Winning Design: Highlights from the 13th Annual Northwest Design Awards

The Seattle Design Center's theme for this year's Northwest Design Awards, held Thursday night, was "1940s glam." And it delivered as advertised. The setting was an intimate, swank nightclub, complete with a hot band, which was a sweet foil for the lively chatter, the clinking of cocktails and the evening's awards presentation.

Talent hauling away quite a bit of lucite this year included Olson Kundig Architects, Finne Architects, among Nils Finne's winning efforts was a stunning, custom glass wall piece, and Castanes Architects. Steven Hensel, of Hensel Design Studios, came away with well-deserved wins for his chic Queen Library and Lake Tahoe Staircase projects (see above).

Getting the most oohs from my enjoyable tablemates—which included famed garden furniture designer John Danzer of New York's Munder Skiles—was for Portland-based designer Jessica Helgerson's, of Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, own home: the impossibly charming 540-square foot, Sauvie Island Tiny House. Don't you just want to invite this (believe it or not) family of four to make room here for you too?

Congratulations to the SDC for one great gala, and to all of this year's winning designers (for a complete list, visit seattledesigncenter.com).

I'm looking forward to next year already!