Michael Hilal, founder of Studio Michael Hilal, crafts easy yet elegant interiors and furniture out of his home state in California. Not only is the fast-growing founder on the jury for this year’s Best of Products Awards, but Hilal has also won a Best of Products Award last year for his Marfa Bar and Record Player, a floating furnishing that nods to Donald Judd as well as home entertainment systems of the 1950s and 1960s. Read his advice on applying to the program, and learn what he’ll be looking out for in applications, below. Submissions are open from now until midnight ET on July 25 with Early Bird entry open until May 30. Marfa Bar and Record PlayerAN: You won a Best of Products Award in 2024 for your Marfa Bar and Record Player. What did this award mean to you and your practice? Michael Hilal:  I have a new practice that’s only a few years old, and this was my debut furniture collection. To be recognized by such a respected jury was meaningful. It puts you on the next level in terms of visibility and validation. That is not only valuable for a business but also important personally and creatively. For a new practitioner, to have the community embrace your ideas, it provides courage to move ahead. AN: Do you have plans to design more furniture within your practice? MH: I believe the best design is holistic and collaborative. We are always experimenting with custom and bespoke pieces in our projects—it’s like a creative laboratory—so the Marfa Bar and Big Sur furniture collection with St Vincents were a result of that. We had such a positive response that we are expanding the collection with new designs. I’m also exploring lighting and collaborating with artists so the work is ongoing and always a natural extension of what I do. We are working on and prototyping several new designs so stay tuned! AN: How do products and furnishings shape your interiors? How do you approach which to include in a project? MH: Products and furnishings add a lived-in layer that turns a building into a home and connects people to their space. I always look for a way to make an environment easy as well as chic. I hate formality—it’s just another societal barrier we don’t need. So while the scope of each project may be different, my philosophy is the same. If there’s a room that’s beautiful but never used I feel like I’ve failed as a designer. Good design shouldn’t just gather dust. AN: What will you be looking for in Best of Products submissions? MH: We get caught up in what’s new or something you have never seen before, especially when you scroll on social media. But for me it’s more important that things are well thought out, useful yet beautiful, sculptural yet elegant, subtle yet speaks loudly. I have a habit of always noticing the details. Sometimes I start there first. Those really make or break any product. AN: As a juror and former winner, do you have advice for others who are thinking of entering? MH: There’s nothing to lose in terms of putting your work out there; you never know what’s going to happen. It’s not necessarily about winning but about sharing ideas, getting feedback, and making connections—and that’s invaluable in terms of growing and moving forward as a designer. Learn more about the 2025 Best of Products Awards and start entries here. #michael #hilal #rejecting #formality #advice