PHOTO BY ERIN KELLY

Somehow, I blinked and we’re in our seventh year of the annual Best of Design contest.

While many things have changed for me personally (watching my girls enter school, moving houses) and globally (can you believe it’s been five years since the start of the pandemic?), the Best of Design contest has remained constant. As ever, the projects sent in by the region’s talented interior designers and architects — with categories ranging from the best new and renovated homes to the best in kitchens and bathrooms — were stunning; I mean knock-your-socks-off amazing.

And so many of them told very Pittsburgh stories. For example, Best New Home winner Gerard Damiani of studio d’ARC labored 10 years designing and building a contemporary home on a historical 1880s-era Sewickley Heights property that once belonged to industrialist Benjamin Franklin Jones, co-founder of the region’s Jones and Laughlin Steel Company.

Paying homage to Pittsburgh’s industrial roots at every turn, a new modern home was built from local steel, aggregate and river stone. Heather Wildman, co-founder of Wildman Chalmers Design, was a double winner this year, designing both the Best Renovated Home, a Mid-Century masterpiece in Squirrel Hill North, and the Best Renovated Kitchen, a very personal project in her own Sewickley home.

You can see all the amazing winners for yourself with the start of our Best of Design feature on page 11

I also want to give a big thank you to our Best of Design judges. These out-of-state architects and interior designers examine each entry, carefully note what they like about them and share their insights as we meet for several hours. It would be impossible for me to choose the winners in any category without them.

One reminder: If you’re building or renovating a home in 2025, keep us in mind. You can send me your projects any time throughout the year by emailing jsinichak@pittsburghmagazine.com.