A new month means a new jury jam-packed with design innovators from across the globe. Meet the faces behind the votes for April's FRAME Awards panel.
Alexandre Fehre, founder of Studio Alexandre Fehre
The founder of his eponymous interior architecture studio, Alexandre Fehre lives and practises in Stuttgart, Germany. His portfolio includes workspace projects for clients recognized brands, including Roche, Hyatt, Bosch and Breuninger, as well as numerous residential commissions. Fehre approaches each project with both the functional and the aesthetic in mind, focusing on a methodical integration of materials, lighting and spatial composition.
Donald Strum, president of Michael Graves Design
An integral part of Michael Graves Design since 1984, Donald Strum is now the president at the New Jersey-based brand. Product, furniture and graphic design are his focus, and he’s brought thousands of products to market over the years, including the iconic Whistling Bird Teakettle, Alessi’s bestselling product of all time. Along with his team at Michael Graves Design, Strum’s mission is to harness the power of design to transform both healthcare and disability experiences.
Hilda Impey, founder of Hilda Impey Studio
Twenty years of design experience in the hospitality industry converge in Hilda Impey’s founding of her namesake studio. Impey’s design methodology centres on three core pillars: regenerative design, design anthropology and the "Essence Lab," where materials, textures, and technology intersect. Mentorship and a future-thinking approach are key themes in her work; she and the studio team aim to propel ‘disobedient and disruptive design’ forward in their concept design creation, FF&E and styling, interior design, refurbishing and feasibilities studies work.
Kaan Alpagut, design manager, workplace experience at The Lego Group
Born and raised in Cyprus, Kaan Alpagut trained as an architect in New Orleans and London before eventually landing his role as design manager at The Lego Group. A multidisciplinarian, Alpagut has been a key member of the design teams at Google, Moët & Chandon, Cecilie Bahnsen, Mulberry and Japan Tobacco Inc. He dives into each project and task with a tabula rasa mentality in order to redefine the parameters of experiences, spaces and consumer culture.
Maud Capet, associate principal – interior design at OBMI
Maud Capet is an Associate Principal at OBMI with over 20 years of interior design experience. Her portfolio encompasses award-winning hotels, resorts, branded residences and restaurants across Europe and the Middle East. Capet oversees eacg stage of the design process for clients like Jumeirah, Anantara, Marriott, Accor, IHG and One&Only. She specializes in sustainable luxury developments that strive for environmental responsibility with profitability in mind.
Monika Choudhary, co-founder and growth strategist at Habitat Architects
As the co-founder and growth strategist at Habitat Architects, Monika Choudhary guides strategic expansion and environmental design initiatives. With a background spanning sociology, fashion, interior design, textiles and colour psychology, Choudhary takes a comprehensive approach to design projects. Choudhary is dedicated to integrating cultural narratives into contemporary architecture, creating a signature style that weaves her Indian heritage into global design sensibilities.
Robben Bai, founder of Roarc Renew Architects
Courage and curiosity. Those are Roarc Renew Architects’ founder Robben Bai’s guiding principles. Leading a team of five, Bai moves fluidly between architecture, interiors and product design at various scales. Through these projects, he explores, experiments with and challenge design conventions, all in pursuit of a ‘more intriguing order’. Bai’s studio is supported by an established network of artisan collaborators and maintains its own workshop for steel, wood and stone, making both prototyping and material innovation possible.
Sabine De Schutter, founder, CEO and lighting designer at Studio De Schutter
Belgian lighting designer Sabine De Schutter established her studio back in 2015. Beyond her studio work, De Schutter teaches lighting design at Wismar University of Applied Sciences and design innovation at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam. De Schutter’s work is bold; it is both sustainable and innovative. She collaborates with industry powerhouses such as Axel Vervoordt and studio aisslinger and has received numerous accolades, including third place for the 2023 Polis Award and several German Lighting Design Awards.
Wenke Lin, design director at BDSD Boundless Design
Wenke Lin oversees BDSD Boundless Design’s lighting and interior design projects as the firm’s design director. Lin’s goal is to create spaces that evoke emotional responses while ensuring that practical needs are always met. His work touches hospitality, commercial and cultural sectors and has been lauded through multiple awards. Lin’s international perspective and attention to contextual integration have established BDSD Boundless Design as a notable presence in contemporary Asian design.
Yuko Tsukumo, general manager at Nikken Sekkei
With a Master's degree in architecture from Waseda University, several prestigious awards under her belt and a portfolio reaching across Asia, the Middle East and India, Yuko Tsukumo brings a world of experience to her role as general manager at Nikken Sekkei. Her design philosophy centres on creating contextual spaces that connect to their surroundings, particularly in hotel design. Tsukumo’s work for leading hospitality brands and real estate developers is firmly rooted in a palpable sense of place.
