Introducing the Judges for the 2025 Western Living Designers of the Year Awards

We’re less than two months away from the big reveal: the winners of the judged categories for our 2025 Western Living Designers of the Year awards.

Of course, if you’ve attended in the past, you know: this isn’t just another awards ceremony— it’s where the design community comes together to honour the architects, interior designers, furniture makers and more who are pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible in design in Western Canada.

Tickets on Sale Now to the DOTY Awards

Grab your tickets now for the September 11 event, and join us in raising a glass to all of the entrants and nominees in the spacious Cantu Bathrooms and Hardware showroom in Vancouver. We’ll be mixing and mingling with the best of the west (with drinks and canapés aplenty, of course) before revealing this year’s deserving winners: both our WL Designers of the Year awards and our WL People’s Choice prizes.

And this year, we’re also honouring two Icons: inspiring working designers who have made an indelible impact on the West’s design scene.

In other words: it’s going to be a night to remember, mark your calendars for the design event of the season, and grab those tickets ($99 each). We’ll see you Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Cantu for the big reveal—and a toast to all of the impressive work that wows us year round.

And in the meantime—we’re thrilled to introduce our 2025 Western Living Designers of the Year judges!

What makes our awards special? Our judges look at a body of work from all of our entries, rather than just a single project or moment in time. Winning the title of Designer of the Year reflects a holistic celebration of all of the work they do—just ask our past winners.

And now without further ado, here are the judges for our 2025 Western Living Designers of the Year Awards!

Architecture Judges

Matthew McLeod, McLeod Bovell Modern Houses

Matthew McLeod is one of two principals at McLeod Bovell Design. He holds a BSc in biology and a MArch from the University of British Columbia. Established in 2008 with Lisa Bovell, the award-winning studio operates as a collaborative design partnership specializing in complete residential design. The work embraces embedded social, spatial and environmental opportunities as generators for invention. Through a process of investigation we strive to create work that exhibits specific feeling and local character yet remains receptive to influences beyond our region. 

Heather Dubbeldam, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

Heather Dubbeldam is a fourth-generation architect and the principal of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, a Toronto-based studio recognized for its innovative and sustainable projects. Her forward-thinking design approach, commitment to environmental and social sustainability, and belief in architecture and advocacy as a catalyst for change have established her as a leading Canadian architect of her generation. Dubbeldam has received over 100 awards for excellence in design, practice and advocacy, including the Professional Prix de Rome from the Canada Council for the Arts and, most recently, the 2024 Architectural Practice Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, two of the highest honours for architectural practices in Canada. 

Jordan Rice, Omar Gandhi Architects

Jordan’s interest in architecture and design began early on as the son of a contractor and evolved through his work as a carpenter. Jordan joined Omar Gandhi Architects as an Associate in 2018 after gaining experience with award-winning firms from around the world including Lina Ghotmeh Architecture (Paris, Fr) and Mackay Lyons Sweetapple (Halifax). Jordan’s calm and steadfast approach combined with his extensive knowledge of construction, project delivery and experience working with complex consultant and client groups has allowed the firm to find success across a range of institutional, commercial, residential and civic projects. He has led several of the firm’s award-winning projects including Peggy’s Cove, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Riverbend Library and OG House.

Natasha Lebel, Lebel & Bouliane

Natasha Lebel is a designer, strategist and founding partner of Lebel & Bouliane, an award-winning architecture studio recognized for its inventive, human-centred work. With a background in both architecture and business, Natasha is known for bridging design thinking with organizational innovation—bringing clarity, momentum and vision to complex projects across the cultural, institutional and corporate sectors. A pioneer in Social Design, Natasha integrates architecture and organizational design with a deep understanding of cultural dynamics, enabling her to lead large-scale corporate and institutional projects with vision and precision. She has contributed to the future of design through her teaching roles at OCAD University and the University of Waterloo, and guest lecturing at the University of Toronto. She also served as a portfolio reviewer for the Toronto Society of Architects, supporting the next generation of design professionals. Her work has been featured in Azure, Designlines, and other leading publications, highlighting projects such as Sidewalk Labs’ 307 HQ. 

