“Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do”.

                                                                                                                  ~ Rumi 

 

​​I am fortunate that every day, through Interior Design,

I do what I love….and love what I do.

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Every designer has a project that changes the way they think.

For me, that project was a supper club...Delilah at Wynn Las Vegas.

 

Serving as Director of Interior Design at TAL Studio, and later continuing that Director's role at Wynn Design & Development, I had the privilege of working alongside Todd-Avery Lenahan as one of the world's most celebrated restaurant interiors came to life-- Delilah. At the same time, I was directing design teams and implementation efforts across an international portfolio that included Four Seasons Resorts, Auberge Resorts Collection, and Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, China, and Japan, while also directing the implementation of Todd's design vision for several highly confidential ultra-luxury private residences for prominent hospitality and gaming executives.

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Watching Todd transform a thoughtful concept narrative into an unforgettable guest experience reinforced something I had been discovering throughout my career: exceptional hospitality is never accidental. It is the product of imagination, collaboration, craftsmanship, discipline, and thousands of thoughtful decisions that guests never see—but always remember.

 

Collaborating on Delilah didn't teach me how to design.

It simply confirmed something I had long believed—that every remarkable project begins with a story.

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Long before hospitality became my profession, my fascination with fashion introduced me to fabrics, texture, weave, craftsmanship, and materiality. Although I eventually realized my passion wasn't clothing but the environments those materials could create, that early appreciation never left me. It taught me that every project has its own Muse—a quiet source of inspiration waiting to be discovered rather than invented.

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Before establishing a creative vision, I immerse myself in understanding the site, the region, the culture, the market, the aspirations of the ownership and development team, and ultimately the people who will experience the finished environment. Somewhere deep within those layers of discovery, the project's Muse begins to reveal itself—the authentic human story that gives meaning to every design decision that follows.                                                                         

Over the years, that philosophy evolved into my process, which I now call Design Archaeology. Much like an archaeologist, I believe great design begins by uncovering evidence before drawing conclusions. Before a concept is imagined or a material is selected, I begin by uncovering the history, architecture, culture, craftsmanship, operational realities, market influences, and aspirations that define a place. Through research, observation, collaboration, and countless layers of exploration, the project's authentic narrative gradually begins to emerge.

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That narrative becomes the concept, and the concept becomes the decision-maker—guiding everything from master planning and space planning to architecture, interiors, lighting, materials, custom furnishings, and the smallest details that ultimately shape how people experience a place.

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Every project leaves behind clues. My role is to interpret those layers and transform them into environments that feel authentic, timeless, and deeply connected to the people who experience them. Rather than imposing a signature style, I believe the strongest designs reveal the story that has always been there, waiting to be uncovered.

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That philosophy accompanied me into the most recent chapters of my career.  I was privileged to continue that journey as Executive Director of Interior Design at another Vegas landmark, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, where I proudly served as an Owner's Representative helping guide one of the largest luxury resort reinvestment programs in the world.

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The work extended across more than 8,000 guest suites in three hotel towers, The Venetian, Palazzo and Venezia- now branded as Venetian South. The interior renovations and redesigns included several restaurants, bars and nightclub, the casino floor and gaming environments, VIP spaces, pool decks, and cabanas, convention facilities, corporate offices, and virtually every public area throughout the entire resort—a complete rebranding of this high-profile property. As the resort transitioned from Las Vegas Sands Corporation to new private ownership, my responsibility was not simply to help manage the renovation one of the world's most recognizable integrated resorts, but to thoughtfully contemporize the Venetian brand while honoring the original architectural character that made it iconic.

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Representing ownership required far more than overseeing design. It meant protecting design intent from the earliest concept presentations through final installation while collaborating with internationally recognized architects, consultants, engineers, contractors, artisans, and manufacturers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Whether reviewing custom furniture, decorative lighting, Axminster carpets, wallcoverings, millwork, stone, prototypes, shop drawings, factory production, or construction progress, every decision shared the same objective: preserving the integrity of the guest experience while balancing creativity with budgets, schedules, operational realities, and long-term value.

