Introducing Interior Design’s 2026 Hall Of Fame Inductees
As anticipation builds around buzzy design events this fall, there’s no evening quite like Interior Design‘s Hall of Fame gala, the industry’s crown jewel, which will take place December 9, 2026, at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. Honoring visionary leaders whose work and influence continues to shape the future of architecture and design, this year’s class marks the gala’s 42nd anniversary.
Selected by Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen and a nominating committee of Hall of Fame members, the 2026 honorees are Andy Cohen and Diane J. Hoskins, global co-chairs, Gensler; Daniel Libeskind, founder and principal architect, Studio Libeskind; and Shamir Shah, founder and principal, Shamir Shah Design. The evening will also feature a special tribute to the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames, through The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, a public charity dedicated to advancing the creativity of the 20th-century design partners.
“The Hall of Fame celebrates individuals whose extraordinary work leaves an enduring mark on our profession, and often, our skyline,” said Allen. “Andy, Diane, Daniel, and Shamir have each redefined what’s possible through extraordinary vision, their big, bold and brave ideas, and that passionate, unwavering commitment to move design forward. Honoring them at the meticulously restored Waldorf Astoria—one of the world’s most celebrated landmarks—makes this year’s celebration especially meaningful.”
See what’s next for Interior Design‘s Hall of Fame event with a peek at what we’re planning for the 42nd annual gala at the Waldorf Astoria. Discover Hall of Fame details.
Cindy Allen on stage during the 2025 Hall of Fame. Photography by Matthew Carasella. 
Interior Design‘s 2025 Hall of Fame gala. 
The grand ballroom. Photography by Matthew Carasella. 
Allen introduces 2025 Hall of Fame inductees.
Introducing The 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees
Andy Cohen and Diane J. Hoskins, Global Co-Chairs, Gensler
Gensler, a firm that needs no introduction, is home to two of our 2026 Hall of Famers: Diane J. Hoskins and Andy Cohen, global co-chairs. The duo served as co-CEOs of Gensler for nearly 20 years, transforming the firm into a global design powerhouse owned by its employees, while growing annual revenue from $200 million to over $2 billion. They also co-authored a book—Design for a Radically Changing World, published in 2024—which explores the far-reaching impact of design.
Andy Cohen, Global Co-Chair, Gensler
Cohen, a dynamic leader and creative, as well as a respected mentor, continues to advocate for design’s power to enrich the human experience, promote wellbeing, and support the resilience of communities. As an early leader of Steadfast LA, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the city rebuild after the January 2025 wildfires, he serves as an example of what it means to put community first—nurturing client relationships through genuine connection. He also is a member of Urban Land Institute’s Urban Development and Mixed-Use Council and the Young Presidents Organization, and serves on advisory boards for UC Berkeley’s Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, USC School of Architecture, and more.
Cohen earned his architecture degree from Pratt Institute in New York, which awarded him its 2026 Legends Award, and has spent his entire career (four decades to date) at Gensler. He was also named to Commercial Observer’s “Power 100” list in 2026 for the third year running. Both SCI-Arc and the Los Angeles Business Council honored him their Legacy Awards in 2025 for his leadership and impact. In 2022, he was included on Forbes’ inaugural “Future of Work 50,” recognizing innovators shaping the office of tomorrow. He was named to Business Insider’s list of “100 People Transforming Business” in 2021, honoring leaders tackling global challenges. In 2016, Business Insider also included Cohen on its inaugural “Creators” list of the world’s 100 top creative visionaries. And for 11 consecutive years, he has made the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA-500 list of most influential executives.
Additionally, Cohen was a featured speaker at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. His thought leadership has appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Quartz, and many other top-tier media outlets. He has delivered keynote talks for premier industry gatherings and groups including ULI, the Young Presidents Organization, the Milken Institute Global Conference, the Pension Real Estate Association, the California Contract Cities Association, CREtech, TEDx, and more.
Diane J. Hoskins, Global Co-Chair, Gensler
Hoskins, like Cohen, also exemplifies visionary leadership at Gensler. Research and data are central to her approach, focusing on firm growth and culture across more than 57 offices, which serve over 3,500 clients around the world. As the catalyst for the Gensler Research Institute, she has championed research-backed design through tools including Gensler’s Workplace Performance Index, City Pulse Survey, and Experience Index, offering clients transparency around their projects.
Hoskins’s cross-disciplinary approach is a vital asset to her success, drawing on experiences across architecture, design, real estate, and business. She began her career as an architect with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in Chicago before earning an MBA and joining developer Olympia & York. She also is a director of Boston Properties, sits on the board of the Real Estate Roundtable, and previously served as Global Chair of the Urban Land Institute and as a director of Washington Gas.
