VISION Design and Workroom Competition Award Winners Announced

Over two dozen interior designers, craftspeople and motorized window covering installers were recognized for their creative and meaningful contributions to people’s homes and businesses at the VISION Design and Workroom Competition Awards presentation, which took place earlier this month at the International Window Coverings Expo in Nashville, TN. As the only award program that exclusively recognizes the work of window covering professionals, the award calls attention to the importance of window coverings and the people who specify and make them. It also showcases some of the best practices in creating beautiful, functional window coverings for the modern marketplace.

Linda Tully with Custom Coverings in Lexington, KY, took home one of the competition’s top honors, Workroom of the Year. Workrooms fabricate custom window treatments at the request of interior designers, window covering retailers, hospitality companies and many other businesses. She also received several other awards: first place in the combination treatments and specialty window treatments categories, and a tie for second place in the top treatments category (see photo at right). 

“I was very honored to be awarded Workroom of the Year by Window Fashion VISION magazine,” Tully said. “It’s the most prestigious award a drapery professional can achieve. It’s very gratifying to have your workmanship recognized by former winners and expert judges. I’m so very thankful!”

Katherine Wozniak with Katherine Elizabeth Designs in Barrington, IL, was recognized as the Designer of the Year. Wozniak also captured first place awards in the decorative hardware/trim and combination treatment categories (see photo at left).

Design Competition Awards:

Combination Treatments:

1st Place: Katherine Wozniak, Katherine Elizabeth Designs, Barrington, IL 

2nd Place: Brenda Smith, Interiors by Design, Punta Gorda, FL

Curtains and Draperies:

1st Place: Marni Sugerman, Decorating Den Interiors, Riverdale, NY 

2nd Place (tie): Yelena Gerts, House of Style and Design, Holmdel, NJ

2nd Place (tie): Jessica Deal Fadgen and Fran Healy, Sheffield Furniture and Interiors Workroom, Phoenixville, PA

Commercial:

1st Place: Susan Gailani, Gailani Designs, Naperville, IL

2nd Place: Zahava Schwartz, Clear Eyes Imp LLC, Paramus, NJ

Decorative Hardware and Trim:

1st Place: Katherine Wozniak, Katherine Elizabeth Designs, Barrington, IL 

2nd Place: Susan Gailani, Gailani Designs, Naperville, IL

Specialty Window Fashions:

1st Place: Lori Yanaz and Diane Ten Broeck, Sheffield Furniture and Interiors Workroom, Phoenixville, PA

2nd Place (tie): Sharon Falcher and Sherica Maynard, Interior Design by S&S, Conyers, GA

2nd Place (tie): Debbie Hall, Designer Draperies and Innovation, Hainesport, NJ

Top Treatments:

1st Place: Lori Yanaz and Paige Patterson, Sheffield Furniture and Interiors Workroom, Phoenixville, PA

2nd Place (tie): Leigh Anderson, Willow Drapery and Upholstery, Glenview, IL

2nd Place (tie): Jessica Deal Fadgen and Fran Healy, Sheffield Furniture and Interiors Workroom, Phoenixville, PA

Whole Room Integration:

1st Place: Yelena Gerts, House of Style and Design, Holmdel, NJ

2nd Place (tie): Marni Sugerman, Decorating Den Interiors, Riverdale, NY 

2nd Place (tie): Suzanne Hynan, Interior Spaces LLC, White Bear Township, MN

Motorized Window Fashions:

1st Place (tie): Michael Wrusch, Michael Wrusch Designs, Palm Springs, CA

1st Place (tie): Gil Breef, Shades By Design, Miami, FL  

2nd Place: Otto and Kristina Rankin, Pacific Shades Custom Design and Automation, Phoenix, AZ

Workroom Competition Awards:

Bedding and Pillows:

1st Place: Tina Fontana, Fontana Designs, Crofton, MD

2nd Place: Leigh Anderson, Willow Drapery and Upholstery, Glenview, IL

Combination Treatments:

1st Place: Linda Tully, Custom Coverings, Lexington, KY

2nd Place: Tracie Bresnahan, Custom Creations, Cartersville, GA

Curtains and Draperies:

1st Place: Donna Hovis, Donna Hovis Interiors, Cornersville, TN

2nd Place (tie): Melissa Hammann, Riviera Décor, Corpus Christi, TX

2nd Place (tie): Zahava Schwartz, Clear Eyes Imp LLC, Paramus, NJ

Ingenious Installations:

1st Place: Tracie Bresnahan, Custom Creations, Cartersville, GA

2nd Place: Tina Fontana, Fontana Designs, Crofton, MD

Specialty Window Fashions:

1st Place: Linda Tully, Custom Coverings, Lexington, KY

2nd Place: Barbara Albrecht, The Drapery Source, Lisle, IL

Top Treatments:

1st Place: Elizabeth Gerdes, Stitch Above the Rest, Woodstock, GA

2nd Place (tie): Linda Tully, Custom Coverings, Lexington, KY

2nd Place (tie): Julie Wood, The Leading Edge Drapery LLC, Derry, NH

Upholstery and Slipcovers:

1st Place: Kimberly O’Hern, Sage and Ivy Designs, Pace, FL

2nd Place: Tina Fontana, Fontana Designs, Crofton, MD

“I say this every year but I really mean it—the quality of the submissions we receive increases every year,” McNamara said. “Our judges had some very difficult decisions to make, but they did a terrific job of picking our winners. I was especially excited to see more submissions in the motorized window treatment category this year. Motorized window treatments are the wave of the future and something that every designer should be jumping on board with.”

This year’s judges for the VISION Design and Workroom Competition Awards were Robin Baron, a celebrity interior designer, lifestyle expert and luxury home furnishings designer in New York; Karen Howland-Walker, founder of KH Window Fashions in Northborough, MA; Kerrie Kelly of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab in Sacramento, CA; Lena Kroupnik with Lena Kroupnik Interiors in North Bethesda, MD; Olga Polyanskaya of Drapery Expressions and Blinds, LLC in Colorado Springs, CO; Brad Ramsey of Brad Ramsey Interiors in Nashville, TN; and Kristen Vince, owner of Custom Elegance in St. Cloud, FL.

Are you interested in entering next year’s VISION Design and Workroom Competition? Application will be available later this year at https://www.iwce-vision.com/design-competition.