Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1547305
T he annual PaperCity H o u s t o n D e s i g n Awards presentation, h e l d i n T h e Houstonian Hotel's Grande Ballroom, recognized winning projects in 20 categories, culled from more than 300 entries submitted by Houston-area designers and architects. This year's ceremony was beautifully crafted thanks to BeDesign, who created the stage for the Design Awards as well as a lounge in the lobby. The first award of the night was the PaperCity Visionary Award, presented to historian and author Stephen Fox for the Preservation of Houston's Architectural Heritage. Fox has been a leading figure in preservation for the past 50 years — writing National Register nominations, conducting archival research, and fighting to save threatened buildings. Presenting the award was Houston developer Carol Isaak Barden, former journalist for Condé Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Dapper master of ceremonies was Corey Damen Jenkins, principal and CEO of New York City-based Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates. The designer's accolades include ranking in Architectural Digest's AD100, Elle Decor A-List, and 1stDibs 50. He is also among elite company as a respected instructor on the global MasterClass platform, and he runs his YouTube series, Design Reimagined with Corey Damen Jenkins. PaperCity Houston 2026 Design Awards C E L E B R A T I O N Who Was There and Who Walked Away with Awards By Caitlin Hsu. Photography Jordan Geibel Kastleman. In his opening remarks, Jenkins stressed the importance of human innovation, especially to combat the looming threat of generative AI in creative fields. "When we're here together, we're reminded to push ourselves and each other to excellence, to recognize excellence, to compete and rise higher, further, and faster for excellence," he said. Jenkins then announced the winning designers and architects and presented Baccarat awards, while images of the projects streamed overhead. Winning designers and architects included: Sandra Lucas, Victoria Miller, Lucas/ Eilers Design Associates; Katie Scott, Katie Scott Design; Michael Hsu, Jay Colombo, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture; Robert Dame, Robert Dame Designs; Russell Morse, Morse Studio; Courtnay Tartt Elias, Trisha Allen, Caroline Coulson, Creative Tonic Design; Nadia Palacios Lauterbach, Nadia Palacios Residential Design; Lindsey Herod, Molly Way, Lindsey Herod Interiors; Aileen Warren, Kiley Jackson, Jackson Warren Interiors; Benjamin Johnston, Paola Neri, Greg Roffino, Benjamin Johnston Design; Stacy Graubart, SG Designs; Gin Braverman, Kim Kaptain, Christina Wilburn, Gin Design Group; Natalye Appel, Natalye Appel + Associates Architects; Jonathan Williams, Outdoor Practice; Kevin Shanley, Jiyoung Nam, Matt Baumgarten, SWA Group; Steffanie and Matt Ball, En Gold; and Leslie Sinclair, Segreto. (Continued) Corey Damen Jenkins Stephen Fox Carol Isaak Barden Molly Way Lindsey Herod Catie Brow Aaron Laine Paul Brow Aileen Warren Kiley Jackson Will Kolb Anne Lee Phillips DeeAnn & Marcus Thigpen Jiyoung Nam Matt Baumgarten 84