World-inspired veteran celebrated

Juan Montoya will be honored during this month’s Winter Las Vegas Market with the presentation of the prestigious Design Icon award.

For years, Montoya has been an icon by reputation, now, the designation will become official for the international luminary, who is one of the US’ top designers.

In being named Design Icon, Montoya has a greater platform to share his story and inspire and educate future designers. He joins the ranks of prominent past recipients such as Vicente Wolf, Roger Thomas, Vladimir Kagan and Larry Laslo.

“I feel very honored and very appreciative and humbled by this award,” said Montoya. “It means that people appreciate the work I have done and that I have been doing my job the best way I can do it.”

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, South America, Montoya studied at Universidad La Gran Colombia and at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. He got his start working for Ford and Earl and carried out freelance work in Paris and Milan prior to opening his own New York office in 1978. Montoya specialises in residential and commercial spaces.

Known for his qualities of space and scale, Montoya’s eclectic style integrates objects from across the globe to highlight the cultures that inspire him, such as Japanese, Moroccan, Scandinavian and North and South American.

“The client and space dictate what period I will be working in,” Montoya explained. “I consider myself a tailor who finds the best materials to clothe an interior in an appealing and comfortable way, down to the last detail.”

“The fact that we’re honoring such an eclectic and world-inspired artist speaks volumes about design today,” says Robert Maricich, president and CEO of World Market Center Las Vegas.

“Juan Montoya’s career draws from different countries and different cultures to create his own unique aesthetic. World Market Center Las Vegas and Las Vegas Design Center couldn’t be more pleased to designate him Design Icon, for he truly is that, in every sense of the word.”