On the Move: March Design Industry News

Check out the most recent industry promotions, new hires, and company news in Interior Design’s latest edition of On the Move.

Perkins&Will

Dawne David-Pierre has joined Perkins&Will as director of operations for the New York and Philadelphia Studios. Dawn is an architect and project manager with more than two decades of experience delivering complex projects in healthcare, education, and science and technology. She is a key member of the New York and Philadelphia leadership team, working closely with Clemens, design director Mike McElderry, interior design director Brent Capron, and health practice leader Laura Morris, among others, to set the studios’ strategy and support the firm’s culture of design excellence, innovation, and inclusion. Among other duties, she is responsible for ensuring project teams have the right resources at the right time to design and deliver projects that meet or exceed clients’ expectations.

The firm has made three more leadership changes at the highest level across several offices. Todd Gilles, firmwide director of finance, has become chief financial officer, succeeding Dana Waymire, who retired in March; Susan Gushe, managing director of the firm’s Vancouver and Calgary studios, has become chief operating officer, succeeding Tyson Curcio, who has transitioned full-time into his role as chief practice officer; Amber Hamilton, firmwide director of talent, has become chief talent officer, succeeding Meg Brown, who retired earlier this month.

Also, Eileen Jones, designer of branded environments and firmwide practice leader at Perkins&Will, has announced her retirement. Her career encompassed more than 40 years, with 22 of those years spent at Perkins&Will, during which time she worked on projects from the 1,500 square-foot showroom in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart to the 10 million-square-foot expansion at the Holy Mosque of Makkah. Following her retirement, Keith Curtis, a design principal based in the firm’s Atlanta studio, will take on the role of firmwide branded environments practice leader. Keith has over 30 years of experience designing for some of the most recognized brands in the world. In the Chicago studio, Yvette Fevurly will lead the local practice.

Haworth Lifestyle Design

Ralph Lauren Corporation and Haworth Lifestyle Design have announced a strategic long term agreement beginning April 1, 2024. The agreement will enable Ralph Lauren to continue expanding and growing its Home business. The collaboration will also include the development and operations of a network of new, freestanding, immersive Ralph Lauren Home stores in strategic locations globally.

Gettys Group

The board of directors of The Gettys Group Companies has announced the appointment of two new CEOs. Ron Swidler is CEO of the Gettys Group Companies and Jerry Zeitner is CEO of Ridgeline Development Partners, the firm’s hotel development arm. Both Ron Swidler and Jerry Zeitner are long-time Gettys Group team members who have been integral in expanding the firm’s offerings and global impact. Swidler joined Gettys nearly 35 years ago and rose to chief innovation officer. Zeitner joined Gettys just under 28 years ago and most recently served as chief development officer of Ridgeline Development Partners.

Daniel Frisch Architecture

Residential firm Daniel Frisch Architecture has expanded into Kent, Connecticut from their longtime office in Manhattan. They have also announced the appointment of Kate Jiranek as partner, with Daniel Frisch in the role of managing partner. Devon Mott has been named director of special projects.

Carrier Johnson + Culture

Architecture, interiors, landscape, and planning firm Carrier Johnson + Culture (CJ+C) is celebrating the official opening of its newest location in Atlanta. To lead the opening of their new office, CJ+C has strategically co-located its firmwide head of design and design principal Luca Maffey and its director of interiors and managing principal Craig Anderchak. Both Maffey and Anderchak have lived in Atlanta for many years and completed several high-profile projects in the city; some are currently in design and/or construction.

Arteriors

John Hart has been named CEO of Arteriors. Hart most recently served as CEO of Luminaire, a leading national design retailer of contemporary European furnishings headquartered in Miami. As a business leader with a proven 28-year track record across the luxury design space, Hart has driven the growth of noted global brands across each key channel of distribution catering to the design trades. Prior to Luminaire, he served as co-CEO of Michigan-based luxury custom rug manufacturer Scott Group Studio, and spent the majority of his career with Kohler Company.

Stylex

Stylex will be acquired by Flokk, a leading European office seating and furniture manufacturer. The purchase comes at a pivotal moment, solidifying Flokk’s presence in the U.S. market and opening new opportunities to take the Stylex brand to the next level.

