Designer Barbara Lockhart of Beverly Hills, Calif., has been selected as the recipient of Kent State University’s first Interior Design Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award will be presented on Friday, May 9, at 6 p.m. as part of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s Interior Design 2008 Senior Exhibit at 1305 Euclid Ave.,Cleveland.

Lockhart, one of America’s preeminent architectural interior designers, has been the president of Barbara Lockhart Interiors for 40 years and is known for her timeless, eclectic style. Her lengthy career spans high-profile projects such as the new Chasen’s restaurant, Beverly Hills; the Stephen S. Wise Temple, Los Angeles; the original Le Dome restaurant, Los Angeles; the View restaurant, Washington, D.C.; and her own Colors on Bedford restaurant, Beverly Hills. She also has designed private residences from Miami to Maui, including the William Randolph Hearst Estate in Beverly Hills and the Marriott residence in Palm Desert, Calif., which was a collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Lockhart’s philosophy centers on her belief that it is important to research the roots and history of a project and then create harmony with her client’s needs — something that does not always come quickly, but is always worth the wait.

“The advice I always give to clients when they come to me is that they must enjoy the process as much as the results,” Lockhart says.

Lockhart’s honors include the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers’ first Lifetime Achievement Award and the S.M. Hexter Award for the most outstanding designer in America. Christie’s selected her as one of 20 Innovators of the 20th Century, which resulted in the state of California and the cities of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood naming May 13 “Barbara Lockhart Day”.

“I spent the first year and a half of my college career at Kent State,” the Akron-raised Lockhart says. “I have happy, lasting memories of my time there, and I am thrilled — absolutely thrilled — that they are highlighting my career and giving me this honor.”

Lockhart left Kent State for the warmth of the West Coast and continued her education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her first client, she notes, was her future husband. “I wanted to do a particularly good job because I had eyes on moving in,” she says, laughing. “And I did.”

Lockhart’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Cosmopolitan, British Vogue, House & Garden and Town & Country.

“Ms. Lockhart has established a wide sphere of design influence as her many accomplishments illustrate and most definitely has made her mark on the profession," says Dr. Pamela K. Evans, interim associate dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

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