WESTWEEK Buzz: Stars of Design

This year's Pacific Design Center Stars of Design Awards dinner was the perfect close a fabulous first day of WESTWEEK.

On March 23, A-listers gathered at Wolfgang Puck’s Red Seven in the PDC to the zippy tunes of the Luis Villagas Band where seven design awards would be presented to California-based luminaries.

This year's recipients were selected by a panel comprised of industry leaders who are experts in the fields of home furnishings, architecture and design. This distinguished panel of judges included Rose Tarlow, Wallace E. Cunningham, Jorge Pardo, Ron Flemming, Suzanne Rheinstein, Brandon Morrison, Karyn Millet and Sean Knibb.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cohen hosted a beautiful and intimate dinner for the Stars of Design,” said Bobby Contini, VP Marketing of Cohen Design Centers. “This evening is held to honor some our industry’s most revered professionals, and as always, the evening was amazing.”

"The best part of my job at WESTWEEK so far was the experience of calling each winner to let them know they won prior to the event,” Elizabeth Chamberlain, Marketing Director of PDC, told us. “It was amazing to hear these leaders in their field get choked up. They were all simply blown away.”

The winners included James Cutler for Architecture, Pae White for Art, John Van Hamersveld for Graphic Design, Mary McDonald for Interior Design, Jim McHugh for Photography, Marc Atlan for Product Design, Pamela Burton for Urban Design, and Marc Appleton for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“The speeches were so moving," said Elizabeth. "The speech given by Marc Atlan talked about the inspiration he gets from his wife. It was such a sweet moment.”

Established over a decade ago in Los Angeles at PDC, the Stars of Design Awards honor professionals who have achieved recognition in various fields of design. The honorees are highly regarded for their significant achievements and contributions to their professions.

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