Boutique Design - Winter 2024 - 52

THE GOODR I CH TEAM AT SO & SO' S PI ANO BAR
I NS I DE THE ROMER HELL' S KI TCHEN IN NEW YORK
On being part of a small team with a big impact.
Rosie Rainbow, Creative Director: At Goodrich, we
strip away hierarchy. Everyone's voice is valued,
whether you're an intern or a director. We sit at a
round table where ideas from all facets of design are
welcomed. With a multidisciplinary team-product
and lighting specialists, branding experts-we
approach projects holistically. Even when the scope
doesn't offi cially cover every discipline, we pull from
our collective strengths.
Megan Schababerle, Project Lead: I started at Gensler,
a very large fi rm, and over time, I've worked at
progressively smaller fi rms. In larger fi rms, your role
can feel narrow, but in smaller teams like ours, you
wear more hats and have a greater impact on both
design and fi rm structure. Early on, even as a young
designer, I had a seat at the table, and that shaped
my goals.
Asli Uluaydin, Design Director: It's like the saying,
'It takes a village to raise a child.' It also takes a
village to design. With all our disciplines-furniture,
branding, interiors-working together, every
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W I N T E R 20 2 4 / 20 2 5
component contributes to something exceptional.
This all-hands-on-deck approach happens every
day, and it's special.
Chris Rizzo, Creative Director, Brand: We don't have
parts of the team segregated from one another.
Everyone works collaboratively, learning and
growing through different pairings on projects. This
creates a culture where every team member has an
opportunity to contribute and build their skills.
On a multidisciplinary approach.
CR: From the start, we wanted deep thinking and
storytelling baked into everything we do. Having all
disciplines at the table early ensures a unifi ed voice
throughout the project. Matt also wanted to stay
deeply involved in the creative process, and our size
allows for that. Everyone's engaged and aware, ready
to add that special touch.
On the design foundation.
CR: Every project, no matter the scope, starts
with the same place and the same thinking. We
go through our design foundation process for
everything-whether it's branding, interiors, or
product design, we use the same research-driven
approach. This ensures that even single-discipline
projects benefi t from insights across the team.
For example, our branding strategy has really
expanded, informed by the same conceptual
thinking we apply to interiors. We've already been
doing that thinking.
If you're selecting a doorknob for the project, go
back to the design foundation and fi nd a point of
reference for it. It feels like such a small detail, but if
you have that strong foundation, you should be able
to go back to it for inspiration.
RR: We're all heavy researchers, and we always create
a multifaceted design foundation that is based on
research. Those can come from a number of different
sources of inspiration-from the location or the city
to the client's brief or aspirations, to the building
or architect and the context the project might
be in. This foundation informs everything-from
schematic design to material selection, art curation,
and branding. It ensures consistency and keeps us
grounded throughout the process.
GO LD KE Y D E S I GN ER OF THE YE A R
Boutique Design - Winter 2024

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