The New York School of Interior Design Announces Honorees for Annual Gala 2026
The New York School of Interior Design is pleased to announce its annual Gala. Gala 2026 will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at a private club in Manhattan. The Gala is NYSID's largest fundraising event of the year. All proceeds will benefit the NYSID Scholarship Funds which help draw the most deserving, diverse, and talented students to our school and the interior design industry. NYSID is thrilled to recongnize the four industry professionals who will be honored for their impactful work, innovative contributions, and bold leadership in the world of design.
The following four accomplished design leaders will be honored at this year’s black-tie event:
William Sofield, founder of Studio Sofield, will receive the Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ken Fulk, founder of Ken Fulk Inc., will receive the Larry Kravet Design Industry Leadership Award.
Brooke Lichtenstein ‘10 (BFA) and Yiannos Vrousgos ‘10 (BFA), co-founders and partners at INPUT, will receive the Rising Star Award, sponsored for the eighth year in a row by The Shade Store.
Awards are presented in these three categories to individuals or companies in residential or commercial design who have made significant contributions to the interior design profession.
David Sprouls, president of NYSID said, "Our honorees this year are exceptional designers whose individual journeys and perspectives bring something uniquely their own to the field. Each has built an outstanding firm, demonstrated extraordinary talent, and made significant contributions to the field of interior design—qualities that inspire our students and peers alike. I am delighted to recognize their achievements and celebrate their influence alongside with NYSID’s community of friends and colleagues.”
This year’s gala will be co-chaired by Ingrid Edelman, Alexa Hampton, Young Huh, David Kleinberg, and Betsey Ruprecht. It is expected to bring together over 300 designers, philanthropists, and supporters, with Dennis Scully as the emcee for the night.
"The Gala is the highlight of NYSID’s fundraising year, and the support it generates for scholarships empowers our students to push the boundaries of innovation in design. Attending and contributing is a meaningful way to champion their talent. Our students’ creativity is extraordinary, and it’s vital that we nurture and celebrate it. We hope you will join us this March to honor the accomplishments of our outstanding honorees," said Ellen Kravet, chairman of the NYSID Board of Trustees.
NYSID expresses our deepest appreciation to The Shade Store for once again sponsoring The Rising Star Award. Many thanks to awards purveyor, Baccarat – the French luxury Maison known for its objects of unparalleled beauty – for providing the stunning Octogone vases for our distinguished honorees since 2021.
About this year’s honorees:
William Sofield
Considered one of the most thoughtful talents of his generation, Sofield, a Modernist by temperament and a Historicist by training, believes that design must live as well as it looks. His holistic approach renders beguiling and seamlessly practical solutions from an artistic concept that is balanced by an unfailing sensitivity to the individual’s needs and tastes. Sofield’s desire is to imbue spaces with respect for materiality and fidelity to craft, sophisticated luxury that improves with use and age. His architecture, interiors, and landscapes become places of memory and legacy.
Studio Sofield was founded in 1996 as a workshop dedicated to creative collaborations and the expressed goal of integrating multiple disciplines. With exceptional elegance, clarity, and wit, Studio Sofield injects unalloyed excitement into the practice of design and architecture, creating spaces that reshape the boundaries of art and craft, reality and fantasy, history and the present moment.
Sofield received his degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University, followed by an academic focus on Art History and European Cultural Studies. He was awarded the Helena Rubinstein Fellowship from Whitney Museum of American Art for curatorial work in the Independent Study Program. In addition to numerous recognitions, Sofield was honored by the Cooper Hewitt with the National Design Award for Interior Design in 2010 and the Museum of Arts and Design Award in 2021. Consistently named in the Architectural Digest’s 100 Hall of Fame, and a Titan on Elle Décor’s A-List, he has been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame as well. He received The Excellence in New Design award by the Upper East Side Historic District in New York and was twice presented with the Architectural Commission of Beverly Hills’ design award for Excellence in Architecture. Sofield serves on the Boards of the Wolfsonian Museum and the Glass House.
Ken Fulk
Leading a team of 100 in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, Ken Fulk Inc.’s projects range from private compounds and high-concept hospitality to boats, planes, and once-in-a-lifetime parties. With retail shops in LA and San Francisco, his entertaining essentials, custom scents, and decorative accessories have been curated to design a well-lived life. He oversees every aspect of a project—from concept and branding to the uniforms and guest rituals. Fulk goes far beyond design; he serves as a creative director for Carbone and Major Food Group, helping define their meteoric expansion of restaurants across the globe, and he partnered with Pharrell Williams to launch his foray into hospitality with The Goodtime Hotel in Miami.