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Those years fundamentally reshaped my understanding of luxury. I came to realize that luxury has very little to do with extravagance. Instead, it is found in authenticity, craftsmanship, permanence, and the quiet confidence that every detail has been thoughtfully considered. Guests may never consciously remember the custom carpet beneath their feet or the subtle texture of a handcrafted wallcovering, but they always remember how a place made them feel.

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That understanding continued to evolve throughout every chapter of my career.

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As Director of Interior Design at TAL Studio, I learned how extraordinary creative vision becomes reality through disciplined collaboration, leading multidisciplinary design teams across an international portfolio of luxury hospitality projects. Working in San Francisco, as the Director of Hospitality Design at NICOLEHOLLIS,      I refined my understanding of luxury, where intimacy, lifestyle, authenticity, and restraint carried as much importance as scale. Through LC² Design Services, my own interior design practice, I experienced the profession from the client's side of the table while working directly with artisans, cabinetmakers, furniture manufacturers, decorative lighting studios, and stone fabricators throughout Italy, Spain, France, and Mexico. Those collaborations deepened my appreciation for craftsmanship and reinforced my belief that remarkable environments are created by talented people who are passionate about doing exceptional work.

 

Although I am mostly known for my hospitality experience, I  have an undying passion for designing lifestyles and residential environments for select clientele. Residences rooted in hospitality and  hospitality design influenced by my residential and FFE expertise. Some of my work has been featured in trade publications, blogs and websites. 

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Earlier, MGM Resorts International expanded my understanding of hospitality beyond individual interiors. Contributing to projects including CityCenter, ARIA, Bellagio, Mirage, and Cirque du Soleil taught me to view luxury resorts as complete ecosystems where architecture, interiors, entertainment, branding, operations, and guest experience must work together seamlessly. It was also where I first began seeing projects through the perspective of an Owner's Representative, balancing creative ambition with the practical realities of building and operating world-class destinations.

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Before Las Vegas, New York provided the architectural and technical foundation for everything that followed. At the legendary, Brennan Beer Gorman Monk (BBGM), I developed the discipline, documentation standards, and architectural rigor necessary to transform ambitious ideas into successful projects, including The Aladdin Hotel & Casino, which opened in 2000. Earlier still, Jay Haverson of Haverson Architecture (David Rockwells' partner), introduced me to the world of thematic hospitality design through destination restaurants and entertainment venues such as Motown Café, Harley-Davidson Café, and Smith & Wollensky. Those experiences quietly shaped the way I would approach every project for the rest of my career- through a narrative and storytelling.

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Looking back, I realize my journey into the world of design didn't really begin in New York City or Las Vegas.

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It began much earlier with a fascination for fabrics, craftsmanship, and the remarkable ability of thoughtfully composed environments to influence the way people feel. What first drew me toward fashion gradually evolved into advertising and visual merchandising, where I discovered I was far more interested in creating environments than simply displaying products.

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In the mid 80's that curiosity in designing environments eventually led me to Suniland Furniture, a 200,000 sq.ft. furniture showroom, one of the South's premier luxury home furnishings retailers, which had an in-house interiors department. That's where I designed showroom vignettes, windows for print ads, and I designed and styled  television commercial sets. Long before digital visualization, every environment had to be conceived, built, furnished, properly lit, and then staged, styled and professionally photographed or filmed for Print and TV advertisement. Those experiences became my first education in environmental storytelling, teaching me that thoughtful spaces are created through composition, lighting, proportion, craftsmanship, and attention to every detail.

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Encouraged by mentors to pursue interior design professionally, I continued my education at the Pratt Institute in New York City,   one of the top three art and design schools in the USA, where I earned a Master of Science in Interior Design and graduating with High Honors, while supporting myself in NYC designing window displays for one of Manhattan's premier antiques galleries. Together, those experiences established the technical foundation and appreciation for timeless design that continue to shape my work today.

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More than three decades later, I remain inspired by the opportunity to create exceptional hospitality environments and to lead talented teams in bringing ambitious ideas to life. I believe the most successful projects are built on creative vision, technical discipline, operational understanding, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

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If you're seeking an experienced Creative Director, Executive Design Leader, or Owner's Representative who understands luxury hospitality from concept through completion, I'd welcome the opportunity to learn about your vision and explore what we might create together.

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Every memorable project begins with the right conversation.