IMC Architecture

The Brooklyn-based multi-family, commercial and institutional architectural firm IMC Architecture has launched its new interior design studio. The new interior design studio’s current projects include the 4,000-square foot office fit-out for Brooksville and boutique 1,000-square-foot workplace for We Lend in Manhattan; 10,000-square foot workplace for Bawabeh Realty Holdings in Brooklyn as well as interior design work for several charter and private schools in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. In the retail and hospitality markets, the studio designed the new Le Café Coffee at the One Dag office tower in Midtown Manhattan.

Turf

President Rob Perri has been promoted to vice president, architectural specialties—brand companies at Turf’s parent company Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Perri brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role, with a strong background in product innovation, global strategy and manufacturing. Since joining Turf in 2018, Perri has driven revenue growth of over 400%, with the goal of consistently delivering 20% year-over-year growth. Perri will continue to serve as the president of Turf while also taking on a larger role within Armstrong.

Elkus Manfredi Architects

Elkus Manfredi Architects has named two new principals and announced promotions to vice president, senior associate, and associate. William (Rob) Halter has been promoted to principal. Emily Paparella has also been promoted to principal. She joined Elkus Manfredi in 2006 and has overseen a wide variety of complex projects, including  higher-education, residential, mixed-use, and renovation projects, most recently Simmons University’s One Campus Master Plan and design of the Living and Learning Center. Rob and Emily join David P. Manfredi, CEO and founding principal; Elizabeth O. Lowrey, principal; John H. Martin, principal; and Andrew West, principal in the leadership of the firm. John Mitchell and Timothy Talun have been promoted to vice president. Gregory Breisinger, Christina Hoover, and Jacob E. Kain have been promoted to senior associate. Jocelyn Barahona, Genevieve Dominiak, Rahissa Melo Wang, Xiaofeng Sima, and Kate Woodcome have been promoted to associate.

Urbahn Architects

Urbahn Architects, a prominent, full-service planning, architecture and interior design firm based in New York City, has launched Urbahn International, a new affiliate to focus on public, commercial, hospitality, multi-family, healthcare, educational and institutional work globally. Urbahn International will operate in both New York City and Jakarta, Indonesia. Pratt Institute-educated architect Rafi Haikal will serve as Urbahn’s Director of ASEAN Region Business Development.

FCA

FCA has made leadership promotions across the firm. Promoted to principal are Chip Hemphill and Stephen Jouflas; promoted to senior associate are Brian Kessler, Paige Macfarlan, Jessica Roden, and Jessica Rotenberger; promoted to associate are Mario DeJesus, Brian Fullen, Rachel Howren, Nicholas Husbands, Adam Musante, Lisa Patusky, Michelle Reese, and Carol Vandiepen.

Emtek

Steve Kamp has been promoted to VP & GM of luxury hardware at. He will be responsible for leading the commercial North America Emtek & Schaub business and will be a key member of the Commercial Leadership Team. Kamp most recently served as VP of sales and marketing. In addition, Emtek announced Austin McCormick’s promotion to senior director of sales for the US market. In this new position, Austin will provide focused service to Emtek’s independent dealer network in the brand’s most important market, the United States.

DLR Group

DLR Group has announced the acquisition of San Francisco based luxury interiors firm BraytonHughes Design Studios. BraytonHughes is a full-service interior design and architecture firm founded in 1991 with work spanning hospitality, corporate, private clubs, multi-family, residential, and institutional projects. BraytonHughes will relocate to DLR Group’s San Francisco office at 235 Montgomery Street this spring. Interior designers Janea Nakagawa, Rachel Fischbach, and Kiko Singh; and architects Joel Villalon and Towan Kim join DLR Group as principals.

Jamie Stern Furniture, Carpet, Leather & Fabric

Jamie Stern Furniture, Carpet, Leather & Fabric announces the appointment of Roya Gholizadeh as director of production and business development—carpet division. She will oversee the company’s entire carpet and rug division, including relationships with designers, clients, manufacturers and company reps, as the division continues to grow. Gholizadeh brings over two decades of international interior design and product development experience to her new role, including high-end residential design as well as corporate, hospitality, product and furniture design. In addition, the company has named two new sales representatives. they are Franco Santorelli for the mid-Atlantic region and Laura Guttierez for sales to the Southern California and Las Vegas markets.

