Introducing the Winners of Our First Annual WL Design 25 Awards

Drumroll, please. We’re so proud to officially announce the winners of our first-ever WL Design 25 competition. Designers from across Western Canada sent in over 600 entries—and from our top 100 finalists, we’ve selected 25 winners. Read on for functional, engaging an beautiful design: a gorgeous-in-neon fried-chicken joint, a popsicle-inspired bench, a basement that channels a Miami nightclub and more.

Meet the Winners of the Inaugural WL Design 25 Competition

White Out: Sholto Design Studio’s Blood Alley Apartment Entryway

It’s an apartment lobby unlike any other in the city. But as surreal as the all-white bar scene in the entryway of Vancouver’s Blood Alley building may be, designer Sholto Scruton (of Sholto Design Studio) based the tableau on the neighbourhood’s very real history. READ MORE

First Impressions: New Format Studio’s Borrowed Forms Credenza

The bronze face of the Borrowed Forms credenza might look familiar if you’ve been exploring the coastlines or hiking trails of B.C. lately. READ MORE

Rattan Reverie: Studio North’s Boho House

Nestled in Calgary’s Varsity neighbourhood, Boho House is a testament to Studio North’s ability to meld the nostalgic allure of mid-century design with contemporary style. READ MORE

Mind Melt: Onetwosix Design’s Pop-Upsicles

Industrial designers Matt Carr, Nick Kazakoff and Brendan Gallagher created the Pop-Upsicles—a collection of popsicle-shaped outdoor seating—for the Benchmarks street furniture competition put on by design-focused nonprofit MADE and Edmonton’s annual KDays exhibition. READ MORE

The Slow Life: Project 22 Design’s Thormanby Island great room

You won’t find a speck of drywall in this 2,400-square-foot, off-the-grid home on B.C.’s North Thormanby Island.  READ MORE

Living on the Edge: McLeod Bovell’s Liminal House Primary Bedroom

The name of this home, Liminal House, plays with the idea of a transitory space, coming from a couple of sources—the homeowners’ lives transitioning between life with kids and soon-to-be empty nesters, and a property that lies in a transitional zone between a suburban residential neighbourhood and the natural oceanfront in West Vancouver. READ MORE

Half-Pipe Hero: Adrian Martinus’s Stackton Credenza

Brothers Adrian and Martinus Pool and collaborator Anne Tranholm have crafted the Stackton credenza with layers. READ MORE

Work It Out: Shaun Ford and Co’s Lakeview Home Office

In the past few years, we’ve all realized just how important it is to have a home workspace that’s not just functional, but also inspiring—and this Calgary home office by interior design studio Shaun Ford and Co sets a welcome high bar. READ MORE

Neon Rider: Amanda Hamilton’s Strip Joint Chicken Restaurant

With its irreverent name clearly pointing to the basis of inspiration (Strip Joint—be sure to include the all-important word “chicken” when googling this restaurant), this bold and brassy take from Amanda Hamilton Interior Design is both a visual showstopper and strategically executed. READ MORE

Golden Glow: Matthew McCormick’s Ova Lights

Matthew McCormick’s latest piece, Ova, feels right in the family with his Mila and Halo designs, without being derivative. READ MORE

Swing into Style: Capella Design’s Corbel Side Table

Not just a pretty face, the Corbel by Capella Design takes inspiration from the functional-if-ugly hospital overbed table and swings into the realm of high design. READ MORE

View Finder: Measured Architecture’s Shor House Living Room

Inspired by sculptor Donald Judd’s Marfa compound, architect Clinton Cuddington designed his family’s Mayne Island retreat as an open, structurally exposed space, with one end almost entirely glazed to take in the view toward Pender Island. READ MORE

Furniture and Beyond: Pablo Mariano’s Infinity Chair

Despite its limitless-sounding title, Pablo Mariano’s Infinity chair is actually an exercise in restraint. READ MORE

Chasing Waterfalls: ÜRS Architectural Water Systems’ Rain Chains

This eye-catching creation transforms rainwater into a breathtaking work of art. READ MORE

Home Is Where the Light Is: Knight Varga’s Forever Home Primary Suite

Trish Knight and Nicole Varga of Knight Varga Interiors started this project right at the onset of the pandemic, and despite this tumultuous timing, the West Vancouver legacy home was able to turn any resulting pressure into a diamond design. READ MORE

Colour Correction: PlaidFox’s Oceanview Primary Bedroom

There’s a reason white and neutral bedrooms are ubiquitous: soothing and serene, it’s a palette that inspires a sense of calm at the end of a long day. But on the other end of the (colour) spectrum, there’s this joyful, jewel-toned space from Vancouver’s PlaidFox. READ MORE

Practical Magic: Falken Reynolds’ Cadboro Bay Mud Room

This is a mud room that’s as purpose-built as can be for an athletic family of five—plus pooch. READ MORE

A Diamond in the Rough: Marcela Trejo’s Leah Alexandra Jewelry HQ

Typically, the customer-facing part of a retail operation is much more spectacular than the employees-only office area—but that’s not so for Leah Alexandra Jewelry (LAJ), a warehouse space converted into a dreamy, hardworking headquarters by designer Marcela Trejo. READ MORE

Strike a Juxtapose: Stephanie Brown’s Mackenzie Street Dining Room

Once a formal living room, this bright, minimalist dining room from Stephanie Brown Inc. reimagines a more open-concept space, repurposing it for large family gatherings and dinners. READ MORE

Worth the Weight: Lifted Movement’s Movement Cart

Kiara and Kate LeBlanc recently saw themselves highlighted as “Ones to Watch” in our January/February 2024 issue, but their style-focused exercise equipment brand Lifted Movement is getting another rep in fast. READ MORE

The Playmaker: Studio Roslyn’s It’s Okay Bar

How do you embrace all the friendly, laid-back charm of a neighbourhood sports bar while also incorporating modern, elevated design elements? READ MORE

Full Tilt: Quinspired Ceramics’ Gold Whisky Tumbler

You’ve heard of a drink on the rocks. Now, prepare yourself for whisky that rolls. READ MORE

Minimalist Beauty: Sophie Burke’s Highland Hills Family Room

A room that truly embodies a less-is-more design philosophy, the simple, natural beauty of Sophie Burke’s Highland Hills family room stands out for its subtlety: it’s a masterclass in restraint. READ MORE

Peachy Keen: Studio Felix’s Ramsay Kitchen

This peachy-pink kitchen wasn’t just designed to combat the dreary white-and-grey palette of Alberta winters: Calgary design firm Studio Felix also intended it to break the pattern of too-serious, monochromatic custom infills. READ MORE

High Fashion in Low Places: Louis Duncan-He’s Woo Basement

Louis Duncan-He is proving that when it comes to basement design, the sky (or, perhaps, the ground?) is truly the limit. READ MORE