The New York School of Interior Design is delighted to announce that preeminent American decorator Jeffrey Bilhuber, iconic lighting designer Christopher Spitzmiller, and international interior designer and NYSID alumni Alberto Villalobos BFA ’06 will be honored at its annual gala. The school’s premiere event, co-chaired by Jill H. Dienst, Alexa Hampton, David Kleinberg, Susan Nagle, Betsey Ruprecht, Patricia M. Sovern, and Maria Spears, will take place on Tuesday, March 5, at a private club in Manhattan.

A celebratory event that brings together over 300 designers, philanthropists and friends, the gala provides an opportunity for the New York School of Interior Design to recognize outstanding individuals for their creative and forward-thinking contributions made to the world of design. Proceeds from ticket sales and donations directly benefit students through scholarships.

“I sincerely hope members of the professional design community will join me at the gala to honor our 2019 recipients with the College’s most prestigious awards,” said NYSID president David Sprouls. “By attending this momentous evening, you are both celebrating excellence in the industry and enabling NYSID to continue to “Design the Future” by offering talented students an interior design education that meets and exceeds the standards of educational excellence. Our students draw inspiration from luminaries like Jeffery, Christopher and Alberto and then carve their own paths forward, with work that reflects their own origins, personalities and knowledge gained from their NYSID experience. Your involvement makes that possible.”  

In addition to the Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award, which has had many prestigious recipients in the past including Suzanne Rheinstein (2018) and David Kleinberg (2017), the College will introduce two new awards this year – the Larry Kravet Design Industry Innovation Award and the Rising Star Award, sponsored by The Shade Store.

"Designers, both established and up-and-coming, bring a level of passion and creativity to their work that inspires companies like ours and pushes us to continually innovate and build on our promise to be great partners,” said Co-founder and CEO of The Shade Store, Adam Gibbs. “We are proud to join the New York School of Interior Design in recognizing emerging talent in our industry with this inaugural Rising Star award and we congratulate Alberto on the incredible body of work that has earned him this recognition.”

About this year’s honorees:

Jeffrey Bilhuber, who receives the Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award, has a uniquely American perspective on design that breathes new life into traditionalism with a confirmed understanding of modern sensibilities, of comfort, and style. Bilhuber’s high-profile clients have entrusted him to bring practicality and sheer beauty into their lives and residences. His work has been published in every major national and international shelter magazine, and he is consistently named to industry honor’s lists including The AD 100, Elle Décor’s A-List, and House Beautiful’s Top 100 Interior Designers. Jeffrey has been a featured guest on a wide variety of television shows including Charlie Rose, The View, Conan O’Brien, and ABC Family’s first unscripted reality series ‘JOB OR NO JOB’. He is the author of four bestselling books.

Christopher Spitzmiller, the recipient of the Larry Kravet Design Industry Innovation Award, creates iconic ceramic lamp designs which draw inspiration from classical forms and traditional gem-like glazes. He began his career in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. where he worked out of an old schoolhouse near Dumbarton Oaks. Shortly thereafter, his work received critical acclaim and his reputation as a noteworthy ceramicist began to emerge. He has had the honor of making lamps for the Oval Office, the past two White House Administrations, as well as Blair House and other distinguished American homes.

Alberto Villalobos ’06, recipient of the Rising Star Award, is founder of A. Villalobos, a New York based boutique design firm specializing in a seamless ability to meld together the new and the old, the antique and the modern, the anachronistic and the contemporary. Alberto began his pursuit of his passion after moving from his hometown in Colombia to attend the New York School of Interior Design. Soon after graduating, he opened his design firm, quickly cultivating residential clients in New York City and all over the world. Alberto’s sincere love of design and its history, his respect for culture, individuality, and collaboration, his detailed diligence, thoroughness and thoughtfulness are all the traits integral to the firm’s well-conceived and fulfilling processes and results.

For additional information and to purchase tickets to the annual gala, visit Annual Gala 2019.