The Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) celebrated 11 projects at this year’s Value of Design Awards (VODA).

These awards, which launched in 2018, shine a spotlight on Canadian interior designers by providing a forum to showcase the benefits of design thinking: an empathetic, inventive, and iterative process focused on the human experience within interior spaces.

Projects from B.C. and Alberta were honoured in each of the three categories.

Excellence – Innovation in Workplace Design
Lordco Head Office, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Michelle Biggar / Office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers (OMB)

OMB was commissioned by Lordco Auto Parts to provide full scale interior design services for their new 46,000sf Head Office space. The tenant improvement spans three floors and is located in a new 377,000sf purpose-built distribution centre. A central atrium and feature stair that spans three floors was introduced to encourage connectivity and collaboration.

The interior space planning was informed by the goal to provide clarity of the company’s organization and function. Training rooms, collaborative work spaces and flex areas were strategically located to maximize function and a full fitness area was included to support staff’s wellbeing. The central and generous lunch room provided opportunity for staff to congregate and a separate executive suite with a private lunch room on the top floor provided the option for uninterrupted workflow for executives

Merit –  Innovation in Hospitality Design
CheckMate Winery, Oliver, B.C.
Jenn Lembke / McKinley Architecture Inc.

CheckMate Winery revitalizes an existing winemaking facility, refining the processing areas and adding new tasting rooms with layered views of surrounding vineyards and the Okanagan Valley beyond.

Honourable Mention – Innovation in Workplace Design
Maurice Law, Calgary, AB
Jenn Lembke / McKinley Architecture Inc.

McKinley Studios was asked to design an office for Maurice Law that reflected their indigenous identity, while also representing them as a leader in Canadian law. The challenge was to connect two physically separate floors, cohesively and functionally, encouraging connection and movement. The design approach taken for this project was deeply contextual, drawing inspiration from a rich culture and adapting it subtly to the challenging space. By making cultural identity a primary driver of the design, McKinley Studios achieved a result that not only reflected the client’s values and function but also celebrated and enriched their cultural identity.

The full list of winners can be found at IDC.