Meet Our Judges for Best of Design 2024
For our annual Best of Design contest, now in its sixth year, Pittsburgh Magazine HOME received a number of stunning entries from talented architects, interior designers and homeowners across the region. Picking a winner is never an easy feat, which is why — to ensure fairness and neutrality — we left the blind judging process to a panel of Cleveland-based professionals in the design and architecture industry.
Crystal DeCastro Knapik
A senior project designer at Vocon, Crystal DeCastro Knapik lends her combined passion for sustainability and technology to many of the firm’s most transformational projects. She has collective experience in award-winning luxury residential, adaptive reuse and renovation, commercial, mixed-use residential and health care projects. She has been influential in developing office-wide sustainable initiatives, both through design and in practice. Her affinity for the digital arts is reflected in her work at Vocon and has led her to become a firm leader and mentor in design technologies.
Stephen M. Schill
With more than 25 years of experience, Stephen M. Schill of Schill Architecture, LLC, is a preeminent architect in northeast Ohio. Schill’s residential projects have a strong influence from his studies of architecture at Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy, where he developed his understanding of scale, proportion and details. Since Schill Architecture was established in 1991, Schill has designed luxury multimillion-dollar lakefront and estate homes throughout northern Ohio. His work has been featured in several regional publications.
Stephanie Schill Hayden
A graduate of Miami University and Kent State University, Stephanie Schill Hayden is a registered architect at Schill Architecture and a designer at House of L Interior Design. While she has known she wanted to be an architect in the family business since she was a girl, she appreciates the opportunity to work collectively on shared projects between both luxury residential firms. By completing both the architectural and interior drawings for residential projects, Schill Hayden can ensure the design intent is followed through from the foundation to the millwork details.
Katie Savakis
A project designer at Vocon, Katie Savakis plans and designs environments that facilitate inspiration, enhance the end user experience and streamline functions. She has collective experience in luxury residential, multi-family residential, hospitality and corporate interiors. Her commitment and experience in all project phases guide each successful assignment. Fresh ideas and innovative approach are coupled with experience in diverse environments, enabling Savakis to provide effective design solutions for a variety of project types.
Read all of the Best of Design Winners.
