Scottsdale-based Est Est, Inc. has announced the death of its longtime owner and president Tony Sutton at the age of 67 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Sutton ran Est Est, one of Arizona’s oldest full-service residential and commercial interior design firms for 38 years.

Tony Sutton passed away peacefully on Oct. 6 surrounded by his family, according to a press release.

Est Est was founded in 1959 by Pat Maas and Bill Benner. While many design firms are named after their principal designer, Pat and Bill wanted their firm to live past their tenure. When the Sutton family purchased the company in 1984, Tony took the lead as the visionary and created a company that he loved very much.

He was a driving force in positioning Est Est as one of the leading interior design firms in Arizona and beyond, and under Tony’s direction, Est Est won numerous industry awards. He was recently honored with an American Society of Interior Designers Lifetime Achievement Award.

“We are heartbroken to lose a visionary, a mentor, a friend and for me personally — my dad,” said Blake Sutton, now owner and president of Est Est. “His creativity and passion for interior design was alive every single day. His love for and dedication to his family and bettering the local community was an amazing example for so many of us. He taught me so much over the past 13 years as I was by his side running Est Est. His legacy will live on every day.”

In 2010, Blake joined the firm as director of operations, running the company alongside his dad. When Tony’s battle with cancer intensified last fall, Blake stepped up to run the company independently so Tony could focus more on his health.

Blake is well equipped and honored to take the reins of Est Est and lead the company as the owner and president with the same dedication and passion that he learned from his father, the press release stated. His plans include bringing Est Est even more into the national spotlight while continuing the legacy of exceeding clients expectations.

Blake has spent his entire professional career in the design industry. With an engineering degree in Construction Management from Arizona State University, he worked in the field for Kitchell Custom Homes, Rowland Luxury Homes and also worked for a few years on the custom Villas at Montelucia Resort and Spa. Blake’s construction background has been a differentiator for Est Est for more than a decade, bringing balance to the design staff and a unique understanding that allows Est Est to work seamlessly with the best architects and builders in town.

A Celebration of Life for Tony will take place on Monday, Oct. 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Illuminate Community Church, 17800 N. Perimeter Drive, in Scottsdale.