Of course our Designers of the Year are proud of their own accomplishments and creations. But truly great designers appreciate the design that’s all around them, too €” whether it’s another artist’s work, or something awe-inspiring in nature €” so we polled our 2021 DOTY winners to find out just what everyday object manages to impress.

Egg-cellent design… straight from the farm 

The egg. It's incredibly strong, feather light, houses life, is exquisitely beautiful and is completely biodegradable. Perfection. €”Kevin Vallely, Vallely Architecture, 2021 Arthur Erickson Memorial Award Winner 

Awesome anatomy

The human body. Not an object I know much about, but it still amazes me. €”Lisa Bovell, McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, Architectural Designer of the Year 2021

Bare bottles

I'm partial to elect everyday objects as closer to perfection in the realm of industrial design rather than many €œdesign€ objects. Banal objects that don't necessary stand out yet must be useful, durable and relatively affordable can be sublime. Their utility, form, material and production process streamlined for effective use makes them unassumingly beautiful. Collect an assortment of glass bottles, strip the labels off and try convincing yourself that there isn€™t something interesting about them. €”Caine Heintzman, Industrial Designer of the Year 2021

High-glamour footwear

Louboutins. Regardless of the creative industry, we all lean on similar methodologies to create exceptional design by balancing scale, colour, form with function, contrast and so on. I€™ve always felt these shoes were expertly crafted and while I'm delighted to rock a pair from time to time, I know they don't always check the €œfunction€ box for everyone. (I€™ve been in heel training since high school€”ha!) €”Amanda Hamilton, Interior Designer of the Year 2021

A glossy red roadster

The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale. €”Matt McLeod, McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, Architectural Designer of the Year 2021

A landscaping essential

That's a tough one€”but with some context to landscaping, I'll go with the landscaper's bicycle: a wheelbarrow. We recently moved, and the gardens were really let go by the former owners. I€™ve been doing a lot of work without a machine to try to make it my own: moving soil, rocks and other items back and forth on the property. I often think that whoever designed the wheelbarrow was very intuitive. €”Ryan Donohoe, Donohoe Living Landscapes, Landscape Designer of the Year 2021

A memorable monster

The creature from Ridley Scott's Alien movies by Swiss artist H.R. Giger. Excellent bio-structural design. €”Sumer Singh, Mtharu, Maker of the Year 2021

Western Living

Western Living

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].