On residential design with John Saladino
I started as a student at [Parsons School of Design in New York] as his sample librarian. It was an amazing education in color and layering. Residential design, in general, teaches the importance of creating layers that tell personal stories and make a space a home. These experiences inspire our approach to hospitality to create spaces with a residential feel and avoid the generic.
On working in the film industry as a set designer
I worked on the movie The Abyss [with director James Cameron] and several other lesser-known films and music videos. The film business taught me a unique way of seeing environments. Sets are created to propel a storyline and are not necessarily related to beauty or comfort. They create a mood and a framework for developing a plot. My favorite film I worked on was my first, an unknown called It Takes Two (My New Car), a teen coming-of-age movie. I learned to jump into the unknown with a band of art department misfits and accomplish the impossible in record speed, and have fun doing it.
Street artist Gaia’s mural in the W Bellevue juxtaposes technology and nature.
On designing handbags
While in the film business, I had an opportunity to design some bags with a work rehabilitation program based in the Wyoming State Penitentiary. I could not walk down the street in Los Angeles carrying a bag without someone stopping me and begging to order their own. Seeing a major niche in the accessories market, I set up my own production, which took me on an adventure from LA to Argentina and Texas to Santa Fe. I grew a business with a cult following that put the Mary Alice Palmer line in the best boutiques and department stores, including Barneys, Neiman Marcus, Harrods, and Takashimaya.
On the W Hotel Bellevue’s four-year labor of love
The hotel narrative brings together all aspects of my design career. Part theater, part fashion design, part living room for nomads of the tech business and locals alike, we created a virtual lake house for modern cocktail culture. My best moment was meeting the 86-year-old retired nurse who comes every morning to sit on the Porch [restaurant’s] swings and read. She was grateful for what we created and its meaning and resonance for the community. It’s not just about a hotel, but designing a framework for those experiences.