Interior Design Judges

Mitchell Freedland, Mitchell Freedland Design

Mitchell Freedland Design is internationally known for its architectural approach to interiors, while creating a sense of warmth, comfort and livability.  For three decades the firm has been defined by its timeless, classic and tailored interiors. While Mitchell is best known for contemporary style, he works in many genres with a common bond of crafting environments that create a cohesive statement. A unified selection of materials, dramatic lighting and an affinity for details are signature attributes. Whether the project is a condominium tower, hotel, spa, corporate office or private residence, Mitchell is driven to capture the client’s personality and deliver a clear design vision.

Nam Dang-Mitchell, Nam Dang-Mitchell Design Inc.

Long featured in the pages of Canadian shelter magazines, Nam Dang-Mitchell was named House & Home’s designer of the year in 2019. The interior designer’s spaces strike a delicate balance between classic and edgy, merging disparate styles into a seamlessly chi and livable whole. Dang-Mitchell often animates her neutral-toned colour palettes with layers of patterns and textures that keep even formal spaces warm and lively. Her keen eye for combining furniture, accessories and fabrics from different styles and eras is especially evident in her ability to select distinctly modern furniture and lighting pieces that are full of personality but still harmonize with an interiors’ overall look. Dang-Mitchell lives in Calgary, where she has recently expanded her practice to include a residential townhouse development.

Craig Stanghetta, Ste Marie

Craig founded Ste Marie in 2010, establishing the studio’s reputation for singular vision, exacting standards, and work that is inventive, bespoke and immersive. Under his leadership, the studio has delivered projects across North America and globally —including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Texas, Italy and Mexico—gaining international recognition in sectors like hospitality, retail, health and wellness, and large-scale mixed-use environments. In addition to leading Ste Marie, Craig is the founder and creative director of Banda Volpi, a hospitality brand with a portfolio of acclaimed restaurants. This is one of many self-directed projects Craig and Ste Marie pursue in the food and beverage and hospitality sectors. His hands-on involvement brings a “skin in the game” perspective, infusing Ste Marie’s work with an entrepreneurial sensibility that blends creative passion with business acumen. 

Furniture Design Judges

Christian Woo

Born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in British Columbia, Christian Woo is a self-taught designer and craftsman whose work is guided by the tranquility and scale of the Pacific Northwest’s Forest landscape. Inspired by his grandfather’s dedication to the art of woodworking, Christian developed an early passion for the craft, leading to the establishment of his studio in 2006. Rooted in a deep respect for material integrity and traditional craftsmanship, his practice embraces Brutalist design principles, resulting in furniture with refined geometry and simplicity. Christian’s studio maintains an intimate relationship with its furniture throughout the design and fabrication process, ensuring a philosophy centred on timeless, modern design that’s beautifully executed. His work has been showcased internationally across North America and Europe.

Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann, Ligne Roset

Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann joined Roset USA in September 2017 as Executive Vice President for the Americas. Roset USA is the subsidiary servicing the North- and Latin American markets for the renowned French furniture and luxury lifestyle brand Ligne Roset, known for its artful collaborations with both established and up-and-coming talents in contemporary design. In 2023 she led a multi-city exhibition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Togo design, complete with historic elements, special editions and an experiential podcast corner to learn more. The ‘Togo Tour’ kicked off in New York City where Simone commissioned a provocative large-scale graffiti installation by artists Faust and Vexta, connecting the iconic life of Togo with the history of NYC street art. Passionate about design, Simone has been a founding member in her role at Artek of BeOriginal Americas, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting intellectual property and counteracting design piracy while investing in design’s future, and continues to be a member of the Be Original Americas board on behalf of Ligne Roset. She is an avid marathon runner and triathlete, frequently seen on the podiums winning age group awards.

Brent Comber

Artist Brent Comber inhabits the space between expression and function to create storied works reflective of the Pacific Northwest’s ephemeral landscape. His practice explores generation, connection, permanence and impermanence. Embedded with memory, the materials he works with—wood, predominantly distinct tree forms, and light—are elemental to the story being told, with their story and his own inextricably linked to the Pacific Northwest. This place, as a physical environment and a sensorial experience, has shaped Brent and how he sees as an artist. Sculptural and often large-scale or inherently purposeful, Brent’s work invites the viewer to reimagine their relationship with the natural world.

Industrial Design Judges

Caine Heintzman and Lukas Peet, A-N-D

Caine Heintzman is a designer exploring various mediums as he applies rigorous material research, technical know-how and a comprehensive understanding of lighting technology to an artful practice. His training at ECUAD and Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee has enabled him to develop a meticulous approach, where he explores the interplay between function, art, object and space, designing in a way that enhances and elevates the built environment. His craft is sculptural, with a focus on modularity, where repeated forms reveal an industrial elegance that has become a signature of his approach.

