Sophisticated Living St. Louis
SOPHI Awards 2024
Judges
Awards Program Dates
My Awards Program Entries
Marshall Watson
A native of Kansas City, Marshall Watson received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University. Watson founded his design firm, Marshall Watson Interiors in 1986. A subtle blend of transatlantic and American design philosophies suffuses his work. Classic is his hallmark. Though richly layered and often romantic and elegant, his work always showcases a touch of the unexpected and is noted for its “calm and lightness of being.” As his client base has grown globally, his passion for researching and delving into each culture has only expanded his ability to be site specific and locally attuned. Over the years, Watson’s work has graced the covers of and been frequently featured in many shelter publications, including Architectural Digest, Veranda, House Beautiful, Luxe, House and Garden, Traditional Homes, and the New York Times. He has also been featured in New York Spaces, Metropolitan Home, The Chicago Tribune, as well as being a regular design columnist for the Southampton Press. He also received Traditional Home’s “Designer of the Year” award and has been featured on Luxe’s Gold List.
Watson has designed three best-selling furniture collections for Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman and is currently working on his fourth. He also recently launched an outdoor rug collection with Doris Leslie Blau titled, “ELEGANCE OUTDOORS.”
Watson resides in Manhattan and spends weekends at his home in East Hampton.
Kate Dundes Shattan
Architect Kate Dundes Shattan is partner and co-founder of the New York City firm of Gustavson/Dundes Architeure & Design. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Washington University and her Master of Architectures from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Established in 1985, the New York-based firm has provided a comprehensive range of architectural and design services to both residential and commercial clients for 37 years. Attention to detail has been, and continues to be, a critical component of the firm’s philosophy and a primary reason for its continued success. Clients have included both large corporate entities such as Morgan Stanley, JCPenney, McDonald’s, Estée Lauder, Sheridan, and Liberty Travel, as well as a broad array of residential projects, primarily in New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and New Jersey. The residential practice includes complete renovations of pre- and post-war apartments, townhouses, and loft spaces. The firm also specializes in designing new suburban and country homes, as well as renovations, additions, and accessory buildings. It is frequently crucial to maintain the architectural integrity of properties, while redesigning them to meet the needs of today’s families. The integration of both contemporary and classical features is frequently a key part of the design process. Gustavson/Dundes built its reputation as “talented, down-to-earth, and extremely experienced architects, maneuvering through the complexities of the work to achieve happy clients…throughout the entire process.”
Matthew Hufft
While pursuing his Master of Architecture at Columbia University, Matthew Hufft received his first commission – a new house, in his hometown of Springfield, MO, for his parents. Working on a project 1,000 miles away, Matthew recognized the positive impact cross-discipline collaboration can bring to design. As he worked through construction with builders and craftsmen, the vision for Hufft began taking shape.
Since founding Hufft, Matthew has guided the firm’s growth in every facet. What began as a small residential studio is now an internationally recognized design practice, amassing nearly 100 project awards nationally and internationally. Matthew decided early on to add custom fabrication to the practice, greatly enhancing the collaboration and delivery of high-touch items in each project. He has served as the lead architect and Principal for more than 500 projects and has also mentored close to 100 employees as they progress their skillsets and careers.
Matthew’s passion for community development has included assessing strategic real estate investments that have potential to innovate the housing market and enhance their surrounding neighborhoods. In 2023, he added the role of ‘professor’ to his resume and co-taught a parametric design studio at the School of Architecture & Design at the University of Kansas.
CJ Lotz Diego
CJ Lotz Diego has been on staff at Garden & Gun magazine for the last decade. A graduate of the Indiana University, CJ has worked for a variety of publications including Rolling Stone, Field & Stream, Indiana Magazine, as well as St. Louis Magazine. As she always says, her name rhymes with "boats.” She recently edited the Art cover package of Garden and Gun and an upcoming travel cover package. A longtime student of design, she recently penned the G&G article “Beautiful, Layered Maximalism: Why the Trend is a Southern Tradition.” She also wrote “Life Lessons in the Garden with Bunny Williams.” An experienced judge, CJ assists in the judging of the magazine’s annual Made in the South Awards.
