Livable and beautiful design - Awards of Excellence for superior examples of interior design in the West

Sunset, Nov, 2000 by Rosalie Muller Wright

* We're always looking for new ways to bring good ideas to life in Sunset. Readers have asked for more solutions to their interior design problems. That's why we approached the national office of the American Society of Interior Designers in Washington, D.C., more than two years ago to propose a first-ever joint awards program for superior examples of interior design in the West. Of the 300 entries received here at Sunset, 17 were given Awards of Excellence.

"Excellence in interior design" was defined in the instructions to the jury (see photo below) as "achieved when space is created to facilitate the behavior that is intended to take place there." Each entry was judged on the success with which it fulfilled that requirement, as well as "function, utility, originality, skillful execution, and comfort." We also expected the winning entries to demonstrate a broad range of stylistic approaches, reflecting the West's aesthetic diversity. What a demanding set of rules!

As the stories and photographs of the winning spaces show (page 128), designs that are both comfortable and artful captured the jury's hearts and minds. We hope these examples give you some ideas for solving your interior design challenges, even if you do no more than find a new color to make your living room more "livable and beautiful."

The Sunset-ASID jury (clockwise from bottom left): BJ Peterson, FASID, Los Angeles; Daniel Gregory, Ph.D., home editor, Sunset; Melinda Sechrist, ASID, Seattle; Peter O. Whiteley, senior writer. Sunset; LuAnn Thoma Holec, ASID, Phoenix; Ann Bertelsen, style editor, Sunset; Odette Lueck, FASID, Bowie, MD.