OPN takes home 3 awards at IIDA Wisconsin’s Celebrate in Design Awards

Three OPN projects were honored at this year’s International Interior Design Association Wisconsin Chapter’s Celebrate In Design Award on April 11, 2024. Each year, projects are recognized for excellence in 12 categories.

Sub-Zero EuroConcepts  (Beverly Hills, California)

First Place, Retail + Wellness

The Sub-Zero EuroConcepts location in Beverly Hills is a new one for the brand that sought to capture high-end shoppers along Melrose. Strategically located next to a school frequented by Hollywood elite, the showroom needed to reflect the brand’s new design standards while also remaining unique to the Southern California lifestyle and aesthetic. The result is an elevated Living Kitchen with premium finishes, a demonstration kitchen, expanded product experiences, and office space in 1,000 more square feet than the typical 1,500-square-foot showroom. The new Beverly Hills Living Kitchen inhabits the inspiration the brand seeks to evoke in its customers.

Merchants (Madison, Wisconsin)

First Place, Hospitality

For more than a decade, Merchant thrived as one of Madison’s favorite restaurants on the city’s iconic Capitol Square. In 2020, the COVID pandemic forced owners to shift to outdoor dining. As a result, the existing layout, with the bar at the back of the restaurant became challenging and inefficient.

The renovation of the restaurant’s interior flipped the layout. Both the bar and kitchen now take on a new prominence in the space.  Subdued jewel tone fabrics are rich in texture. Caramel leather creates the cozy lounge vibe for which Merchant is known. White tile and dark wood paneling wrap four columns that punctuate the dining area. The combination of the glossy white tile and rich wood create interest without drawing unwanted attention.

The McKenzie Regional Workforce Center (Madison, Wisconsin)

Award of Excellence, Learning

The McKenzie Regional Workforce Center is a partnership between the Madison Area Builders Association and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, in collaboration with multiple local businesses and school districts to develop new career pathways in trades for Dane County students. The adaptive re-use of a former office building creates a collaborative environment to teach skilled trades with the goal of sparking an interest in vocations like plumbing and carpentry earlier in a student’s education, thus creating generational change in families and diversifying a historically white and male workforce. The building showcases the construction trades being taught in the building throughout the construction of the new addition, using the building as a learning tool.