IIDA NY

The International Interior Design Association New York Chapter (IIDA NY) is honored to announce the winners of its third annual Hazel Siegel Scholarship: Dohee Kim from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Giuliana Grosso from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), and Autumn Howard from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The recipients received an all-expense-paid, three-day trip to IIDA’s SHIFT Conference in Dallas February 14-16, accompanied by Michelle Schutt, AIA Associate and CertainTeed Architectural Solutions Manager, and a one-year IIDA student membership to the NY chapter.

Svigals + Partners

New Haven-based architecture firm Svigals + Partners has announced the promotions of five key staff members to associate principal and associate positions. Newly named to the position of associate principal are Brian Stancavage, AIA, CDT and Cheryl Hart, director of marketing and business development. The promoted associates include office manager and project accounting coordinator, Debbie Ferrell, plus architects April Gaddis, AIA, and Bryan Moore, AIA.

RODE

Boston-based RODE Architects has announced five staff promotions. Michael DelleFave has been named studio director; Lucas Herringshaw and Ruthie Kuhlman have been promoted to senior associates; Nick Ruggeri has been named associate; and Deidre Lamoureux has been promoted to associate and director of finance.

Pfluger Architects

The Texas-based architecture firm Pfluger Architects has expanded their educational design and consulting team across Texas. In the past year, Pfluger made several strategic hires to enhance its ability to serve its clients. Recent notable additions to the Pfluger team include: Connie Rivera as co-managing principal of the Corpus Christi office; Brenda Swirczynski, a former educator and curriculum coordinator, as an Educational Facility Planner based in the Dallas office; Braden Haley as senior project manager in the San Antonio office; Cody Cunningham, as a principal and director of communications and community engagement. With 114 employees across five Texas locations, Pfluger anticipates further expansion in 2024.

Atelier Castagna

Italian interior and product design professional Martina Castagna has launched a new studio in the interior and product design space. The studio will use an artificial intelligence-based approach to distinguish itself through technological innovation. Castagna will serve as CEO.

S/L/A/M Collaborative

The S/L/A/M Collaborative has made 33 leadership promotions across the firm’s nine studios in Boston, Denver, Glastonbury, Iowa City, Orlando, Atlanta and Providence. The promotions include Karen A. Parzych, Roderick L. Bouchard Jr, and Frederick C. Godbolt, who have been elevated to Principal & Shareholder. Nathan Bernier, Shane Clark, and Matthew Nelson have been promoted to associate principals. Paul Baldinger has been named corporate market leader of SLAM’s Glastonbury, CT studio.

HGA

Mia Blanchett has been promoted to CEO at HGA. Blanchett joined HGA in 1989 and, for the last 35 years, has elevated the firm’s national prominence through successive leadership roles across its broad-ranging sectors of focus. She also has been a voice for gender equity in architecture with HGA’s internal equity council and steering committee, distinguishing the firm as an industry model for workplace equity, mentorship and career growth. In her new role as CEO, she will be responsible for executing the firm’s strategic plan, which includes many of her own contributions.

estudioMBC

Mariela Buendia-Corrochano announced the launch of her new firm estudioMBC, which will focus on commercial workplace and real estate strategy, building repositioning and transformation and interior design services as well as new homes and renovations, and architectural conversions of historic structures into net zero Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).  The firm recently signed its first client, a confidential law firm.  For 25 years, Buendia-Corrochano held senior positions at Gensler where most recently she was design principal and previously the firm’s global design leader and  regional professional service firms practice area leader based in the Washington D.C. office.

Catch Barbora Žilinskaitė’s ‘Chairs Don’t Cry’ Exhibit in Los Angeles

A mere 28 years old, Barbora Žilinskaitė has already had a noteworthy trajectory. She was born and educated in Lithuania, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in product and spatial design, lives in Brussels, and, lately, has been taking California by storm: recently participating in a group show at San Francisco gallery Jessica Silverman and now the subject of a solo exhibition, “Chairs Don’t Cry,” currently on view at Friedman Benda Los Angeles. All showcase not only her vivid, anthropomorphic work that blurs the line between person and object—the show title attributing emotion to furniture—but also her signature medium, reclaimed sawdust, which she sources from a nearby timber workshop. “Beyond its aesthetic value—texture, malleability, porosity—I also appreciate the narrative behind using the material,” Žilinskaitė says. “Objects made from it already carry a story, and it continues to ‘live,’ shaping new forms instead of ending up in a landfill.” But for Art Basel Switzerland in June, she’s switching things up, crafting her Sunbather bench—which is debuting in L.A. in blue-pigmented wood dust—in pale-yellow concrete, her first of the kind.