A champion of climate resilience and sustainability, Hoskins has lectured on the topic at major events including the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York and the U.N.’s Climate Change Conference, as well as the United Nations’ Habitat Assembly in Nairobi. Hoskins’s insights also have been featured in major publications including the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Insider, and the New York Times, to name a few. Her recent honors include recognition as a 2025 CNBC Changemaker: Women Transforming Business, SCI-Arc’s 2025 Legacy Award, UCLA Anderson School of Management’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award, and a third consecutive appearance on Commercial Observer’s “Power 100” list in 2026. She also is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on many industry associations.
Daniel Libeskind, Founder and Principal Architect, Studio Libeskind
An internationally renowned architect and urban designer, Libeskind is known for creating architecture that marries memory, history, and place, guided by a commitment to sustainability. He excels at creating spaces that reflect a city’s cultural pulse, such as the Jewish Museum Berlin, which he brought to life after winning an international competition for the design in the 1980s. That project led to Libeskind’s widespread recognition, leading him to found his namesake studio, Studio Libeskind, in Berlin in 1989. The studio later moved its headquarters to New York City in 2003 when Libeskind was appointed master planner for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. His team continues to complete major cultural, civic, commercial, and residential projects around the world.
Born in Łódź, Poland, in 1946, Libeskind immigrated to the United States as a teenager, settling with his family in the Bronx. Originally trained as a musician, he studied in New York and Israel on an American-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship, achieving the level of musical virtuoso before turning to architecture. He received his architecture degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1970 and a postgraduate degree in the history and theory of architecture from the University of Essex in 1972.
Over the course of a career spanning five decades—detailed in his 2018 memoir, Edge of Order—his work has been featured in more than 100 international exhibitions at institutions including Museum of Modern Art, the Venice Biennale, Centre Pompidou, and the Royal Academy of Arts. His drawings and models are held in major collections, including MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Libeskind, an avid mentor for the next generation of designers, has also received numerous international honors, including the Goethe Medal, the Hiroshima Art Prize, the Dresden Peace Prize, the European Union Prize for Civil Rights, and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, where he was named Chevalier by the French Ministry of Culture.
Shamir Shah, Founder, Principal, Shamir Shah Design
Born in Nairobi, Kenya to a family of East Indian origin, Shah studied architecture at Yale University before moving to New York. There, he spent 12 years with Costas Kondylis and Associates before founding his own studio, Shamir Shah Design, in 1999.
Informed by more than two decades of experience in private, high-end residential and large-scale, multifamily development projects, Shah’s widely published studio marries a deep understanding of finely crafted interiors with careful attention to each client’s goals.
Driven by craft, innovation, and collaboration, Shah’s team centers the people at the heart of each design, ensuring spaces align with each client’s vision. Having completed residences and development projects throughout the United States and abroad, the firm is known for meticulous attention to detail, a restrained yet elegant aesthetic, and the layering of natural materials, influenced in part by Shah’s upbringing in Kenya.
Rooted in the traditions of functional modernism, the firm’s work reflects the culture and character of its setting without resorting to parody or pastiche, resulting in thoughtfully conceived, carefully crafted spaces that provide a sense of calm and refuge while celebrating the individual lives they are designed to enrich and support. The firm has won numerous design awards over the years, most recently winning a Best of Year Award from Interior Design for a private residence in Pacific Heights, San Francisco.
Special Tribute to Charles and Ray Eames
Marking a special Hall of Fame tribute, this year’s event will honor design visionaries Charles and Ray Eames. The partners in life and design left a legacy of groundbreaking work that continues to inspire generations and shape design discourse.
The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, a public charity dedicated to advancing the ideas, connections, and spirit of experimentation that shaped the work of the 20th-century duo, serves as a rich resource for the couple’s work and creative process. “I’m fortunate to do this work alongside an extraordinary team that brings these ideas to life every day through our public and private tours at the Eames Archives at the Eames Institute, exhibitions, our website, and other public programming, as well as our publications and artist residencies—and in the years ahead, through our new museum,” said Llisa Demetrios, The Lucia Eames chief curator at the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity. “To realize my mother’s dream and share my grandparents’ vision with the world is the honor of a lifetime.”
The Institute, alongside the recently restored Charles and Ray Eames House, continues to carry forward the duo’s joyful and curiosity-driven approach to design, encouraging creatives to look more closely at the world, engage deeply with challenges—big and small—to find solutions, and embrace a sense of possibility.
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