.

3rd place

Linherr Hollingsworth, LLC

Linherr Hollingsworth, LLC

3rd place
Website Houzz

Scale and additional storage were Linherr Hollingsworth’s primary concerns while she was renovating this one-bedroom apartment in Gramercy Park. Her firm reworked the layout, adding a new kitchen, relocating a closet for better access, raising the ceilings throughout, and installing recessed LED fixtures. A muted palette of gray and ivory, with touches of apricot, complements the client’s art collection.

3rd place

Wettling Architects

Wettling Architects

3rd place
Website Houzz

To accommodate the growing needs of a young family, Wettling Architects combined three adjacent apartments in a West Village building, unifying five rooms along one side to create an open living space that includes an entry, kitchen, living room, and breakfast nook—a layout that allows for “nice movement between the different areas,” says Ross. This new living space is flanked by a glass-walled office/guest room and a bedroom wing that contains three bedrooms and three baths.

The house was constructed using low-maintenance materials such as steel, mahogany, anodized aluminum, and limestone.

3rd place

Hollander Design Landscape Architects

Hollander Design Landscape Architects

3rd place
Website Houzz

Situated atop a Midtown building, this 2,800-square-foot terrace is a lush multi-level, multi-room oasis with a design inspired by the Art Deco period’s Streamline Moderne style. “This rooftop has it all,” raves judge Judy Ross—and indeed it does: The space contains a spa, a breakfast nook, and separate dining, entertaining, and yoga terraces, all with a view of the Empire State Building

3rd place

Carol Kurth Architecture, PC

Carol Kurth Architecture, PC

3rd place
Website Houzz

For the renovation of a Westchester kitchen, Carol Kurth’s goal was to create a space that’s at once sunny, cozy, and rustic. After opening it up to adjacent rooms, she added a large bay window, reclaimed-timber trusses, vintage pendant lights, and an oversize marble island that accommodates the entire family. As judge Matthew Patrick Smyth notes, the room incorporates “traditional elements with a modern sensibility.”

2nd place

Carol Kurth Architecture
with Diane Bilgore

Carol Kurth Architecture
with Diane Bilgore

2nd place

The owners of this 21-acre farm in Westchester called on Carol Kurth to redo the grounds of their stone-and-clapboard home, which included creating a dramatic new arrival scheme. Kurth and Diane Bilgore designed an inviting boxwood courtyard, planted several pockets of purple alliums, and installed raised beds for growing organic produce. Judge Caleb Anderson calls the sculptural makeover “elegant, beautiful, and fresh.”

2nd place

Wettling Architects

Wettling Architects

2nd place
Website Houzz

The owners of this Central Park West apartment wanted to give it a sense of modernity and simplicity, so Wettling Architects reimagined the kitchen, installing a striking veined marble and sleek cabinetry that are offset by more traditional wood herringbone floors. “White cabinets with little hardware and a beautiful marble,” says judge Judy Ross. “It’s all very chic.”

2nd place

Joyce D. Silverman Interiors

Joyce D. Silverman Interiors

2nd place
Website Houzz

`A narrow, deep lot in Gravesend, Brooklyn, was the setting for this ground-up project that features a graphic black-and-white kitchen with acrylic cabinetry, a marble entry, and a sunny dining area overlooking the backyard.

“The details and symmetry are impeccable.” — JUDGE JUDY ROSS

2nd place

Jasmine Lam Interior Design + Architecture

Jasmine Lam Interior Design + Architecture

2nd place
Website Houzz

To make the most of her firm’s compact headquarters—a 400-square-foot penthouse atop an apartment building next to Carnegie Hall—designer Jasmine Lam retrofitted the space to accommodate three workstations, a conference table, a seating area, and a separate private office. A small sleeping area comes in handy for busy nights before a project deadline. Judge Matthew Patrick Smyth applauds the “well-thought-out use of square footage.”

2nd place

CWB Architects

CWB Architects

2nd place
Website Houzz

Many of the original details in this Greek Revival townhouse in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, had been stripped away over time, but its new owners sought to reestablish the home’s original formality while adapting it to the needs of a modern family. CWB Architects reframed the interior, sheathed the rear façade in brick, and replaced a glass-and-steel addition with one clad in wood and copper.

“It’s a sensitive renovation that looks like it was always there” — JUDGE SMYTH