Last night, Architectural Digest staff and guests celebrated the first AD100 selected by editor in chief Margaret Russell with a red carpet event at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. First published in 1990, the biennial list features top talents in architecture and design. The new list includes 53 new names since it was last published in 2010, and 17 of the honorees were part of the inaugural AD100 more than 20 years ago.

"This list reflects the past, the present, and the future of design; it is at once a tribute and a challenge. What it will never be is static—as design progresses, so does Architectural Digest," wrote Russell in the January 2012 Editor's Page.

Guests included AD100 designers and their guests: Mario Buatta, Darryl Carter, Amy Fine Collins, Jamie Drake, Nina Griscom, Nicky Haslam, Aerin Lauder, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Peter Marino, Campion Platt, Michael Smith, Robert A.M. Stern, Martha Stewart, Robert Verdi, Alexandra Wentworth, Jason Wu, among others.

Margaret Russell welcomes guests and toasts the AD100

"Design is a serious business, and though there may be an element of fantasy to many of the projects showcased in our pages, Architectural Digest's focus is on buildings and interiors that will stand the test of time. The designers and architects of the 2012 AD100 exemplify that mind-set, with an understanding that it is not enough for their work to be eye-catching; it must be exacting too, embodying the finest skills, the most advanced techniques, and an uncommon attention to detail," wrote Russell.

The complete list will be featured in the January 2012 issue, on newsstands December 6, 2011.

Photos courtesy Larry Busacca / Wire Image.