Lukas Peet practices his craft with sophistication and fluidity that bears the mark of a Design Academy Eindhoven alumni. He has been recognized internationally in a number of awards and competitions, most notably for the Winner of Canada’s Emerging Designer Award. To A-N-D, Lukas brings a vast curiosity about objects, processes, materials and production techniques; he brings a desire to challenge the familiar and the normative, and everything in between.

Mischa Couvrette, Hollis+Morris

Honing his design and making skills in a garage, Mischa experimented with metal and wood to create the first Hollis+Morris products. Mischa strives for a refined simplicity in his designs that highlights the materiality of each piece. Hollis+Morris now relies on a large team of people to produce products with the same design ethos and care of making that was born out of that humble garage.

Fiete Schlüter, Vitra

Fiete Schlüter is the President of Vitra North America – a design-driven leader with a global outlook. Since joining Vitra in 2012, he has cultivated a deep understanding of the company’s design ethos – shaped by cultural relevance, sustainability, and enduring quality. He began his career at Vitra’s Swiss headquarters, where he immersed himself in the brand’s commitment to creating meaningful environments through design. In 2019, Fiete moved to New York, bringing his experience to the North American market bridging strategic thinking with a genuine appreciation for design’s role in shaping how we live and work.

 

Fashion and Jewellery Design Judges

Irina Flore, Studio Flore

Irina Flore is a multidisciplinary designer and the founder of Studio Flore, a design studio dedicated to design research, functional art objects and innovative products. After earning her MFA in Design and graduating with honours for her BFA from the Haute école des arts du Rhin in Strasbourg, France, an institution known for its interdisciplinary and forward-thinking design education, Irina began her career as a designer at Studio Sebastian Herkner in Frankfurt, Germany. Following her time at Sebastian Herkner, Irina founded Studio Flore, where she worked with a variety of companies and clients, creating unique and innovative designs tailored to their specific needs. In addition to her studio work, Irina has also worked at Nike as a Lead Materials Designer (NExt) in the Accessories team. This experience allowed her to apply her design expertise in a corporate setting while maintaining her commitment to creativity, craftsmanship and material innovation.

Danielle and Wade Papin, Pyrrha

Wade and Danielle Papin are the founders and creative force behind Pyrrha. For over 30 years, they’ve transformed instinct, history and imperfection into jewelry that tells meaningful stories. Known for their symbolic talismans, the duo has built Pyrrha into one of the most sustainable jewelry brands on the planet. Working from their certified zero carbon studio in Vancouver, they remain rooted in the things that inspire them most: analog music, meaningful connection and a steadfast refusal to follow the expected path.

Maker/One-of-a-Kind Judges

David Keeler, Provide

Born in Alberta, David’s wanderlust drew him to Montreal, San Francisco and New York, where he attended Parsons School of Design, and finally, to Vancouver. Each city and experience refined his natural aesthetic, which he applied to advertising and design for many years before turning his talent to Provide. He has long been drawn to interior design and strongly believes in Provide’s core mission of supporting the local design community and building relationships with designers around the world. Part of that mission includes regularly traveling to international design shows such as Maison et Objet in Paris, 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, Wanted in New York and Salone del Mobile in Milan.

Sumer Singh, Mercedes and Singh

Sumer Singh is a multidisciplinary artist, designer and fabricator whose work operates at the intersection of art, engineering, architecture and advanced computation. With an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary and a Master in Advanced Computation for Architecture and Design from IAAC Barcelona, Sumer approaches each project with a rare combination of technical precision and artistic intuition. In 2013, he founded MTHARU—a multidisciplinary design studio and applied materials research lab focused on creating objects, furniture and lighting through in-house manufacturing. In 2017, he co-founded MASIV (Mercedes and Singh), a Calgary-based firm specializing in complex, multi-material architectural fabrication. MASIV has since evolved into a full-service design-build and development company with a focus on public art, cultural placemaking and innovative residential construction.

Carla Sorrell, Design Victoria

Carla is the founding director of Design Victoria, a four-day festival celebrating the city’s design and creative industries. She is an advocate for the power of design in shaping lives, businesses and cities. After spending 15 years as a writer and coach in London’s creative sector, Carla returned to Victoria, determined to ignite a spark around the city’s design scene.