Real estate entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran, an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, Hadley Keller, digital design reporter for Architectural Digest, and Stephen Sousa, founder and principal at Sousa Design Architects, will judge Wayfair’s upcoming Tastemaker Awards, which are now open for entries. The program is also welcoming property management, hospitality and office design entrants for the first time.
“In parallel with Wayfair Professional’s vision to help businesses create impactful spaces across every industry and budget, our members are truly creating the finest spaces in commercial and residential design,” says Margaret Lawrence, vice president, Wayfair Professional. “Spaces that are fresh and unexpected, yet thoughtful and functional, are key elements that the judges are looking for this year. We are particularly honored to work with industry leaders Barbara, Hadley and Stephen to recognize remarkable design talent and select the 2018 Tastemaker winners.”
The categories for the 2018 Tastemaker Awards include Design of the Year, Best Residential Space, Best Office Space, Best Hospitality Space, and debuting this season, Most Innovative Space. Wayfair Professional members who are based in the United States and certain provinces in Canada can submit their design projects through March 9. The awards are sponsored by Stanley Furniture, Perigold, Kimball, and Mohawk.
“The Tastemaker Awards were created to recognize the businesses and interior designers who bring creativity and originality to whatever space they’re working in,” Lawrence explained. “Through our program, we’re lucky enough to see unique, innovative designs every day. We want to take this opportunity to celebrate all of this incredible work and share it with our entire network.”
“When judging this year’s Tastemaker entries, I’ll be looking for imagination, ingenuity and fresh approaches to the same old problems,” says Corcoran. “We’ll always have four walls and a ceiling to work with, but you can certainly make them seem like something totally different. My personal favorite is how color is being used in design, especially with accent pieces, as it gives the space a spark of personality.”
