“What does AD look for in AD100 inductees?” read the audience-submitted question. It wasn’t the first time that AD’s global interiors and garden editor Alison Levasseur had been asked—and it likely won’t be the last. “The list reflects the people of this time, the studios of this time. Amy [Astley] uses the phrase, ‘best in class,’” she says. “We think about, Who are the firms that the editors are excited to see what they’re doing?”
Such intel surrounding the prestigious AD100 list drove hundreds of viewers to Tuesday’s AD PRO workshop, “The Road to AD100,” presented by Bed Bath and Beyond Trade. Hosted a week after the unveiling of the 2024 AD100 list, the virtual event featured the career insights and industry advice of three fresh-faced debuts: Sarah Sherman Samuel of the eponymous West Michigan– and LA-based firm; Lindsey Chan, cofounder of Office of BC; and Sara Story, of the namesake New York–based studio.
Before delving into the discussion, Levasseur shared a brief background of the AD endorsement. “In 1990, the AD100 launched as a standalone special issue,” she says of the now annual recognition, which identifies 100 trailblazing talents in the world of interior design, architecture, and landscape design. “As we’ve heard from listmakers over the years, being named to the AD100 is a professional milestone that can make a designer’s career, opening the doors to new, high-profile clients, brand and licensing deals, and more.”
That legacy wasn’t lost on the new inductees. To commence the discussion, Levasseur asked each designer panelist to share where they were when they got the news of their AD100 placements. “I was on a job site and saw the ‘Welcome to AD100’ email subject line and thought, there has to be a mistake. I called [Office of BC cofounder] Jerome, and we were ecstatic. It was such an exciting marker of achievement for us,” shared Chan. Meanwhile, in Michigan, Sherman Samuel received the alert at her studio: “I was glancing through my phone and saw the email heading and gasped. My managing director was on the phone, hung up with the person, and we both started screaming. Our colleague in the other room thought there was a mouse.”
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Over the course of the hour-long workshop, the designers reflected on their portfolios, sharing areas of growth, pivotal projects, and lessons learned. Each revealed the hired roles that have been integral to their firms’ success, the areas of their businesses they wish they’d invested in sooner, and how they first got on AD’s radar. (Hint: Never underestimate a cold email!)
For the last portion of the talk, Levasseur opened the virtual floor to audience questions. Inquiries rolled in about the designers’ pricing strategies, tips for managing a project remotely, how to keep morale up during challenging times, and more.
Uplifting and warm-spirited, the workshop was as much a congratulatory moment for the new AD100 inductees as it was a motivational discourse for the designer audience. Perhaps expressed best in Story’s shared advice to emerging designers: “You should trust your instinct, your creativity, and follow your dreams—don’t waver on it. There are going to be ups and downs and really frustrating moments, but you should follow your vision and trust your point of view.”