AD100 Designers on What the List Means to Them

"The best of the best;" "the greatest in the design world;" "the Nobel Prize of design" (more on that later): These are a few of the means by which designers and fans have described the AD100, AD's annual list of the best architects and designers working today. This week, the magazine unveiled the 2019 version of the much-anticipated list, honoring stalwarts and newcomers alike. In the spirit of celebration, we asked a few returning talents to look back on their first time being named to the list, and a few new additions to reflect on the news of their first appointment. Here's what they said.

Kelly Behun, First-Time Inductee

"It feels walking into a party filled with people you admire and not being turned away at the door," quips Behun of her inclusion on the list. "Our goal as designers is to make our clients happy while creating work we are proud of and excited by," she explains. "To then be able to build up a body of projects that is recognized by your peers and people that you really respect is immensely gratifying, and reminds me how lucky I am to not only be a part of this incredible design community, but to get do this every day, this thing I hesitate to even call work because I love it so much."

Alexa Hampton, Returning Inductee

"When I first was named to the AD100, it was in the January issue of 2002," recalls the designer, head of the firm founded by her father, Mark. "Three and a half years prior, I had lost my amazing father and AD100 stalwart, Mark Hampton. When he died, I didn't know if the company he founded, and which I was leading, would even be able to keep its doors opened, much less thrive, in his absence. So to be included among so many of my heroes, on a list on which my father had figured so prominently, made my inclusion to that hallowed group even more special and unbelievable. The impact of my presence on the list had a huge and immediate effect on how clients approached me, especially because I was just 30 at the time."

Rafael de Cárdenas, Returning Inductee

"When we were first named a few years ago, it was the greatest honor for an emerging practice like ours," says the founder of Architecture at Large. "Creativity in design is such a precarious balance, but the recognition poised us with clarity to continue forging ahead doing what we do, but better. It is incredibly humbling but increasingly motivating to me and my team to be recognized amongst our heroes."

Ken Fulk, First-Time Inductee

"I typically don't make a big fuss over awards or best of lists, but being named to the AD100 is like winning the Nobel Prize of design," quips the event and interior designer extraordinaire. "I'm over the moon and tremendously honored to be included in such extraordinary company. I'm a very fortunate fellow to get to do something I love and to receive this recognition, for it is perhaps the best Christmas gift ever!"

Lee F. Mindel, Returning Inductee

"We remember how thrilled and honored we were in 1995, the year we first were inducted into the AD100," says the cofounder of Shelton Mindel. "But what may have seemed like an overnight success was really a decade and a half of hard work. The late Peter Shelton kept our heads down in diligence and rigor. At the time, we thought we were the only people who had heard of us. The honor opened up a world to us that we never could have imagined. It was exhilarating to sit shoulder to shoulder with people like the late Charles Gwathmey, Renzo Mongiardino, and Hugh Newell Jacobsen in 1995, and it is still inspiring today."

Brian J. McCarthy, Returning Inductee

"Getting the call that I had been named to the AD100 was a moment in my career I will never forget," says the founder of Brian J. McCarthy, Inc.. "It was sometime in the fall of 2013 when, after almost 30 years in the business and 22 years of having my own firm, the office phone rang and it was Margaret Russell on the other end. She had just received a copy of my book, Luminous Interiors, and much to my surprise, she told me she was putting me on the 2014 AD100. I was truly taken by surprise and honestly cried with happiness. Let me add that, at this point, my entire staff had already gathered in front of my desk, anxious to know what the phone call was about. A few minutes after I hung up the phone, I wasn't the only one in the office with tears in my eyes. Truth be told, I'd spent years telling myself that 'the list' didn't matter, which is easy to say to yourself when you're not on it, but from that moment on I felt a validation from my peers that I had never felt before. It's thrilling to be named among such talent."

Victoria Hagan, Returning Inductee

"When I first made the list in 1993, I felt like I had won the lottery," says Hagan. "Each year it is announced, I feel exactly the same way! Growing up as an aspiring designer, I worshipped AD. I still do. Being named to the list reaffirms that I am continually pushing the envelope and my work is growing and evolving and relevant. That's the essence of great design and what AD stands for in our industry."

Giancarlo Valle, First-Time Inductee

"It is deeply meaningful to be recognized by the industry authority, and beyond that, to be placed in a group alongside people I respect and hold in such high esteem," says the founder of his eponymous Studio. "It is validating, not only of the work we do, but as a newer office, of our practice itself. But it also means I need to work harder and keep pushing forward. We are surrounded by so much noise these days, it can be difficult to weed out what's not relevant and focus on what is. Because of this, it's even more important to try and move the needle and carve a distinct path. Today, it is perhaps more about distilling and editing than it is about 'generating' or 'creating' for its own sake."

Joe Nahem, Returning Inductee

"The first year I was named to the list, Margaret Russell pulled me aside at a dinner and casually mentioned I was going to be included," recalls Nahem of Fox-Nahem Associates. "I had to act all calm and cool in the moment, but as soon as I left, I ran outside and called my spouse Jeff. There I was, screaming in the street, and he thought something terrible had happened or someone had died! It was truly a night to remember."

"Having had my own firm since I was 22, I have seen many ups and downs in the business, through hundreds of clients and lots of 'design experiences,'" he continues. "The recognition as an AD100 designer helps me put into perspective the decades of hard work, and it helps me to continue evolving as a design professional. As friends and colleagues have said, it's truly like winning an Oscar . . . for design excellence."

Gil Schafer, Returning Inductee

"Of the many lists out there, the AD100 list is the one potential clients seem to respect the most," says Schafer. "‎There are so many talented architects and designers practicing today, and it's truly an honor to have our work recognized in this way and to find ourselves in such extraordinary company."

Elizabeth Roberts, First-Time Inductee

"It's humbling and exciting to be on the AD100 list among such talented and accomplished firms," says Roberts, whose home for Athena and Victor Calderone created an Instagram sensation this fall. "The exposure is obviously far-reaching; in the first hours that the AD100 list was released we heard from peers and clients from around the world. We are thrilled."

More from AD PRO: Has Instagram Made Design Shows Better?

Sign up for the AD PRO newsletter for all the design news you need to know