Boutique Design - Spring 2020 - 60

H I LT O N S A N D I E G O

LOUIE SISON
DESIGN DIRECTOR
W I L S O N A S S O C I AT E S , D A L L A S

Dream client? Steve McQueen. How do you
design for the King of Cool?
That time you ﬂ ipped an outcome on its
head: I was tasked to put together a concept
pitch for a new client. After extensive
research, design mock-ups, and product
samples, I was determined I was ready to
present. It failed. I stayed to meet with the
client and catch up on matters outside of
the project. He ended up inviting me to his
house to tour his private art collection.
His passion for art was truly evident and,
after this humbling experience, it allowed
me to revisit the initial pitch. The result
was a solution that aligned with the client's
business goals and a concept that resonated.
Always read between the lines-sometimes
you'll ﬁ nd valuable insight hiding there.
What's the next game-changer? Evolving
consumer habits will inﬂuence guestroom
design by eliminating superﬂuous items
in the room: alarm clocks, ironing boards,
shower wands, and, dare I say, televisions.
What's on your boards? New construction
projects for a lifestyle hotel brand in Spain
and a luxury senior living clubhouse in Asia.
I'm also working on a Renaissance Hotel
guestroom renovation in Florida.
What trend needs to go? Millennial pink,
dusty pink, blush pink. Anything pink.

P H OTO A N D R E N D E R I N G : W I L S O N A S S O C I AT E S

B AY F R O N T

11 COOPER
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY

SENIOR INTERIOR DESIGNER
FLOSS BARBER, PHILADELPHIA

60

SPRING 2020

What's top of mind for you? As society becomes more culturally
diverse, it's important that children see themselves within the
designs that surround them. We must go beyond the surface and
approach projects like a cultural anthropologist, historian, and
curator. We have an obligation to be storytellers through design.
What's on your boards? A 138-room hotel with conferencing
space, restaurant, and bar in a historic art deco building featuring
period designs by female textile designers of color, as well as
contemporary street art. It's very 1920 meets 2020, a jazz versus

hip-hop decade mash-up!
Who's got your eye right now? Ovolo Hotels
and Cyril Aouizerate [Mob Hotels]. They are
equally future-forward independent brands
that have their ﬁ nger on the pulse.
Tell us about your greatest mentors before
joining Floss Barber. Graduating from Sarah
Lawrence with a BA in liberal arts, I had zero
technical training. Terry Bagley, a former
knitwear designer, and I were kindred spirts.
She gave me my start in her Sag Harbor
storefront. We traveled a lot for buying trips,
and she taught me about metal plating and
true French and farmhouse antiques. Sophie
Prévost is also one of my greatest mentors.
She and Robert Cole are the husband and
wife duo of Washington, DC-based interior
and architecture ﬁ rm ColePrévost. Having a
background in art restoration and corporate
interiors, she has the most elegant sense
of color, balance, and shape. From Sophie, I
learned how to not design so seriously-to
allow room for a little whimsy.

P H OTO S : F LO S S B A R B E R

SEQUOYAH
HUNTERCUYJET
Boutique Design - Spring 2020

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