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Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 8/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Kicking off NeoCon in Chicago, design professionals put on their black-tie finery to toast the winners of this year's International Interior Design Association awards. The ceremony celebrated three competitions: the 30th annual Interior Design Competition, cosponsored by Interior Design, the 11th annual Will Ching Design Competition, and the sixth annual Residential Design Competition. "The categories were so varied, with everything from residential to hospitality to health care," says Shashi Caan, the founder and principal of Shashi Caan Collective and an IIDA judge for 2003.

Caan and her fellow panelists— Perkins & Will/EvaMaddox Branded Environments principal Eva Maddox, Nokia chief designer Frank Nuovo, and Vanderbyl Design principal Michael Vanderbyl—sifted through some 350 entries to determine the 10 winners. Three awards went to firms north of the border: Burdifilek, II by IV Design Associates, and Cecconi Simone. "The Canadians had a fresh approach," says Caan. "The Americans seemed more conservative."

The bright spots stateside included Adamstein & Demetriou Architects's awards for Zola and Zaytinya restaurants. "The architects really carried a concept through, from crafting the volume to choosing the furniture, accessories, graphics, and lighting," says Caan. Meanwhile, Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects's Williamsburg Community Center, she adds, displayed "sensitivity in upgrading quality of life."

Best of Competition 2003 FIRM: Pasanella + Klein Stolzman + Berg Architects. PROJECT: Williamsburg Community Center in Brooklyn, New York. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Steel-framed multipurpose and recreation zones.

FIRM: Burdifilek. PROJECT: Tip Top Tailors Building sales center in Toronto. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Modern furniture in a 1929 deco building.

FIRM: ZumaOOH! PROJECT: A house in Hopland, California. CATEGORY: Residential Design Competition. STANDOUT: Rich materials and neutral colors.

FIRM: Dick Clark Architecture. PROJECT: A house in Austin, Texas. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Mahogany, travertine, and polished black granite.

FIRM: Space International. PROJECT: Noevir USA cosmetics showroom in Irvine, California. CATEGORY: Will Ching Design Competition. STANDOUT: Custom and contemporary, seamlessly blended.

FIRM: Karlsberger Companies. PROJECT: Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Desert-sun colors for a bright, healing environment.

FIRM: II by IV Design Associates. PROJECT: Seven nightclub in Toronto. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: A rainbow glow in backlit glass.

FIRM: Cecconi Simone. PROJECT: Oni One flagship store in Toronto. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Living environments in curtained vignettes.

FIRM: Adamstein & Demetriou Architects. PROJECT: Zola restaurant in Washington, D.C. CATEGORY: Interior Design Competition. STANDOUT: Peek-through portholes.