Davis Krumins builds the places where hipsters and the who’s who of Hollywood love to party.
Krumins is the creative genius behind the interior design of some of Southern California’s coolest nightspots and restaurants. His Newport Beach firm, Davis Ink, designed the Stingaree in San Diego, named one of the hottest new nightclubs in the country by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.
He also did the interior of Hollywood’s hottest new five-story nightclub, The Kress, where cabanas in the hip rooftop lounge rent for $3,000 to $4,000 a night.
From the beginning, Krumins’ firm stayed away from chain restaurants and other conventional projects. Instead, they look for work with a “wow factor.” That means projects like their latest venture, a boutique Hollywood hotel with a rooftop pool and multiple restaurants.
So what does it take to create a memorable hotspot? For Krumins, it means putting “unexpected surprises” throughout the environment, using highly technical lighting systems and incorporating organic elements like water and fire.
“Water and fire have an almost Zen-ish balancing effect,” says Krumins, a lifelong surfer who grew up in Newport Beach.
“It’s really important to discover new things in places you wouldn’t expect,” he adds. “We try to do totally new environments that people haven’t seen before, while keeping it fun. If you get too serious, then you lose the whole point.”
