ASID Announces its 2016 National Awards

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) annually recognizes outstanding achievement in design by bestowing its National Awards upon an individual (or group) in each of four categories. In order to be considered for a National Award, designers must be professional members of ASID and be nominated for distinction by their peers. All nominees go through two rounds of judging – first by a group consisting of members of the National Board and the ASID National staff, and finally by a jury composed of professional members, fellows, and representatives of the design community.

In announcing the recipients of this year’s awards, ASID CEO Randy Fiser said, “As part of the Society’s mission, we support and recognize leading visionaries who continually push boundaries to demonstrate the impact of design. The 2016 ASID National Award winners are no exception: true visionaries whose accomplishments inspire and teach us about what can be done to make a difference. We are proud to honor them.”

The categories for which individuals or groups may be nominated are:

> Designer of Distinction – this is a lifetime achievement award, the Society’s highest distinction for outstanding work over the course of an entire career.

> Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award – named to honor Ms. McClelland for her tireless advocacy of the interior design profession, this award recognizes an individual, organization, manufacturer or research team for outstanding support of the profession.

> Design for Humanity – this award recognizes an individual or institution for far-reaching contributions to improving the human experience through interior design.

> Design Innovation – this is an award for a significantly innovative product, project or process that contributes to the field of interior design.

And the 2016 ASID National Award recipients are:

Designer of Distinction – Rachelle Schoessler Lynn, FASID, CID, LEED Fellow

Ms. Schoessler Lynn has been both an early adopter of sustainability as a professional obligation and a leader in applying sustainable principles to her design work. As such she co-founded the Minnesota chapter of USGBC and became a Fellow of USGBC LEED in 2013.

2016.0411.ASID1.Rachelle Schoessler Lynn
Rachelle Schoessler Lynn, FASID, CID, LEED Fellow

In a letter of endorsement, David A. Loehr, AIA, AICP, LEED AP BD+C principal at HGA in Minneapolis, MN, said, “I enthusiastically support Rachelle Schoessler Lynn for the ASID Designer of Distinction Award. Throughout her career, she has integrated her passion for sustainability with highly acclaimed design solutions. Rachelle has provided long-term leadership, commitment, innovation and service to the American Society of Interior Designers at international, national and local levels. It is her personal and consistent commitment to creating a better future through inspiring, sustainable design that elevates her above her peers. I know Rachelle represents the best that ASID has to offer and is truly deserving of the Designer of Distinction Award.”

As a past president of ASID, through speaking engagements, publications and indeed, throughout her career, she has selflessly shared her knowledge and passion for design with fellow designers.

With sustainability at the core of her design thinking, she regularly incorporates goals for the use of reclaimed materials, energy efficiency, and human health and wellbeing in her projects.

Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award – Caren S. Martin, Ph.D., CID, FASID

With more than 20 years of tireless advocacy for the interior design profession, Dr. Martin serves as a tenured associate professor of interior design, at the University of Minnesota. She has served on the Minnesota Interior Design Legislative Action Committee, and has been the interior design representative on the Minnesota state licensing board.

2016.0411.ASID2.Caren S_ Martin
Caren S. Martin, Ph.D., CID, FASID

As a researcher and educator Dr. Martin has focused on Evidence Based Design, designing for the needs of special populations and on bringing knowledge from her research to her students at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

She has authored and co-authored numerous books, and studies and was a co-creator and director of the website, InformeDesign¼ and its related newsletter, Implications. In the March 10, 2008 issue of officeinsight, Brad Powell wrote, “InformeDesign¼ is one of the most important developments in the interior design profession in the last 100 years, perhaps ever. As interior designers struggle to gain professional recognition and public awareness, few things are as important as the knowledge foundation upon which the profession rests, and the educational institutions charged with generating, understanding and disseminating this knowledge. While there will always be an appreciation of, and an important place for, artistic and decorative achievements, these are not the products on which the interior design profession will advance.”

In her Nominee’s Statement Dr. Martin wrote, “Work that has engaged me – driven me actually, has been advocacy for professional recognition for the interior design profession by illuminating interior design’s development, contributions and value to individuals, communities, entities and the legislature.” Her many contributions to the professionalization of the interior design profession make her an entirely worthy recipient of the Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award.

Design for Humanity – Dwell with Dignity, Lisa Robison and Kim Turner

2016.0411.ASID3.DwDlogoDwell with Dignity works to help families escape homelessness and poverty through design; one household at a time. Dwell with Dignity Founder, Lisa Robison, along with Kim Turner lead a team that designs and installs home interiors for families in transition from homelessness or abusive situations to a safe, functional and beautiful environment. They also partner with agencies that provide distressed families counseling, training and support.

In their Nominee’s Statement Mmes. Robison and Turner write, “As interior designers, we are keenly aware of the impact our environments have on our quality of life. However, it is often times the people who can least afford good design who could benefit most from it.”

A girl’s bedroom as designed and furnished by Dwell with Dignity. Photo by Lance Selgo at Unique Exposure Photography
A girl’s bedroom as designed and furnished by Dwell with Dignity. Photo by Lance Selgo at Unique Exposure Photography

In addition to raising money from individual donors to support its mission, Dwell with Dignity gets much support in the form of donations of furniture, art, kitchen supplies, etc. from the “design community,” – as in design firms, manufacturers and showrooms. For example this year’s fundraiser, called the Thrift Shop, is a series of vignettes designed by local design firms and supplied by the aforementioned design community. It is located in a 10,000 square foot space and the donated items are sold at “thrift” prices to the public.

Accordingly, and with the assistance of local humanitarian agencies and many volunteers from the design community, Dwell with Dignity takes on projects to design and outfit a house or apartment for a deserving family with all the intensity of a paid design project. Thus by the end of 2016 it will have installed 97 projects, and given a leg-up to a much larger group of deserving people.

Design Innovation – Stacklab + Rebart

Toronto’s Stacklab and Rebart design and build projects that contribute to responsible, positive advances across a range of design disciplines, including material and process innovation to create unique furniture objects that are specific to the process employed.

The Garrison side table
The Garrison side table

Combining reclaimed and “found” materials with digital design and analytical tools they create repeatable processes that nonetheless deliver unique, almost one-off products. For example, they produce a multi-purpose side table, “The Garrison” from the rebar taken from a historic Toronto bridge that was demolished.

Applying design innovation in multiple ways: process, material and aesthetic Stacklab and Rebart create unique, iconic, useful products in a way that is both socially responsible and sustainable.

The actual presentation of the awards to this year’s winners will be at the Society’s Annual Gala, July 16, 2016, in Minneapolis, MN. Their work will be featured in the summer issue of ASID ICON magazine.