Summer may have just arrived, but things are already heating up in Western Canadian design.

On June 17, Western Living gathered the region’s design community at the Thermador Experience and Design Centre in Vancouver for our very first Western Living Designers of the Year Finalists Reveal Party, presented by Thermador. The evening celebrated the talented architects, designers and creative professionals shortlisted for this year’s awards across eight categories, including architecture, interior design, landscape design, furniture design and more.

Guests mixed and mingled over cocktails, mocktails, wine and bubbles while enjoying bites throughout the evening designed by Thermador’s Executive Chef Deseree Lo and Executive Chef Cesar Bellina. To complement the cuisine, renowned bartender Simon Riley of Simon Says Drink crafted unique, garden-inspired cocktails while local superstar DJ Niña Mendoza kept the energy high. Most importantly, it was an opportunity to celebrate the people and projects helping shape Western Canada’s design landscape.

The highlight of the evening, of course, was the live reveal of the 2026 Western Living Designers of the Year finalists, who are now in the running for one of these coveted design honours.

We’ve shared a few snapshots from the event below, but you can browse the complete gallery in our full Western Living Designers of the Year Finalists Party Album.

The celebration continues on September 10, 2026, when the winners of the 2026 Western Living Designers of the Year Awards will be announced live at Inform. The evening will also feature the presentation of the 2026 Western Living People’s Choice Awards, presented by Thermador. Every Designers of the Year finalist project is automatically entered, and now you can cast your votes until July 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the awards celebration are available now.

If you’d like to support future Western Living events, please get in touch!

Photos From Our 2026 Western Living Designers of the Year Finalists Reveal Party

Photos by Fourth Foto

             

Find more photos to download and share over at our Western Living Designers of the Year Finalists Party album

MORE WL DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR 2026

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The editorial team at Western Living loves nothing more than a perfectly designed space, place or thing: and we’re here to tell you about it. Email us your pitches at [email protected].