Interior Design, the industry-leading design authority, commemorates four decades of honoring significant contribution to the fields of interior design and architecture with the announcement of the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees.
Selected by Editor-in-Chief, Cindy Allen, and a nominating committee of Hall of Fame members, this year’s honorees are Holly Hunt, Founder of HOLLY HUNT and House of Hunt; David Galullo, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Rapt Studio; and Adam Rolston, Drew Stuart, and Gabriel Benroth, Founding Partners of INC Architecture & Design.
In honor of this milestone anniversary, Interior Design will also present two special recognitions: to DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), which is also celebrating 40 years, and a special tribute to the late architect, Jeffrey Beers.
Said Allen, “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. And this year’s stellar talent certainly honors the past, but their vision and impact speaks to the future of design.”
Established in 1985 and hosted by Allen, Interior Design’s Hall of Fame Awards will take place on December 11, 2024, at The Glasshouse in New York City. The gala includes a curated program featuring award-winning documentaries on the 2024 inductees.
For the first time in the event’s history, the Hall of Fame will be hosting a silent auction taking place during the duration of the program with all proceeds going towards supporting DIFFA’s crucial mission. This change marks a significant evolution in our celebration, where philanthropy takes center stage, underscoring our commitment to making a lasting impact.
THE INDUCTEES
Holly Hunt | Founder of HOLLY HUNT and House of Hunt
Holly Hunt is a celebrated American businesswoman and esteemed figure in the interior design industry, known for transforming a small furniture showroom into a globally respected luxury design brand. Additionally, she is the founder of the boutique interior design firm, House of Hunt.
In 1983, Hunt opened her first HOLLY HUNT showroom in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart selling custom furnishings to-the-interior-design trade. Led by an entrepreneurial instinct, she revolutionized the American interior design industry over the following 30 years, reshaping the presentation of furnishings by assembling an unprecedented array of diverse makers and design perspectives in a gallery-like setting. She went on to design her own high-quality furniture, lighting, and textile collections while expanding her business to more than a dozen U.S. and international locations. In 2014, she sold her company, HOLLY HUNT, to Knoll.
Led by her astute business acumen, discerning eye, and her constant instinct to challenge the status quo, she remains committed to pushing boundaries within the industry. In 2021, she embarked on a new endeavor: House of Hunt, a boutique interior design studio.
David Galullo | CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Rapt Studio
As CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Rapt Studio, Galullo leads the firm in delivering award-winning projects that span the globe for the world’s most relevant brands, among them The North Face, Google, Duolingo, Roblox, VANS, CNN, HBO, Lululemon, and Goop.
Galullo studied Architecture at Syracuse University and started his design career in Philadelphia before later moving to San Francisco. His vision for the evolving role of design led him to create Rapt Studio, in 2011, an interdisciplinary design offering, as an answer to his clients’ need for a more integrated and tailored response to the complex challenges they were facing.
Rapt has studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York and their agile approach to integrated design earned the studio Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company Award in 2018. Today, the studio continues to bend the barriers between spatial design, brand and strategy.
In 2019 and again this year, Rapt joined the international conversation on the power of design with its interactive installations in Milan during the city’s Design Week and empowers Galullo to be a trusted voice in the powerful connection between people, brand and place.
Adam Rolston, Drew Stuart, Gabriel Benroth Founding Partners of INC Architecture & Design
Adam Rolston, Creative & Managing Director, AIA
Adam Rolston, Senior Founding Partner, has been shaping the built environment for more than three decades. Raised in Los Angeles and educated in Connecticut, New York, and Florence, Rolston has lived and worked in Asia, Europe, and the United States. As INC’s Creative and Managing Director, he has designed objects, spaces, and buildings on scales from intimate to urban, totaling over a million square feet.
Rolston’s endeavors, driven by the conviction that beauty is a human entitlement, encompass public and private scale residential, hospitality, club, restaurant, retail, and commercial projects across three continents. His work is distinguished by his commitment to social well-being, precise attention to detail, and adept stewardship of complex projects. His dedication to his adoptive home of New York City extends well beyond architecture and design; as an executive board member of the not-for-profit Open House New York, he supports the mission to provide unparalleled access to the places, people, projects, systems, and ideas shaping New York City’s future. Rolston’s multifaceted expertise and passion have cemented his reputation as a leader in the field, harmonizing aesthetic beauty with social responsibility and technical excellence.
Drew Stuart, Development & Construction Director, AIA, LEED AP
Drew Stuart has been engaged in the practice of architecture for nearly two decades. At University of Cincinnati’s School of Architecture and Interior Design, and in extensive travels to Europe and Asia, Stuart developed a commitment to quality and craft. He joined Tsao & McKown Architects in 1999, where he worked for seven years before founding INC in 2006.
Stuart has designed and executed private residential interiors, hotels, spas, restaurants, and large and small scale residential condominium developments–all with a domestic sensibility. He possesses a particular interest in the complexities of ushering a design from conception to realization while maintaining a balance between design and constructability.
