The 1970s throwback vibes of the Ace Hotel in Toronto and the bright colors and spacious rooms of a children’s medical clinic in Seattle were named finalists for this year’s Dezeen awards for interior design.
Dezeen, an influential design publication based in London, will pick winners in November from residential, commercial, healthcare and other categories for interior design. Dezeen identified its 47 finalists this week from 23 countries, including the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Mexico.
Dezeen was founded in 2006 by architecture critic and journalist Marcus Fairs, who died last year at age 54. Dezeen's 2023 awards program also includes 85 buildings recognized for their architecture.
The 13-story Ace Hotel Toronto opened in July 2022 in Toronto’s Fashion District neighborhood. It's designed with a distinct 1970s flavor in the brown and gold color scheme and mid-century modern furniture. The hotel lobby is suspended above the entrance by large concrete arches. Earthy tones and exposed concrete are also plentiful, Dezeen said in its description.
The bar is an extension of the hotel's lobby by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, and maintains its earth tones and exposed concrete.
A restaurant and meeting space are located below the Ace Hotel Toronto’s suspended lobby. Individual hotel rooms are designed as “urban cabins” with deep window boxes fitted with cushioned benches.
Ace Hotel Toronto, which is a finalist in the hotel and short-stay interior category, was designed by an in-house team from Ace Hotel Group and the Toronto architecture firm Shim-Sutcliffe. Sortis Holdings in January agreed to acquire Ace Group International, although a legal dispute has held up the sale closing.
The Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, part of Seattle Children’s Hospital, provides more space within exam rooms and the waiting area, responding “to community feedback to accommodate large families and care teams,” according to Dezeen.
“We quickly learned that a conventional design process would not lead to outcomes the community needed most,” according to a statement from NBBJ, the architecture firm that handled the clinic's interior design.
“Rather than providers isolated behind closed doors, care teams are visible immediately upon entry to show that they look like the patients,” NBBJ said.
Other finalists named by Dezeen for interior design include Prime Seafood Palace in Toronto, designed by Omar Gandhi Architects; and Paste in Toronto, an office for a “high-end dental practice” designed by Studio Author.