Hospitality Design - June 2013 - 81

I was firmly on the architecture
track, looking for great architects
to work for and mentor me into
my own greatness. After months
of doing waterproofing details,
I felt too removed from the
resultant architecture, let alone
its effect on people or culture.
I decided that I wanted to do
something that encompasses a
few other aspects of life.

3

2
4

I grew up in New York City—by
way of Cleveland, then Seattle,
then Switzerland. I’m just now
growing up!
I never questioned wanting
to be a designer or considered
otherwise. My mother was a
painter and textile designer,
and my father was an architect.
Design was the first language in
the household.

5

My father worked in a building
with an Isamu Noguchi sculpture
in the plaza. When I was three
years old, I remember talking
about Noguchi with my parents.
Hospitality? That memory starts
with the cocktail parties my
parents threw in the seventies—
great furniture, food, drinks,
music, and people. Sounds
straightforward, but it’s tough
to pull off well. Even tougher to
do it flawlessly, and seemingly
without effort.
My degrees are in architecture.
College was at the University of
Washington (with Frank Ching
as my first professor). I did a year
of master’s work through SCIArc, in a small town in the south
of Switzerland. I then obtained
a Master of Architecture from
Columbia University.

1. A rendering of the
lobby of Commune’s
in-development “Young
New” brand, created
in collaboration with
AvroKO.

2+3. Renderings of
the bathroom and
guestroom for
5 Beekman hotel in New
York, which is being
designed by Martin
Brudnizki Design Studio.

4+5. The ICRAVEdesigned bar and entry
for a Commune hotel
set to be housed in
the Battery Maritime
Building in New York.

After college, I worked for an
architectural practice in Seattle,
where I had interned in high
school. I got my feet wet in every
aspect of the profession because
it was a small practice, and
everyone was so embracing (hey,
it’s Seattle). Through a twist of
fate, it was being there that led
me to New York.

I joined Commune shortly after it
was established. It was a merger
of two brands [Thompson and
Joie de Vivre (JDV)], one of
which I had been interested in
for years. I was initially attracted
by that brand, but very quickly I
discovered the people and spirit
behind this new engine. It is a
wonderfully rich, creative, and
energetic team. I’m proud of the
work that landed me here but
ecstatic about what lies ahead.
I love the hotel we’re developing
on Beekman Street in lower
Manhattan. It’s an historic
building that is nearly holy in its
beautiful abandoned quality. I’m
curious to see how its spirit lives
on in its next life.
My design style: I lean classic
modern, but with a raw
unrefined-ness; something has
to be slightly off. Personal style
could be described the same.
Fashion icon? Patti Smith.
I thrive on coffee, exercise,
good people, humor, and the
visual world.
Success is doing something with
integrity.
I want my tombstone to read, ‘I
lived fully.’

Current and Recently Completed
Projects:
Chicago Athletic Association
Young New Hotel Brand
5 Beekman, New York
Battery Maritime Building, New York
Thompson Cabo San Lucas
Carlyle and Savoy, JDV, Washington, DC
Bowery, JDV, New York
Thompson Ocean Drive, Miami

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