How did you meet?
Will Meyer: On Tinder.
Gray Davis: Actually, it was ChristianMingle.
WM: We met at Auburn University [in Alabama], but we got to know each other in New York through a group of mutual friends who had all gone to school together and were working in the design field.
Why did you want to work together?
GD: David Braly, a professor from Auburn University, who is a good friend and taught both of us, always thought the two of us would work well together, so he encouraged us to seriously consider opening a practice together.
WM: David really launched the whole idea because Gray and I weren’t thinking that at all. He thought we would complement each other.
The lobby bar at 1 Hotel South Beach, an eco-friendly resort in Florida.
Big break?
WM: V Bar, a nightclub at the Venetian in Las Vegas. It was owned by New York nightlife impresarios David Rabin and Will Regan.
Leather booths are installed beneath brass-framed mirrors at Proxi in Chicago.
Firm motto?
WM: We always say, ‘We design every inch of it’ meaning that we enjoy designing environments that reflect a fully immersive and experiential narrative.
Tell us about your design process.
GD: We kind of go back and forth, it’s really collaborative.
WM: At the beginning, we sit down at the table with trace paper and pens and we literally draw everything together. One of us will be drawing up plans, the other will be doing perspectives, looking up images, and so on.
GD: It’s building all these little pieces and parts, the plan, and the elevation. One of us will be sketching and the other will say ‘Okay, if you’re doing that, what if we did this?’ and it starts to take off.
Marché in Le Méridien New Orleans boasts walnut tables and shelves.
What are each other’s strengths and weaknesses?
GD: Will’s strengths are his beautiful perspectives, whereas mine are my plans.
WM: We have very similar strengths. Gray can look at a plan and has the ability to make the impossible possible. A beautiful plan will emerge that looks completely effortless.
Project that showcases your firm?
WM: Our latest completed project, which is the Four Seasons Hotel Houston. We learned a lot about ourselves on that project. We’ve innovated and really transformed a space into something that no one ever thought it could be.
Vaucluse in New York embraces a French-inspired design.
Project you are looking forward to?
GD: The Rosewood Little Dix Bay [in the British Virgin Islands]. It’s such a special place. It was started by Laurance S. Rockefeller over 50 years ago. It was very modern and forward-thinking for its time in terms of preserving the landscape and environment. We’re proud to be a part of the evolution of such an iconic property.
Biggest challenge of owning your firm?
WM: The travel schedule is relentless, but the silver lining is you always get to see something new and interesting, so it’s a source of inspiration. We’re always discovering a new, interesting bar or seeing a crazy sculpture or art installation while we’re on the road.
