Healthcare Design - May 2022 - 64

f a ce Time
ELSIE ST. LÉGER
The assistant project manager, interiors, at NYU
Langone Health in New York and president of IIDA NY
opens up about switching careers, interior design trends,
and becoming a proud plant mama. -Anne DiNardo
YOU HAD A CAREER IN
MAGAZINE PUBLISHING BEFORE
INTERIOR DESIGN. WHY DID YOU
SWITCH PATHS?
I was dissatisfied with the direction of my editorial
career and, frankly, I was bored. I'd always had an
interest in design and architecture but didn't recognize
the symptoms until much later. Once I figured out
what made me happy, I started searching for a way in
through editorial, but it felt passive-design-adjacent
rather than truly involved. So I decided to go back to
school and get my degree.
AN UNEXPECTED ITEM ON
YOUR DESK
A pink, glass elephant from the Bahamas, given
to me by a dear friend. If you knew how much I
detest pink, you would marvel at my love of that
cute little thing.
FICTION OR
NONFICTION?
Fiction. Real life is
enough, but fiction lets me
come at it from another's
perspective or escape
altogether.
FAVORITE CITY TO VISIT
Istanbul. It's so much like New York in its energy
and constant movement, but its rich history and
architecture combined with the warm hospitality
of its denizens won my heart.
WHAT DREW YOU TO
HEALTHCARE DESIGN?
I originally wanted to pursue institutional design,
namely schools or cultural institutions like museums or
theaters, but my first exciting opportunity (just when the
recession of 2008-09 was abating) was in healthcare.
I leapt at it, and I have no regrets.
HOW DID YOU
MAKE YOUR FIRST
DOLLAR?
Working at Burger King.
MOST INTERESTING SIGHT
OUTSIDE YOUR HOME
OFFICE WINDOW
The public school playground across the street.
I enjoy listening to kids play during recess. Reminds
me to laugh and let go.
WHAT RECENT INTERIORS TREND
DO YOU WELCOME?
Addressing comfort in the workplace through daylighting/proper
artificial light. There's something invigorating
about working in a thoughtfully well-lit space. I suffer
from migraines; I know better than most how harmful
badly applied lighting can be. I'd rather work in the
dark than with lighting that doesn't suit the space.
FIRST ALBUM YOU
EVER BOUGHT
" Three Sides Live, "
by Genesis, which
surprises even me.
WHAT'S A NEW HABIT OR
HOBBY YOU'VE PICKED UP
DURING THE PANDEMIC?
I've become a proud plant mama. Not to say I
don't struggle with unhappy plants, but caring for
them has brought me unexpected joy and opened
me up again to the possibilities of life.
COCKTAIL OF
CHOICE
Manhattan, with
RECENT HEALTHCARE
PROJECTS AND
YOUR ROLE
1
2
64
NYU Langone Ambulatory
Care Center, East 41st Street,
Manhattan, client-side assistant
project manager, design.
NYU Langone Ambulatory
Care Center, East 38th Street,
Manhattan, client-side assistant
project manager, design.
ICE CREAM FLAVOR
Blueberry cheesecake from
Sugar Hill Creamery, right
here in Harlem.
Woodford Reserve
bourbon. I think I'll have
one now (it's after 5 p.m.
as I'm writing this).
DOG OR CAT?
Cat. They are proud and
loving and smart and
beautiful and don't give a
good gosh-darn. They are
all the things, as a dear
friend would say. I love
dogs, too, though.
TEAM
New York Yankees! As
a proud former Queens
resident, I should love the
Mets, but I simply cannot.
MAY 2022
HCDMAGAZINE.COM
DAVE BURK (NYU AMBULATORY CARE CENTER)
http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
Healthcare Design - May 2022

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