New York School of Interior Design to Honor Three Design Luminaries for Gala 2023
The New York School of Interior Design is pleased to announce that the 2023 NYSID Gala will take place Thursday, April 11, 2023 at a private club in Manhattan. The Gala is NYSID's largest fundraising event of the year. All proceeds will benefit the NYSID Scholarship Funds which include the general scholarship fund, diversity scholarship fund, alumni scholarship fund, student emergency fund, and fund for the pre-college program. Last year’s gala was a huge success, as industry leaders and other friends and supporters gathered in person for the first time in two years. NYSID looks forward to celebrating with new and returning friends and supporters again this year. We are pleased to announce that three design industry professionals will be honored for the impact and excitement of their work, forward-thinking contributions, and bold leadership in the world of design.
The following individuals will be honored at this year’s black-tie event:
Suzanne Tucker, co-founder and principal designer of Tucker & Marks and founder of Suzanne Tucker Home, will receive the Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award. Presenting the award to Suzanne Tucker will be David Kleinberg, principal, David Kleinberg Design Associates.
John Edelman, president and CEO of Heller, will receive the Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award. Presenting the award to John Edelman will be Cindy Allen, editor-in-chief Interior Design magazine.
Peti Lau '11, founder of Peti Lau Inc, will receive the Rising Star Award, sponsored for the fifth year in a row by The Shade Store. Presenting the award to Peti Lau will be Zach Gibbs, co-founder of The Shade Store.
Awards are presented in these three categories to individuals or companies in residential or commercial design who have made significant contributions to the interior design profession.
David Sprouls, president of NYSID said, “We’re honored to recognize this year’s distinguished recipients whose work and impact is felt both across the country and around the globe. Their three completely different career paths and distinct approaches to design serve as a true inspiration to our students, proving that there are countless opportunities for one to make extraordinary contributions to the field of design, while remaining true to one’s own vision and values.”
This year’s gala is co-chaired by Chesie Breen, Ingrid Edelman, Alexa Hampton, David Kleinberg, and Betsey Ruprecht. It is expected to bring together over 300 industry leaders and other friends of the College. Alexa Hampton will emcee the night with her inimitable wit and energy.
“We know that the success of the Gala directly impacts our student scholarships. Every year we find new challenges and we always reach and exceed our goals. NYSID is fortunate to receive incredible support from the design industry and for this the Board is truly grateful.” says Chairman of NYSID’s Board of Trustees, Ellen Kravet.
NYSID expresses our deepest appreciation to The Shade Store for once again sponsoring The Rising Star Award. Many thanks to our awards sponsor Baccarat for their continued support.
About this year’s honorees:
Suzanne Tucker
Suzanne Tucker is recognized as one the country’s leading interior designers, known for her personal and enduring style, her great attention to detail and passion for architecture and decorative arts. Architectural Digest has honored her repeatedly on the AD100 list of top designers and she is included in the Elle Décor A-list and the Luxe Gold List. Tucker and her husband/partner Timothy F. Marks, founded Tucker & Marks in 1986, building it into the distinguished firm it is today. Suzanne Tucker Home was launched in 2010 with her textile, tabletop, and home furnishings line.
She has written multiple publications, including her latest book Extraordinary Interiors (The Monacelli Press, 2022). Tucker serves as a director on the National Board of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and has co-chaired the Arthur Ross Awards in New York since 2014. She is one of the founding directors of the Northern California Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and currently Director Emeritus, having served on the board for fourteen years. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation and is a fellow of The Garden Conservancy.
In 2015 Tucker received the Design Leadership Award, in 2016 she received an ICAA Julia Morgan Award for Residential Interior Design, and in 2017 Tucker was the inaugural honoree at the ICAA Northern California Legacy Dinner. In 2020, Tucker was honored with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Academy of Art University.
John Edelman
John Edelman believes in his family mantra “authenticity and doing well by doing good”, and this belief empowered his success as an incredible leader. He spent 14 years at Edelman Leather, including 6 as president & CEO. Along with John McPhee, he re-envisioned the company, and soon established his family’s namesake brand into a global trademark by expanding into four luxury lifestyle categories— Private Aviation, Hospitality, Corporate Interiors, and Residential Interiors—before helping facilitate the sale to Knoll, Inc in 2007. In 2010, he purchased Design Within Reach with McPhee and stayed on.
In May, 2022, he purchased the company of his dreams, Heller, where he is CEO and President. In that same month he was also honored with an honorary doctorate from the New York School of Interior Design. He also sits on the Chilewich Board of Directors. He’s the Executive Chairman of Crypton Fabrics. And has served on the Board of Trustees for DIFFA, and currently serves on the Board of Design Leadership Network and the Be Original Americas Board of Directors. He is the Co-Founder of the beverage brand Fourth & Pride vodka, which donates 5% of profits to LGBTQ+ organizations. John is a true leader and displays the armor of a man dedicated to making positive changes in the industry of design.
Peti Lau ‘11
NYSID alumna Peti Lau ’11 (AAS) has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. She has made a name for herself through not only design but performing arts. Before becoming a designer, she was an opera singer. She applies her knowledge and experience as a singer to her extraordinary interior designs. “A chord consists of three notes: base, medium, and high. I apply a similar principle to my designs in regard to how I pattern-mix with proportion and scale. I like to have three ‘notes’ of a pattern: small, medium, and large. This is how I create harmony between many eclectic elements in a space.”
Lau is the owner and principal of Peti Lau Inc., based in Los Angeles, California where she has designed for the stars. She was also featured on HGTV’s Design Star Next Gen. Her signature style, which she calls AristoFreak™, is globalist, romantic, elegant, eclectic, and entirely her own. Lau has worked at some of the most prestigious design firms; Cullman & Kravis, Jeff Lincoln, Huniford Design Studio, and iCrave. Her designs have been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Wall Street Journal Off Duty, Apartment Therapy, and NYC&G.
Previous NYSID Gala honorees include preeminent designers Jamie Drake, Young Huh, Laura Hodges ‘09, Alex Papachristidis, Corey Damen Jenkins, Nina Farmer ‘02, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Gale Singer and Andy Singer, Elizabeth Lawrence ‘03, Geoffrey Bradfield, Ellie Cullman, David Kleinberg, Suzanne Rheinstein, Christopher Spitzmiller, and Bunny Williams, among others.