Giving Thanks

Cindy Allen -- Interior Design, 11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

This November feels a bit like the New Year already, doesn't it? While wrapping up those smashing videos for our Hall of Fame gala at the Waldorf and putting the finishing touches on the Best of Year Awards—back at the Guggenheim, where we belong—our staff seems a bit giddy at a new beginning postmarked 11/4/08 and ready for delivery on that dearly awaited date, 01/20/09.

This lightheartedness, this elation have a magic tingle to them that's not unlike the genuine sparkle emanating from the stars of this issue. They fall into two categories: young studios, now navigating this financial storm everywhere from Manhattan to Santiago de Compostela, and major firms, Gensler for starters, that have moved away from narrow areas of expertise to set sail for a real diversity. (What a hoot. Can I call it, or can I call it?) Together, these groups form a different kind of rainbow coalition, and at the end of that rainbow is an arcadian oasis where design is king, and only creative solutions matter. That's a sorely needed thing for my own optimistic nature, not so unabashed of late.

What can I say? God bless America.