Tom Konopiots
Tom Konopiots is a Principal of Vincere, Ltd., a full-service, luxury residential interior design firm based in Chicago, IL, but with projects around the country. Vincere creates highly personalized homes that are elegant, beautiful, and livable, with a focus on principles of scale, proportion, and form. As one of two Principals of Vincere, Tom has overseen projects throughout the Midwest, as well as in Los Angeles, Naples and Tampa, FL, and Lake Geneva, WI, among other locales. Vincere was recently published in LUXE Chicago Magazine, and we were also selected to design the Main Living Room of the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse. A member of the Design Leadership Network, Tom immerses himself in all aspects of the design world, which is his true passion, both as vocation and avocation.
Joe D’Urso
Joe D’Urso, recognized as a pioneer of minimalist modernism, is known as a master of minimalist design, credited with being among the first designers to use industrial materials in his residential interiors. Born in Newark and based in New York, D’Urso studied interior design and architecture at the Pratt Institute, graduating in 1965. He attended Manchester College of Art and Design (now Manchester School of Art) in England before returning to New York and working as an assistant to designer Ward Bennett, a pioneer in the transformation of industrial materials into home furnishings whom D’Urso credited with inspiring his own “total design” approach. D’Urso went on to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Art in London and began his own practice, D’Urso Design, in New York in 1967. Through the 1970s and ’80s, D’Urso became increasingly well-known for his spare interiors and embrace of materials such as black rubber floor tiles, restaurant stoves, gym lockers and marine hardware, set against white walls.
Eve Wildrick
Eve Wildrick Design was founded in 1961 by Suzanne H. Binswanger, who was joined by her daughter Eve B. Wildrick in 1976. Headquartered in New York, the company works with clients throughout the East and West Coast, with a focus on spaces that are 50,000 square feet and under. A trained art historian, Eve began her career purchasing antiques and artwork for corporate clients. Today, as President of Eve Wildrick Design, she blends her art history background with a keen understanding of architecture and project management to create innovative designs that are both functional and inspiring. Eve Wildrick Design counts The Yale Club NYC, Hotchkiss School and the Sherry Netherland, among the firm’s many clients.
Sallie Lord
Armed with a BA in Interior Design from Marymount University, Sallie Lord founded Greyhunt Interiors (GHI) — named after her sons, Greyson and Hunter, in 2009. Since then, Sallie has been named a top designer in the DC, Virginia, and Maryland area and made it onto the Best of Virginia and Loudon list multiple years in a row. She recently won an award for her room at the Indianapolis Decorators ShowHouse and has been named a Hot Talent by Home and Design Magazine. Greyhunt Interiors’ work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Homes & Gardens, among other publications. GHI has offices in Chantilly, Va., and Indianapolis, Ind.
Jamie Gauker
Jamie Gauker is the owner and lead designer at J. Gauker Interiors located in Carmel, Indiana. She opened her company in 2003 and the firm has grown to a full team of designers and assistants. She was part of the design team for the Indianapolis Monthly Dream Home in 2010 and 2012. She is active in the design community and is a huge supporter and volunteer for the Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build. She has led a team of women for over six years to help fundraise and help build homes for first-time homeowners. She believes good design reflects not only beautiful spaces but also ones that are fully functional for the homeowner. Jamie gets to know each client before ever selecting any specific furnishings or design elements. Once clients sign up for her help, she takes the time to evaluate all areas in their home to make sure they work well together and tell a story. Jamie’s favorite thing about design is how color and textiles can make you feel. She tries to find the one element that brings a room together. For the past two decades, Jamie Gauker has served clients on the North Side of Indianapolis, and the areas of Carmel, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville and Zionsville.
Margaret Ash
Margaret Ash is a seasoned interior designer who specializes in bespoke residential and commercial projects across the country. She takes a thoughtful and intentional approach that begins with the clients’ visions and elevates these to easy-to-live in spaces with editorial quality views. Every design is a unique work of art reflecting the client’s sense of place in the world. Her range spans from a traditional Southern colonial to the sleek and modern New York City Penthouse, with a rustic English Cotswalds-style farmhouse or eclectic mid-century bungalow thrown into the mix. Style and substance come into sync through the sanctuaries she creates for her clients.