NEWH - Fall 2014 - 55

Clockwise from top: A
few pieces from the
Mandy Li Collection:
a bedroom set for the
Hilton Grand Vacations
Club at MarBrisa,
Carlsbad, California; the
Chateaux Vanity; and
the Slimline Barn Door
Slider.

China, with two satellite offices in
Xiamen and Shanghai.
The collection's vanity bases,
kitchen cabinets, upholstery
seating, and Shoji screen doors,
crafted from materials like
sleek granite and jade wood-a
sustainable alternative to cherry,
ebony, and walnut that is derived
from bamboo-are an especially
apt fit for hospitality settings,
which happen to be one of Li's
biggest passions.
"I've always liked pretty things,
and every hotel I would stay
in I would pay attention to the
design," she says. "Following the
trends, all the different patterns and colors, is fascinating to me. I
wanted my company to transition to something more creative and
contemporary, and hotels are an inspiration."
Li, who has worked with brands like Hyatt and InterContinental,
caught her first big hospitality break with Hilton, when Hampton
Inn & Suites started incorporating vanities into their bathroom
design. Today, the Mandy Li Collection is a preferred vendor
for the Hilton Worldwide Suppliers' Connection; has additional
longstanding relationships with hospitality partners including
Marriott, Disney, and Caesars; and is in the midst of tackling
projects as varied as a vacation timeshare for Starwood Hotels &
Resorts and a Sheraton in Ontario, California.
Li has seen a number of changes in hospitality design since
making her business debut. "There are lots of bright colors
now-lime green, fresh coral, red, and teal," she observes. "I also
see that design has become more modern overall, combining
color, wood, and the pop of metal. It's a nice touch. We do a lot of
custom hardware and accents, like creating one metal piece for the
bathroom."
In contrast to the industrial and high-pressure laminate interior
doors she is known for, Li is busy manufacturing rustic, sliding barn
iterations that properties such as Marriott's Summit Watch in Park
City, Utah, have embraced. She is also working on a line of hand-

painted furniture, reflective of authentic Chinese design. "There will
be screens and chairs with a lot of birds and blossoms. It has an old
painting feel," she explains.
The recent restoration of the Renaissance Denver Downtown
City Center Hotel, set in the Colorado National Bank, was an
important project for Li. "It wasn't a huge job, but we provided
some unique pieces in the public area. It shows our capability and
flexibility to offer a variety of different finishes and materials, and
our engineering ability to meet and satisfy the designer's intent,"
she says.
Another significant milestone for Li was working with
Wyndham Vacation Ownership for the first time, providing
guestroom furniture for the Ka 'Eo Kai, in Kauai. "We were able to
show them what we could do with unique finishes combined with
solid wood carving and rattan, all in one project," Li explains. Her
relationship with the company was further strengthened when she
donated 200 dining chairs and 400 barstools to Wyndham Vacation
Ownership's renovation of Give Kids the World, a nonprofit resort
village in Kissimmee, Florida. "It's the project we're most proud
of," she says. "Helping others while being passionate about what
we do is one of our company's core values. It's not all about
making profit." ❙❘❚
www.mandylicollection.com
Fall 2014

55
http://www.mandylicollection.com
NEWH - Fall 2014

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