Dezeen has announced the winners of the six Designers of the Year categories at this evening's Dezeen Awards 2023 ceremony, which include Patricia Urquiola, White Arkkitekter and Pearson Lloyd.
Designers of the Year rewards the best emerging and established talent across architecture, interiors and design and recognises those whose innovative work has made a notable impact on the industry in their field.
Audrey Large and Sumayya Vally among winners
Scandinavian practice White Arkitekter took home the architect of the year award and Sumayya Vally of Counterspace Studio was named emerging architect of the year.
Interior designer of the year was awarded to Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and emerging interior designer of the year was awarded to Paris-based studio Uchronia.
London design duo Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd won designer of the year for their studio Person Lloyd and Parisian Audrey Large was named emerging designer of the year.
The winner of each category will be featured in an exclusive video created by Dezeen sponsored by Bentley, which will be published on the website from Thursday 30 November to 7 December.
View the winning Designers of the Year on the Dezeen Awards website or read below:
Architect of the year: White Arkitekter
Swedish practice White Arkitekter works across architecture, urban design, landscape and interior design with a mission to foster a more sustainable future.
The studio recently developed a stormwater pond to reduce water infiltration in Uppsala, Sweden. The project on a former military training area saw White Arkitekter also create a biodiverse environment around the pond.
Ongoing projects by the architecture firm include a collaboration with K2S Architects to revitalise the Makasiiniranta area on Helsinki's South Harbour and the all-electric Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, Wales.
"Scandinavia's largest architecture practice has the thoughtful output you would expect of a much smaller studio," said the judges. "Over 70 years since it was founded, the shared-ownership studio has been a leading voice in the drive towards more sustainable buildings."
"A leader in timber construction, the studio has pledged that every building it designs will be carbon-neutral by 2030."
Read more about White Arkitekter ›
Emerging architect of the year: Sumayya Vally, Counterspace
Vally is the founder and principal of South African architecture and research firm Counterspace, which is based between Johannesburg, South Africa, and London, UK.
In an interview earlier this year, Islamic Arts Biennale artistic director Vally told Dezeen how she hopes that the biennale would be an opportunity to reassess what Islamic art is and open up a conversation about the wider Muslim world.
One of her most recent designs is a pedestrian bridge formed by a string of boat-like forms in Vilvoorde, Belgium, as a homage to the Congolese agriculturist Paul Panda Farnana, who once lived in the city.
"An emerging star, who has already been named one of Time magazine's 100 leaders of the future, South African architect Sumayya Vally is one of the world's most exciting young architects," said the judges.
"Since gaining global attention as the youngest-ever designer of the high-profile Serpentine Pavilion, she has gone from strength to strength, designing installations and bridges as well as being artistic director for the first Islamic Arts Biennale. Expect big things in the future."
Read more about Sumayya Vally ›
Interior designer of the year: Patricia Urquiola
Spanish architect and designer Urquiola's eponymous studio conceives objects and architecture while it considers the future of mobility, workplace and production cycles.
Creating bridges between craftsmanship and industrial research, multidisciplinary Urquiola also encourages companies she works with to upcycle waste material and re-imagine processes, making her one of Europe's most sought-after designers.
Her recently converted Roman palazzo filled with circular elements and traditional Italian materials was named hotel and short-stay interior of the year at this evening's Dezeen Awards 2023 ceremony.
The judges said: "Prolific Milan-based designer Patricia Urquiola works across furniture and products as well as architectural projects, yet it was her studio's interior projects that attracted the judges."
"Recent projects, including hotels and residential, have demonstrated a sensitive response to both contemporary and heritage environments while adding Urquiola's signature colour contradictions, rich textures, flourishes of greenery and a strong dialogue between craft and the industrial," they continued.
Read more about Patricia Urquiola ›
Emerging interior designer of the year: Uchronia
Uchronia is a Parisian multidisciplinary collective founded by architect Julien Sebban, whose practice explores the use of a vibrant flair of colour, shapes and textures.
The studio's name – a neologism coined by 19th-century French philosopher Charles de Renouvier – aims to reflect its diverse, vibrant and evolving collection of work.
The local practice recently completed a Parisian coffee shop informed by sunsets in Tunisia and a one-storey apartment renovation for a pair of jewellery designers crafted to echo the appearance of precious stones.
"This Paris-based studio has made a strong impact in the four years since it was set up," said the judges. "Founder Julien Sebban has consistently applied a playful and energetic repertoire of bold colours, striking patterns, amorphous forms and undulating lines to notable restaurant projects as well as residential and retail spaces."
"All of the studio's projects have a strong sense of identity, confidently mixing a contemporary design language with welcome retro touches," they continued.
Designer of the year: Pearson Lloyd
Co-founders Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd work across products, interiors and services with an aim to tackle global economic and environmental challenges.
Through in-depth research and extensive collaboration, studio Pearson Lloyd develops design solutions that intend to align with the needs of manufacturers, brands, and users by embracing the constraints posed by function, material and manufacturing processes.
The East London office recently collaborated with Flokk-owned furniture brand Profim to create a reconfigurable and recyclable workplace seating system. Another recent collaboration with British brand Senator saw the practice create a furniture range developed for Gen Z students.
"In addition to more than 25 years of high-level work across furniture and industrial design, Pearson Lloyd has taken a pivotal shift in recent years to shore up its design methodologies for the 21st century," said the judges.
"Every new project needs a reason to exist and aims to deliver maximum benefit with minimal planetary burden. The studio is leaning into the challenges of a rapidly changing world, clearly communicating its rigorous research, rationale and actions while inspiring positive change among its clients and peers."
Read more about Pearson Lloyd ›
Emerging designer of the year: Audrey Large
Operating between art and design, French designer Large's practice probes the potential of digital rendering methods applied to the design of real-world 3D objects.
Large's designs aim to challenge her audience's perception of materials rather than serve a practical purpose as she explores 2D images, 3D files, moving images, and physical objects.
During her exhibition called Some Vibrant Things at Nilufar Gallery, Large displayed a series of iridescent ambiguously shaped sculptures informed by digital shapes.
"Since graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2017, Audrey Large has developed a unique visual language that involves 3D-printing objects based on hand drawings, which she digitally distorts," said the judges.
"Ranging from furniture and homeware to abstract sculptures, the resulting pieces blur the line between art and design, digital and handcraft," they continued. "After putting on her biggest solo show to date at this year's Milan design week with Nilufar Gallery, the judges are excited to see what boundaries Large will push next."
Read more about Audrey Large ›
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.