Gabriel Benroth, Studio & Information Director
Gabriel Benroth attended the University of Cincinnati’s School of Architecture and Interior Design, where he graduated magna cum laude with dual degrees in Architecture and Interior Design. Starting in 1997, he worked on workplace projects at the DC office of Gensler; retail and campus planning while at BAR Architects in San Francisco; and historic preservation in upstate New York and high-end residential interiors at Tsao & McKown Architects in New York City.
Benroth’s primary focus is the intersection between architecture and interior design, which finds expression in projects ranging from custom furniture to private and boutique retail interiors to large luxury hospitality and commercial projects. As Studio Director, Benroth has expanded the traditional role by building new systems and adopting new technologies to model and integrate disparate business processes and developing tools that capitalize on new open interfaces in software.
SPECIAL TRIBUTES
DIFFA | Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS
Since its founding in 1984, DIFFA has been at the forefront of mobilizing the design community to grant over $56 million to support underserved populations across the United States. DIFFA grants funds to organizations that provide essential services, including healthcare, food, and housing, for a diverse group of individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS, food and housing insecurities, and mental health challenges. The organization is unique in offering unrestricted funds to service agencies, allowing them the flexibility to address immediate needs, such as utilities, transportation, healthcare services, housing, and hot meals for those in dire need.
In 2023, DIFFA’s grants were instrumental in supporting Greater New York Area organizations. These grants provided 130,000 pantry bag meals and food vouchers through the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, facilitated 10 Women’s Empowerment Art Therapy workshops via Visual AIDS for the Arts, and supported Callen-Lorde’s Health Outreach to Teens (HOTT) program, serving underserved LGBTQ homeless and street-involved youth across New York City.
As DIFFA celebrates its 40th anniversary alongside the 40th anniversary of its long-standing partner, Interior Design Magazine, this milestone highlights the enduring connection between the design industry and the spirit of giving back. Together, DIFFA and Interior Design Magazine continue to inspire meaningful change, advocating for those most in need and making a profound DIFFArence in the world.
Jeffrey Beers | Founder and CEO of Jeffrey Beers International (1956-2024)
Prior to his death in 2024, Jeffrey Beers was CEO of the global architecture, design, and planning firm he founded, Jeffrey Beers International.
Beers studied architecture at RISD, which included glassblowing under the renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Later, Beers was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to Brazil to study with Oscar Niemeyer and then New York to work for I. M. Pei. In 1986, he founded Jeffrey Beers International.
Jeffrey Beers International is a full-service studio that specializes in architecture, design, and planning from hotel to resorts, from restaurants to residential. Their signature style is evident in resorts such as the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, restaurants like Café Boulud New York, and residential developments like 108 in Leonard in Tribeca. Custom fixtures, sensitivity to the texture and color of materials, and elegant proportions define their work. As part of the firm’s succession plan, newly appointed partners Michael Pandolfi, AIA, Nora Liu Kanter, and Tim Rooney have come together to lead the firm and celebrate Jeffrey’s enduring legacy of creativity and innovation.
HALL OF FAME
More than one thousand of the world’s most prestigious designers, architects, manufacturers, and design luminaries will gather to honor the new inductees at this black-tie celebration. Inspirational documentaries on the work and legacy of each of the inductees will be premiered at the Hall of Fame, and later on DESIGNTV.
A portion of the proceeds from the Hall of Fame event will make a difference in addressing pressing crises worldwide. Tables and tickets can be purchased through halloffame@interiordesign.net, and more information can be found here.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior Design is the global, industry-leading design publication, website, and events company serving the interior design, architectural, and facility management audiences. For more than 90 years, Interior Design magazine–published by SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, a leader in multichannel brands that meet at the intersection of luxury and design–has been the essential design authority for every professional, on all projects, throughout the design process. Interior Design Events connect the industry, promoting creative leadership, innovation, and collaboration across a wide range of practice areas and platforms. Interior Design’s digital companion, interiordesign.net, is the go-to site for relevant and real-time content for the industry’s largest and most engaged design audience.
SANDOW DESIGN GROUP
SANDOW was founded by visionary entrepreneur Adam I. Sandow in 2003, with the goal of reinventing the traditional publishing model. Today, SANDOW powers the design, materials and luxury industries through innovative content, tools, and integrated solutions. Its diverse portfolio of assets includes SANDOW DESIGN GROUP, a multi-platform collective of leading design media and services brands, including, Interior Design, Metropolis, Design Milk, DESIGNTV by SANDOW; ThinkLab, a research and strategy firm; and content services brands, including The Agency by SANDOW – a full-scale digital marketing agency, The Studio by SANDOW – a video production studio, and SURROUND – a podcast network and production studio. SANDOW brands include Luxe Interiors + Design and Architizer. In 2019, Adam Sandow launched Material Bank, the world’s largest marketplace for searching, sampling, and specifying architecture, design, and construction materials.
