November 9th, 2007: Queen Anne church sanctuary winner in design competition

Not many people think about churches when it comes to thinking about winning design awards, but that’s just what happened to Queen Anne United Methodist Church at the recent 2007 Northwest Design Awards Competition, which recognizes interior design professionals whose work has made a significant contribution to the design industry. Projects are judged on the basis of problem solving, creativity, quality of design and beauty of the space.

The church redesign was completed in February 06 by Steven Marshall-Ward of  Stephen Marshall Design Company. He describes the purpose of the project to transform the old interior into “a flexible, inspiring and beautiful worship space for the 21st century.”   He adds that “the new interior design elements are connected to the original stained glass windows, with colors and materials carefully chosen to connect these windows to the worship space. In addition, a stunning and dynamic piece of art over the altar was created to bring an even stronger central focus to the space. Over 1200 abstract hand-blown glass doves were suspended on jewelry-like stainless steel cables to design a helix-type sculpture bringing all the colors of the windows to the center of the room and captivating the attention of the worshipper toward an inspiring spiritual experience in the space. “

Said one of the judges, “I found the space to be simultaneously spiritual, warm and beautiful.”

At the gala awards evening on Sept 28, Rev. Rody Rowe and his wife Alice may have felt a little out of place at the black tie event where other design award winners included luxury yachts and multi-million dollar homes. In the end, the church design received a second place in the commercial division, a considerable accomplishment for the only church design submitted and a tremendous accomplishment for the Stephen Marshall Ward design firm since this was their first submission to this competition.

Anyone who would like to see the sanctuary is welcome to visit for Sunday worship at 10, or stop by during office hours from 9-12 weekdays, or see pictures on the web site, www.qaumc.org.

Contact:

Alice Rowe: 206-281-1745

Stephen Marshall Ward:  206-255-8054