Nunzio DeSantis more than made a name when he worked for HKS as one of its four managing principals, playing a defining role in making the firm what it is today. Thirty-five years later, he’s making a fresh start with NMDA, the Dallas firm he founded alongside his son Marc. Here, he discusses embarking on a new chapter after more than three decades, the evolution of Cabo San Lucas, and what he looks for in projects he selects.
What are some of the challenges of starting your own firm?
The transition has been the hardest adjustment. NMDA is a small, highly crafted, technical, and experienced hospitality firm that counts on each other in many ways. We are 20 people strong and as a result, we are more strategic and purposeful with our time to achieve great results. It is wonderful to have the opportunity and privilege to build a practice with my talented and ambitious son, Marc. Nothing good comes easy. Building a boutique hospitality firm from scratch means you have to do more with less.
What did your time at HKS teach you about starting your own firm?
My biggest lesson learned is figuring out what you’re good at and be the very best at it. NMDA focuses on being a boutique hospitality firm in touch with our industry’s trends. From independent lifestyle hotels to gaming and convention hotels to resorts and small retreats, in all cases our focus is in high design where we can also work with local architects of note to deliver our work. I believe we serve our clients best by providing the highest quality of design.
What’s the experience been like working with your son?
It is hard to communicate what a privilege it is for a father to share his profession with his son. It’s remarkable to me how well the University of Notre Dame prepared my son for the architecture world. During his time at Robert AM Stern, Marc had the opportunity to work on some of the most remarkable high-rise residential structures in New York. Of course, we have our differences in opinions and styles, however, we have a tremendous respect for each other and lean on each other to achieve betterment.
You’ve created 13 projects in Cabo San Lucas over the last three decades. How have you seen the area change?
[When] we first began our work there in 1992, the city is not what it is today. It was a sleepy fishing town where people visited to party during their spring breaks. We opened Las Ventanas al Paraiso in 1996, a hotel that contained 61 luxury suites and a small number of luxury residences. Not long after the opening, Las Ventanas was recognized as the No. 1 resort pool in Latin America and number one spa. As a result, the affluent traveler recognized and began to flock to Cabo. On the heels Las Ventanas, other luxury projects emerged, including Esperanza Auberge Resort, One&Only Palmilla, Capella, as well as others. With great satisfaction, I have had my hand in each of those projects. Everyone asks me if I have a favorite. I love them all as though they were my children but there is nothing like your first born. Las Ventanas will always be dear to my heart because it was so important to the trajectory of my career.
Why did you decide to keep you firm small??
Marc and I decided to remain small and dedicate ourselves to the beauty of design, the brilliance of craft, and the importance of memory making. We are not fixated on profitability or staff utilization but rather delivering truly remarkable projects that are one of a kind. [We] decided to swim against this current and establish a firm that is dedicated to design and excellence in the field of hospitality resting on the vast experience that I have acquired over the past 34 years.
What are you looking for in the projects you select?
I have said for years and years that we are not in the architecture business, we are in the people business. If we get the people part right, the projects will turn out wonderfully. We are building our practice on relationships and so far, our projects are turning out just fine.
What’s your vision for the redesign of Bishop’s Lodge in Sante Fe, New Mexico?
When the new Bishop’s Lodge opens it will be a collection of old and new structures that come together in delightful ways. It represents a casual comfort, a dignified and authentic experience that can only be expressed in Santa Fe’s architecture. It will be an Auberge Resort that blends comfort and high style in a romantic southwestern setting. We are designing a collection of unique guestroom offerings ranging from a barn and bunkhouse to a variety of turn-of-the-century suites to hill-top adobe handcrafted kiva suites, which are personal, intimate, and set up above the valley.
Tell us about your projects in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Charleston, South Carolina.
First and foremost, we enjoy these locations because they are beautiful. Secondly, they are extremely hard locations to build in; these projects are authentically true to the sense of place. Jackson is a luxury urban resort that lives in an authentic, historic western town and with its high-country architecture, it is all about stone and wood, big deep eves catching the sun and melting your soul. Charleston is another difficult place to build in part because the architecture is stylized and its colonial Georgian classic revival is highly scrutinized and very carefully curated. We enjoy these challenging locations because they demand the most of us and require us to rest our design on precedence and what would, in fact, be a beautiful addition to an already curated town.
How have you changed as a designer over the years?
I am more courageous. I am not so much concerned about what anyone thinks of my work other than myself, my son, and my clients. I have designed many projects that are safe and solid. Today, we have the luxury of pressing, pushing, and reaching for the unexpected and bolder architectural responses.
What’s up next for the firm?
Our immediate goals are to improve on all levels, seek out extraordinary clients, and deliver great results while providing personal service. The future goal for our firm is to continue to be recognized domestically and in the future internationally for one-of-kind projects in remarkable locations whether they be an urban town or a seaside resort.
