Two La Jolla residences were honored during San Diego’s 24th annual American Society of Interior Designer’s (ASID) Design Excellence Awards held in May at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. Robin Wilson Carrier of Robin Wilson Interior Designs won first place for her dining room/wine cellar fusion in a 1929 Spanish Renaissance home, and Kellie McCormick of Bast/Wright Interiors won first place for a La Jolla Scenic Drive kitchen and bath remodel. Carrier’s dining room and climate-controlled wine cellar fuses classic and contemporary design. The client excavated the hillside behind their home to create a Napa Valley-inspired “wine cave” with a 3,000-bottle capacity, Carrier said. “The whole idea that [the owner] exacted into a hillside, craned equipment over the existing home, paired with a dining room, reveals that it’s really dedicated to a new type of design,” she said. “I want each project to be unique and want each project to complement the architecture, and reflect and complement my client’s lifestyle … It’s a unique challenge resulting in a unique solution each time I work on a project, even if it’s the same house.” The bathroom and kitchen at Rose Lloyd’s home focused on materials that contrast each other, from “warm to cool,” McCormick said. “My client had always dreamed of doing a contemporary home,” said McCormick, who worked on details with general contractor George Jillich. The “flexible, working kitchen” features custom-made rift oak cabinets on horizontal grain, custom-made cedar windows and doors and Crème Sintra limestone with an antique finish. “She also loved glowing amber glass, so we created a wonderful feature of fiber optic lighting, so the whole wall glows amber,” McCormick said. The rooms were “stunning,” said McCormick, because the “client was open-minded.” Carrier and McCormick are ASID members and have won design excellence awards in the past. McCormick earned first place in 2008 for a 3,500 residential space and Carrier picked up first place and the grand prize in 2008.
