Boutique Design - December 2019 - 4

EDITORIAL
Publisher/Vice President
Boutique Design Group
Michelle Finn
michelle.finn@emeraldexpo.com
Editor in Chief
Mary Scoviak
mary.scoviak@emeraldexpo.com

BY MARY SCOVIAK, EDITOR IN CHIEF

PASSION PROJECTS
Hospitality designers aren't supposed to fall in
love with their projects. Many of the ones who
did made the cut as winners and finalists for the
39th Annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in
Hospitality Design.
Of course, every designer wants every
commission to be the best it can be. But
there are some jobs that resonate at a more
personal level. During the cocktail hour before
the Gold Key gala held at New York's Cipriani
42nd Street, I heard great backstories about
those "heart" projects-the midnight oil spent
looking for original blueprints that would reveal
a door the designer hoped would have been in a
building being converted to a hotel; researching
what kind of beads were in the necklace cherished by the hotel's namesake; clocking a
couple of miles every day for a week or so
walking a pre-renovated lobby and trying to
figure out the right scale for the furniture; going
down a rabbit hole looking for "just one more"
letter from travelers who'd stayed in the hotel
long ago or frequented it when it was another
business altogether-and realizing what started
at 7 p.m. was ending at dawn.
That passion for creative work was out in full
force at the dinner and gala. Nearly 500 industry
professionals came together at this prestigious
event to celebrate the amazing work done from

July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019 around the world.
We appreciate the support from title sponsors RH Contract and Valley Forge Fabrics, as
well as category sponsors: Akula Living; Astro;
BERMANFALK; elements cf; KB Contract;
JVA Art Group; Maya Romanoff; P/Kaufmann
Contract; Kravet Contract; Saatchi Art; WilliamsSonoma Inc. and Vaughn Benz.
It was a glittering evening, but it also rocked.
Industry stars and those-soon-to-be grooved
along with the DJ Obah, shouted and whistled
for their favorites and teared up-or at least had
a hitch in their voices-when they came to the
stage to collect their winner's trophies. The best
part: this energized community showed love for
other firms' projects, not just their own.
See how all that translates to the awardwinning work featured in this issue's special
report on the Gold Key winners and finalists and
also the collective genius that shapes the work of
this year's Designer of the Year, AvroKO.

Art Director
Kelly Farrar
kelly.farrar@emeraldexpo.com
Special Projects Editor
Oriana Lerner
oriana.lerner@emeraldexpo.com
Associate Editor
AnnMarie Martin
annmarie.martin@emeraldexpo.com
International Editor
Alicia Sheber
Contributing Editor
Alicia Hoisington
Senior Production Director
Nan McDowell
Production Manager
Terri Hill
terri.hill@emeraldexpo.com
(770) 291-5481
Boutique Design Marketing Director
Sandi Luppert
sandi.luppert@emeraldexpo.com
Executive Vice President
Gannon Brousseau
Senior Vice President, Design
Stacy Shoemaker Rauen

SALES
Associate Publisher/Regional Sales Manager
Melani Beattie
melani.beattie@emeraldexpo.com
(312) 218-5691
BDNY Sales Representative
Nicole Panzeca
nicole.panzeca@emeraldexpo.com
Sales & Marketing Manager
Cassie Maurer
cassie.maurer@emeraldexpo.com

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CORPORATE
President and CEO
Sally Shankland
Chief Financial Officer
Philip Evans
Chief Operating Officer
Brian Field
Senior Vice President, General Counsel
And Secretary
David Gosling
Senior Vice President, Finance
Dave Sunderland
Senior Vice President, Marketing Services
Joanne Wheatley
Vice President and Controller
Kate Elder
Executive Vice President, People & Culture
Angelique Carbo

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Boutique Design - December 2019

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