“Chairs Don’t Cry,” Barbora Žilinskaitė’s 10-piece solo exhibition at Friedman Benda gallery in Los Angeles through March 30, features the 9-foot-long sideboard While we hide our secrets there, they hide theirs, the 3-foot-tall mirror Mr. Judgy, and the 6 foot-long Sunbather bench, all in pigmented reclaimed sawdust.

Stay at This Australian Airport Hotel Full of Moxy ’Tude

Airport hotels get a bad rap. But Australia’s inaugural Moxy is a cut above, thanks to Maed. Collective, a female-led Toronto firm whose name references the maker movement (and founder Corinne Huard’s daughter, Maggie Mae). The gig was full circle for studio lead Sally Pollock, who perfected the Moxy ’tude while at Yabu Pushelberg working on the brand’s New York hotels (Huard is also an alum). But this 32,000-square-foot, 301-key property in Sydney is a room all its own, so to speak. She and project colead Erika van der Pas married Moxy’s signature cheek with an industrial vibe befitting the air-side location, adding a soupçon of art deco sparked by the heritage storefronts of the surrounding neighborhood.

Wrapping around the steel-frame glass-box entry, the brick facade of the 13-story building, by Group GSA, was painted by local artist Elliott Routledge n the bold blue and orange colors of cargo containers. Farther in is the Little Baxter café, the bar, and the lounge, where sprawling seating meet an assemblage of custom rugs, each a different neo-deco pattern, pieced together on-site into a single carpet. Tucked at the rear, behind the lobby stairs, is the art house, a flex space and gallery where paintings hang from wall-mounted white-metal scaffolding in a sort of souped-up urban spin on the Victorian picture rail. If atmosphere is the charged space between things, here it’s the ping-pong betwixt vintage objects, regional art, and custom pieces that creates a reassuring homeyness. “Nothing feels unapproachable,” van der Pas says. Pollock agrees: “There’s a subtle intuitiveness to every space.” Resimercial, we’d say, in the current parlance.

 

Get in Touch With Nature at Shanan Anji Deep Stream Hotel

Midway up the north slope of China’s Tianmu Mountain, hidden amongst the lush bamboo forest, the dramatic geometries of a complex of peach-hued buildings emerge from the greenery as if partially ruined, and reclaimed by nature over time. Yet the majority of Shanan Anji Deep Stream, a four-story boutique hotel, is brand new, courtesy of Fununit Design founder and design director Eason Zhu— a mechanical engineering graduate who recently pivoted to architecture and spent two years developing everything from the property’s floor plans to its artworks and visual identity, as his very first built project.

An approximate two-hour drive from Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing, this scenic rural area—referred to by the Chinese as “bamboo village”—is a popular destination for weekend getaways. Zhu and his client’s aim is to bestow full immersion in natural tranquility for those “living in the city, who work so hard and are so tired,” he begins. And where better to escape to than an uninterrupted green mountain landscape, which this 17-key hotel boasts as the highest property in the area and maximizes through the orientation of its spaces, while ensuring privacy and seclusion.

How the Design of Shanan Anji Deep Stream Hotel Invites Guests to Unwind

Upon arrival at the bottom of the site, guests are guided up a winding stairway through the tall bamboo—a journey intended “to slow people down,” Zhu notes— to the small compound of structures perched on the slope. Tea is provided while the new arrivals gaze out through giant picture windows of the reception area, located within an old building, dubbed Chi, that Zhu converted into a common space for guests to unwind. Also containing a bar and a lounge, the rough-troweled plaster interior offers a minimalist take on traditional Chinese architecture, and its chocolate brown color is contrasted by paler-toned furniture. “There’s a fireplace, low lighting, and everything is more natural, more relaxed,” Zhu describes.

