HED Projects Receive Honors at the 2026 IIDA Illinois RED Awards

HED projects received two awards at the 2026 IIDA Illinois RED Awards in Chicago, with recognition in both the Hospitality and Education categories. Petite Edith earned an award for Hospitality, while The Chicago School’s Washington, D.C. campus, developed for TCS Education System, was recognized in the Education category.

Presented by the Illinois Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the RED (Recognizing Exemplary Design) Awards celebrate projects that advance the practice and impact of interior design across the state. The biennial program recognizes work spanning hospitality, education, healthcare, workplace, residential, and civic environments, highlighting projects that pair clarity of vision with meaningful user experience.

For Petite Edith, the recognition reflects a close collaboration with a restaurant team intent on creating something intimate, layered, and unmistakably rooted in Chicago’s dining culture. Located in the city’s River North neighborhood, the restaurant has quickly become part of the conversation around a new generation of hospitality spaces that value atmosphere as much as cuisine. Earlier this year, Modern Luxury named Petite Edith one of “The Hottest New Restaurants in Chicago.” This space demonstrates how thoughtful interior design can shape not only how a space looks, but how it is remembered.

The award for The Chicago School’s Washington, D.C. campus recognizes a learning environment designed for TCS Education System in the heart of the nation’s capital. The 21,000-square-foot campus was transformed from the ground up, replacing the conventions of a traditional academic setting with spaces shaped around how modern students and faculty actually work, study, and gather throughout the day. A copper-finished central stair became both a structural and social centerpiece of the project, linking collaboration areas, student amenities, and faculty spaces across floors. Throughout the campus, materials, acoustics, and lighting were carefully considered to create an environment that feels grounded, comfortable, and distinctly urban.

These recognitions reflect the collaboration behind each project. We are grateful to our clients for the opportunity to shape these spaces, and we congratulate our teams on work that carries that trust forward with clarity and care.