By Rebecca Goldberg
Birds do more than lift themelves in the air. They spread their wings and soar. They’re a metaphor for the momentum, and tangible greatness, that our Boutique 18 have shown. We are proud to present this year’s crop of interior design talent, who we believe will rise above any challenge that may face their craft and make hospitality more exciting and efficient.
-Davis Krumins, Davis Ink
As child I was always playing in the sand box- building and organizing things and I loved color. And I really liked plants and clothing. You could say I was a “tripster,” living in my own world. As an adult, I liked painting and going to galleries. I made sculptures out of found objects. I was interested in going to thrift stores and buying vintage pieces: clothing, ashtrays, vases- anything that caught my eye. I was always into architecture. My main love is modernism and mid-century design. My favorite architects were Schindler, Neutral, and La Corbusier. I was into modernism but I wanted to add more feeling like wood and stone with texture and color. Hence why what I do today is the combination of everything I love- architecture, art, designing furniture, and creating space. What are your goals as a designer (to promote sustainability, make people feel comfortable, change the world, etc.)?
My main goal as a designer is simple- to give people a positive experience and make them happy in the environment we create. We enjoy kicking back in the corner of our projects and watching people with smiles enjoying themselves. How do you work those goals into your design work?
I work those goals into our design by adding texture, color, using organic elements, plants, stone, wood, fire, and water- it all creates a balance that makes you feel good and comfortable. We like to make our venues more intimate by breaking spaces into smaller areas, creating soffits, lowering the ceilings. 2009 has been a challenge thus far. However, with change comes opportunity. What opportunities do you see?
The opportunity right now is for people to design in a more responsible way. By sticking to tighter budgets it forces us to be more creative. As a designer our goal is to design in a smart way by focusing on the key areas and helping to provide a stimulating environment without over-doing the space. What type of hospitality environments appeal to you personally? Environments that I find most appealing are intimate and moody with creative lighting. They have lots of different textures and utilize items and materials in unpredictable ways. If you could create anything, what would it be?
What we are doing right now- creating positive space- is everything I have wanted to do. We are living our dream.
