Though Paige Harris took art classes and sketched floorplans growing up in the Washington, DC area (and was even allowed to helm the redesign of the bedrooms in her family home at age 13), she started Auburn University enrolled in pre-med. “I discovered quickly I was in the wrong field,” she says. “Within the first few weeks, I transferred into interior design. It just fit.”
Her professional design career started with an Atlanta firm specializing in multifamily projects. From there, she went on to helm two of her own ventures. Ready for a change, Harris came on board as director of design at Valor Hospitality in 2021—a role that has evolved into vice president of architecture and design for the acquisition, development, and management company.
Here, Harris delves into the transition from firm owner to working in-house at Valor, her role as a liaison between brand, ownership, and design, and some recent favorite projects.
You started your own firm in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. What did that teach you?
Paige Harris: When the market recovered, people weren’t buying homes—they were renting, and design was the big differentiator. I started to see that hotels wanted people to feel as though they were at a home away from home, while people buying condos wanted the public spaces to feel like a hip lobby. There was a lot of commonality there, and [my experience allowed me] to bridge that gap. [I started my first studio with] a partner, whom I collaborated with for a few years, and then I went on my own for Studio Abode, which I ran for almost 10 years.
A rendering of the Dunluce Lodge, located at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast, which is slated to open this fall
What inspired you to close your business and join Valor in 2021?
PH: I had designed a few projects for Valor when it was in its infancy, and that’s how I got to know CEO Euan McGlashan. At the end of 2019, I was looking for something different. My intention was to travel, but Covid came around and I had a lot of time at home to figure out what I wanted to do. I had always loved the construction and project management side of design, and I wanted to leverage that. I reached out to Euan, and it was fortuitous that he had some projects that were finishing construction. Having gone through that experience without somebody with my background was hard on [the team]. They were taking a lift that they didn’t have the experience for. It was good timing, and I jumped right in.
Tell us about your current role.
PH: I started as the corporate director of design, but as things shifted within the company, I began focusing on driving our design partners more than being the designer for small projects. I am the liaison between ownership, brand, and designers. It was a natural shift to be in more of a broad position rather than involved in the details.
How do you work with design partners?
PH: We like to be involved early so that we can provide our operational input and how that affects design. For some projects, the developer has got block plans and asks us for recommendations. Other times they’ve gotten all the way to schematic design with drawings already done. We’re really collaborative and take a look from a different lens.
The wood-wrapped lobby at the Cloudland at McLemore Resort in Rising Fawn, Georgia, with architecture by Tinker Ma and interiors by FlickMars
What are you working on now?
PH: We just opened the Cloudland at McLemore Resort in North Georgia, which I have been working on since I started with Valor. It’s a Curio Collection hotel with 245 keys, four F&B outlets, a spa, and an infinity-edge pool.
In the UK, we’re working on two boutique lodges—35 and 42 keys—that will [cater to] the golf tourist as they’re both in golf destinations. One of them is on the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Ireland, so you’ve got the view of the course and then the ocean beyond it. It’s spectacular.
Looking back, what is your most memorable project?
PH: I’ll go back to Cloudland because it’s so fresh. It was a labor of love because of the complexity and scale. Hilton shares our enthusiasm for the project and hopes that it becomes a flagship for them. That’s something I’m quite proud to have been a part of.
Rooftop event space Lady Bird at the Kimpton Banneker Hotel in Washington, DC, designed by Mason Studio
Creag restaurant at the Cloudland at McLemore Resort is inspired by the area’s Scottish heritage
This article originally appeared in HD’s July 2024 issue.
