Alain Courchesne

I may have grown up in a small mining town in Northern Ontario, but my passion for design is what propelled me to the forefront of interior design.  After studying design foundation at Algonquin College and moving on to study environmental (interior) design at the Ontario College of Arts and Design (OCAD U), I ranked among the top 25 students and was awarded a handsome scholarship for my work in 2D and 3D design. It was there that I also earned an environmental design scholarship for coming in in the top 5. After a brief hiatus from design (where I was a fashion model and travelled the abroad), I returned to what I loved the most – design.  I finally obtained my interior design diploma from Dawson College in 2005 and in 2007 I earned my certification form the National Council for Interior Design Qualification’s.

Since starting Igloo in 2005, I won best kitchen designer of the year by GROHE in ’06, and was named one of the best up-and-coming designers under 40 in 2007 by “Canadian House & Home” magazine.  In 2011 my firm (Igloo) was awarded employer of the year, and in 2013, my design for a subway station in the northern city of Qingdao, China won first place.

When I’m not flexing my design muscles, I enjoy traveling and returning to my hometown in Franco-Ontario cottage country.