Decorating Den Interiors Announces Decorator Of The Year

Furniture World News Desk on 6/20/2017

Katie Rioux’s winning Family room.

Franchise owner Katie Rioux, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, (http://www.decdens.com/decoratewithkate) was named Decorator of the Year, the highest design award presented by Decorating Den Interiors, North America’s largest interior design and home furnishings franchise company and leading in-home decorating service. Last year she was first runner-up and the previous year she was second runner-up.

Her makeover of a family room was selected as the best of more than 300 entries in 11 categories judged by U.S. and Canadian national and regional design journalists in the company’s 33rd International Dream Room awards competition. She also won second place in the living room category and third place in both the dining room and kitchen categories.

Rioux received her award at the company’s 48th annual conference and supplier market held this month in St. Louis. She also will be honored with a trip to New York City.

The company’s Dream Room Awards competition results in four top design awards and two runners-up for each.

Decorator of the Year Runners-Up

First Runner-Up was Jennifer Manley, of Haslet, Texas, who won first place in the kitchen category. Second runner-up was Lisa Landry, of Arlington, Texas, who won first place in the commercial category.

Donayre Award

Winners of the Donayre Award, which is voted on by company franchisees and is named for Carol Donayre Bugg, ASID, company vice president and director of design, were sisters Barbara Elliott and Jennifer Ward-Woods, of Stone Mountain, Ga., for their makeover of a family room.

Second place was Susan Thomson, of Naples, Fla., for a bathroom makeover.

Third place was Gretchen Curk, of Wilder, Ky., for a dining room design.

People’s Choice Award

Barbara McInnis Hayman, of Chester Springs, Pa., won both first and second place in the People’s Choice Award, an online judging open to the public in which more than 20,000 votes were cast among the various entries. She won both awards for miscellaneous spaces, one a den and the other a wine room.

Shelley Rodner, of Bethany Beach, Del., won third place for her design of a bedroom.

Patti Award

Named after Patti Coons, former public relations director who was instrumental in starting the Dream Room competition, the award is for first-time entries into the competition and is judged by those franchisees who have achieved Decorating Den Certified Decorator status.
Alina Chis, of Lafayette, Col., won first place for a living room design.

Charla Traugott and Jill Shuey, of Montgomery, Texas, won second place for a kitchen and third place for a family room.

More about Decorating Den Interiors: Decorating Den Interiors (www.decoratingden.com) was founded in 1969 and has nearly 300 franchises throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its design professionals represent some 130 home furnishings suppliers from its LIVV Home Collection™ of fine furniture, custom window treatments, wall and floor coverings, lighting, accessories and closet systems. They provide complimentary design consultations and personally oversee projects through installation.