Additional buildings were constructed on either side of the communal hub: one four-story block next door on the same axis and a separate two-story volume that’s angled to face a slightly different yet equally captivating view. Both contain two-level guest suites and are built using the rammed earth that gives the entire compound its distinctive peachy hue. “In recent years in China, a lot of white buildings have been built in the mountains,” Zhu explains, revealing that his decision to buck the trend came from a budgetary restriction; it was cheaper to construct the hotel using material excavated from the site. Existing stones were also repurposed, stacked to form exterior retaining walls to cut costs.

Design Details Include Heated Floors and Outdoor Baths

Although the purse strings were tight, Zhu splashed out on “details that guests really notice” like the bathroom fixtures and underfloor heating and placing indoor and outdoor bathing areas in prime spots for views. He also referenced the work of iconic international architects. At the angled building, named Xu, for instance, private outdoor hot tubs are positioned in front of parabolic openings, reminiscent of those that front Oscar Niemeyer’s Alvorada Palace in Brazil and E. Stewart Williams’s Coachella Valley Savings & Loan bank in California. Spanning between tall partitions that offer total privacy for each suite, the U-shape elements frame scenes of the mountain opposite, which can also be appreciated from both levels inside thanks to full-height glazing. 

In Yi, the other accommodation block, secluded ground-level terraces are tucked away at the back, so bedrooms in front enjoy the premium aspect. The goal in each room type was to make the natural surroundings take center stage, and all else is there to ensure a comfortable setting from which to look out, or a base from which to venture and explore. “When we conceived the hotel, we wanted guests to get lost in nature, so the design follows the less is more idea, while the views let guests forget their busy urban lives,” Zhu elaborates. 

Natural Light and Minimalist Furnishings Create Calm 

The suites feature lighter-colored troweled plaster than in the communal spaces, remaining bright and airy along with neutral-toned upholstery and sculptural furnishings—many of which are custom by Zhu. Circular skylights are another recurring motif throughout the 21,000-square-foot property, theatrically illuminating stairwells and providing snapshots of the sky above bathtubs. Natural light is manipulated via thin openings and curved surfaces in the corridors that connect the guest rooms, creating an effect that the architect likens to the “trancelike” experience of being inside Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà in Spain. 

The almost monastic quality that Zhu has created with his debut architectural opus is remarkably effective at promoting a slow and peaceful atmosphere across the site. His respectful nods to modernist landmarks are executed in earthy colors and textured materials for a warmer effect than many contemporary buildings possess. After their therapeutic breaks, Shanan guests descend the mountain and return to their bustling urban environs, hopefully with cleared minds and reinvigorated bodies, having been somewhat reclaimed by nature themselves. 

Walk Through Shanan Anji Deep Stream Hotel

FUNUNIT DESIGN: ZHU XIAOCHEN; ERHUAN CHAI; YEQING FENG; EILEEN CHEN; JIAJUN LI; APPLE WU; YITING DU; LIANGLIANG WENG; XIAOXIAN HU. 

JULY COOPERATIVE: LANDSCAPE DESIGN. 

HANGZHOU DIANCHANG DECORATION DESIGN ENGINEERING CO.: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. 

HANSGROHE: SINK, TUB, SHOWER FITTINGS. KING KOIL: MATTRESSES. 

Air Quite Literally Breathes Life into This Outdoor Installation

For the current NGV Triennial, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, the institution commissioned 25 projects and curated 100 more, under the themes of Magic, Matter, and Memory. Among those responding to Matter—i.e. nature, materials, and making—is a gigantic outdoor sphere titled (This Is) Air by Nic Brunsdon, who was also awarded the annual NGV Architecture Commission, on view in the museum’s garden through June 16.
 
The 47-foot-diameter white orb essentially uses air as a building material. Made of inner and outer layers of synthetic recyclable PVC, it incorporates fans, vents, and a water ballast, which make it expand and contract, like it’s breathing. “The inner sphere stays inflated, providing structural stability and a backdrop for the outer sphere to play against,” the Perth-based architect explains, while the vents, near the base, “take air in, then exhale it out, making it both present and heard.”

Brunsdon’s inspirations were varied: the emphasis on respiration during the pandemic; late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s monumental, wrapped works; the history of kinetic sculptures; the pair of intelligence-gathering domes at Waihopai Station in New Zealand. His result is both commanding and playful, inviting contemplation as well as active interaction. Children are often playing around it as it inhales and exhales.