Gray Olive Wins Best of Canada Design Award
We’re thrilled to announce that Cutler has been recognized for Excellence in Design in the 20th annual Best of Canada Design Competition by Canadian Interiors Magazine.
Open to creatives from all design disciplines, including industrial and landscape, the competition is the only one in the country to consider projects without regard for budget, size or location. In fact, this year saw projects located in New York City, Beijing and Rome in addition to those from across Canada.
All entries are judged anonymously and assessed individually (as opposed to being weighted against other projects in any given category). A project is awarded for “excellence” if they receive a score of 90/100 or higher based on a point system similar to that of the Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia.
Of the 106 entries for 2017, 30 winners were awarded from 9 different categories. Our work on The Gray Olive Cafeteria in Burnaby won the award for excellence in the packed category of Hospitality environments. Other winners included prestigious firms and top design creatives like Toronto-based Stacklab, Studio Munge, Dialogue 38, Montréal’s Atelier Barda and Jean de Lessard, just to name a few.
Canadian Interiors Magazine previously praised the Gray Olive project for its dichotomous yet harmonious conceptual design, noting:
“[T]he profusion of dangling leafy tendrils and stalks… counterbalances design discipline in the shared oval Vienna finger forms, the long dining banquette of terracotta-toned pleated leather, the planter bar, and the acid wash accents” (50).
The deconstructed greenhouse aesthetic Cutler created for Gray Olive’s mission of farm to table fresh food, is the perfect example of the kind of work we do — that is, growing the seed of a concept from a brand new restauranteur (in this case, our client Jeremy and his brothers) and seeing it to fruition with 100% custom branded elements.
The idea of a “deconstructed greenhouse” drove every design decision and every brand idea because those were the words that resonated most with Jeremy and his family. In addition to the details Canadian Interiors Magazine highlighted, other notable custom work included: a powder-coated metal tubing system to divide the kitchen and dining area, a streamlined water tap system to coincide with the flow of customers, wood surface inlay and floor finish to convey the freshness of the earth underfoot, and wayfinding symbols made out of brass to cap off the refined nature of the burgeoning Burnaby heights district.
“Recognition on the national stage exposes design as a cultural necessity. As designers of the built environment, we are a part of culture creation. Being honoured for this, in a celebratory fashion with the community, is what inspires more and better design every year. The award ceremony, as well as the trade show and after ‘parti’ connected to the event, brings the design community together to revel in the celebration of great work. That energy catches on like wildfire through the industry. People feel proud to share their work and that, in turn, serves to elevate the importance of design in communities across Canada, and internationally. This tradition holds space for a platform where design creatives can strive for excellence.”
Sherry Haddow, MAIA, RID – Cutler
We are delighted to be amongst the recipients of the Best of Canada Design Competition for 2017. Being able to build on an idea and see it translated and transformed into a reality is the kind of work we take the most pride in and for which we are so honoured to be recognized. It’s events like these that provide us with the opportunity to share our admiration for the work of our peers. As designers, we take our commitment to the creative community seriously. We feel honoured to be recognized amongst our creative comrades.
Check out our case study on the Gray Olive project here
– Wooden carved award by Canadian artists Brothers Dressler