Fulk has reimagined how we gather in a contemporary world by leading the creation of three modern-day social clubs: The Battery in San Francisco, The ‘Quin House in Boston, and The Commodore Perry Estate in Austin. In 2018, Fulk founded Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, a non-profit dedicated to supporting local artists and creatives at revitalized historic landmarks in San Francisco and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He was christened “The Incredible Fulk” by The Economist. He has been a fixture on Architectural Digest’s AD100, Elle Décor’s A-List, and Luxe's Gold List. He was inducted into Hospitality Design’s Platinum Circle Hall of Fame and was recently applauded as Design LA’s “Living Legend” award. He’s been a winner of multiple Restaurant & Bar Design Awards and was twice nominated for the James Beard Design Award.
Brooke Lichtenstein
Born and raised in New York, Brooke Lichtenstein is a dynamic force in the world of interior design. A graduate of the New York School of Interior Design, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Lichtenstein’s early career was shaped by a passion for thoughtful, experiential spaces and a collaborative spirit that continues to define her work today.
In 2010, while participating in the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) Dining by Design initiative, Lichtenstein partnered with fellow designer and now husband, Yiannos Vrousgos. Their shared vision led to the founding of INPUT, a New York City-based interior design firm that has become synonymous with innovation in commercial interiors and luxury multifamily developments.
Under Lichtenstein’s creative direction, INPUT has earned recognition as one of NYC’s premiere design firms, with work featured in Interior Design Magazine, FRAME, The New York Times, New York YIMBY, The Real Deal, and many other publications. The firm’s client roster includes industry leaders such as Lenovo, Samsung, Bozzuto, The Rabsky Group, JCS, The Jay Group, and other notable names.
As a leading voice in the design community, Lichtenstein has spoken at institutions including the Museum of Arts and Design and the South Street Seaport Museum and regularly contributes to design panels and forums that spotlight female leadership and innovation in the field.
Outside of her professional achievements, Lichtenstein and her husband remain dedicated to philanthropic work, supporting organizations such as DIFFA and The Ronald McDonald House. When not designing, she enjoys spending quality time with her two children and husband, whether in their Manhattan home or escaping to their weekend retreat in the Hudson Valley.
Yiannos Vrousgos
Yiannos Vrousgos is a partner and principal at INPUT, a commercial interior design studio specializing in luxury multi-family developments, workplace interiors, retail, and hospitality spaces.
With degrees in Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology and Interior Design from the New York School of Interior Design, Vrousgos brings a rare combination of technical expertise and creative vision. This dual perspective allows him to craft spaces that are both functional and visually compelling.
Under his leadership, INPUT has been recognized as one of New York City’s premier design firms, with projects featured in Interior Design Magazine, FRAME, The New York Times, New York YIMBY, The Real Deal, and more. The firm’s clients include industry leaders such as Lenovo, Samsung, Bozzuto, The Rabsky Group, JCS, and The Jay Group. With over a decade of experience and more than 10 million square feet of projects across the United States and Europe, Vrousgos is known for challenging conventions and delivering bold, distinctive results.
Beyond his design practice, Vrousgos has taught Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design level design studios at NYSID and actively contributes to the broader design community. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), where he chairs the organization’s signature annual fundraiser, Après Ski. Previously, he and his wife led an annual company charity event raising over $150,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro.
Outside of work, Vrousgos enjoys time with his wife Brooke Lichtenstein and two wonderful kids and pursues his passions for cooking, photography, skiing, and travel, embodying a lifelong love of learning and exploration.
Previous Gala honorees include preeminent designers Alessandra Branca, Jesse Carrier, Mara Miller, Beth Diana Smith, Anne Pyne/McMillen Inc., Nate Berkus, Erick Espinoza, Suzanne Tucker, John Edelman, Peti Lau, Jamie Drake, Young Huh, Laura Hodges, Alex Papachristidis, Corey Damen Jenkins, Nina Farmer, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Geoffrey Bradfield, Ellie Cullman, David Kleinberg, Suzanne Rheinstein, Christopher Spitzmiller, and Bunny Williams.