Vincent Celano

Stacy Shoemaker Rauen: Hi, I’m here with Vincent Celano. Vince, thanks so much for joining us today. How are you?

Vincent Celano: Very good, thank you.

SSR: Good, good. All right, so we always start at the beginning. Where did you grow up?

VC: I was born in Toronto. My parents immigrated from southern Italy, so Toronto, and then moved to New York, was five, six years old. So I grew up in Brooklyn in Borough Park, Bay Ridge, so Jewish, Italian, Irish, Scandinavian mix. So, interesting, I start to think about, for me, what were those things? Because your experiences really define who you are, so what are those stories? I always reflect back and try to remember what were those things. My dad, being an Italian immigrant, if you grew up in an Italian household there was no such thing as we’re sleeping in. We didn’t know what that meant. It was always about work, good work ethics, and always try to look, like my dad never wore sneakers, jeans, or a T-shirt. I always saw him in really nice shoes, slacks and a button shirt. And that was sort of like, that’s what you did as an Italian, you always tried to make yourself look the best.

Thinking about where I grew up, I mean, as a kid my first job was, I was 12, 10, 12 years old, working in a butcher shop for three hours. And I remember that was for me the beginning of theater, food theater. And this idea of this authenticity, like the sawdust on the floor and the porcelain display cases, the mechanics of the things used for the meat or the interaction with the customer. And then community, what did it mean to be community based. I feel lucky to have grown up where I did because of that exposure. And then my family, uncles, four uncles who were all in the restaurant business, so we were always around food. I lived in a house where there was a separate room, the basement was all done, and there was a room for, a table for 20 people, and every Sunday was 30, 40 people at your house.

And then there was a pantry. They brought a lot of stuff from the old country. So, growing up and seeing that the pantry had all the wine and the cured meats and the peppers. And interestingly enough, my sister and I, we wanted to assimilate. We were embarrassed, like, “No, we don’t want this. We want McDonald’s. We want TV dinner. Could we get a TV dinner?” Which we never had any of that. So, we were eating farm to table, and we didn’t know it was farm to table because that’s just what you did. So, all these little influences for me was a big part of it. And then high school, I went to the High School of Art and Design. Because I was, I guess six, seven, eight years old where I was really obsessed with painting, drawing, architecture, building. I’d gone on the roof of my building and I’d see the skyline, and I was obsessed with Manhattan, I had to go to Manhattan.

And I did a few times when I was young. I jumped on, I think the train to Spring Street. I had a friend in Chinatown, and my mom thought I was just around the block, not knowing where I was, because you couldn’t track anybody then like today. So, Art and Design was really something that was so influential for me in terms of who I am today. It was people who went there went for a reason. It was art, architecture, fashion. Have friends today that are in fashion, graffiti artists that, graphic designers, industrial designers, architects that I know from growing up in high school, and I’m still friends with today, Midtown Manhattan. I was exposed, like Museum of Modern Art. I was obsessed with high rises. The Carnegie Hall building was going up, Metropolitan Tower, Philip Johnson and John Burgee with the Clock Tower.

I had this obsession with architecture, and then Seagram Building, actually being able to, I would go and sit in front of the Seagram Building because it was almost like a place to meditate in this massive city. But there was this beautiful, clean, open, modern space. So, having all these exposures, like Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney was not far. For me that was really what pushed me to really have this passion and love for architecture and design.

And then I had a job in high school. I worked at the New York Art and Antiques Center, believe it or not. I worked in a Turkish antique shop. I was selling kilims and silk rugs and samovars, Russian samovars. And this is a great story. So my wife, who I know, she was 18, 19, we were kids when we met, 27 years married. Our first date was at The Russian Tea Room, because I felt like I knew about the samovars, and I can impress, I’m like, “Oh, look, I know about art and samovars at The Russian Tea Room. So, this idea, and maybe it’s coming from as an immigrant, having immigrant parents and growing up first generation, I think this idea of exploring is amplified so much more than if you just were exposed to everything, because not being exposed to everything made you want to find and explore and you create that journey.

So yeah, Art and Design. And then I was so lucky and fortunate to, I was in a competition, talent search competition, and I won a scholarship to Pratt. And I would’ve never have gone to Pratt. My parents were just not in that financial realm to go to that type of school. So, I won a scholarship, so I’m like, “I guess that’s where I’m going.” So yeah, so architecture was my focus, and that was … I did really well in design and college, Pratt was work. The focus was I want a career, I want to build something, this is what I want to do. And that’s what I knew very much. That’s what I want to do, and I stuck with it. So yeah, that’s sort of my little journey from Brooklyn.

SSR: I love it though. And did you take Pratt since you did get the scholarship first? Was it a talent search at your school? How did you even find it? Did you take it as an opportunity because you might not have been able … Is that why it was work? Like you’re going to do this and really-

VC: So, my architecture professor from high school, we actually had professors in high school, which is interesting. And I remember his name, Mr. Cupter. He said, he approached me and he says, “You should participate in this competition.” I’m like, “Okay, sure, why not?” So he kind of pushed me, and I guess it is those that influence you and create a difference in your life. And you think back, I mean, super important. If he would have never engaged in having that conversation, I would probably have never pursued that. And that’s something I learned. That’s something I do now. I feel like being relevant to someone who works here, who’s starting out and affecting their life and their growth. And so it’s like pay it forward. I remember those things that helped me, and I try to do the same, but that was how that happened. And-

SSR: That’s great that you had architecture class in your high school.

VC: Yeah. So, it was first two years of rotationals you did photography, you did sculpture, you did drawing, life drawing, advertising, and then you picked whatever you decided. I took architecture, so kind of stuck with that.

SSR: That’s great. Was it a specialized high school or was it just a regular high school?

VC: So Art and Design was a vocational high school. It’s a city school that specializes in, there’s the School of Performing Arts. I think there’s a few. Stuyvesant is like Science, Bronx Science. I think Brooklyn Tech is more technical. So it was part of the city, the city public school system. And grateful for that that they were able to … They had that available to me. And this is why I think living in a city is so special. Because you have that diversity, you have that mix, and you have the opportunity for, I think people who normally would not have it, right?

SSR: And then, wait, how did you get that antiques job? Was it something that fell into your lap or when you worked at that-

VC: Yeah, the New York Art Antique Center was directly diagonal from Art and Design. So, I walked by and I was intrigued by, believe it or not, it was an African antique shop and had all these really exuberant over-the-top objects that I’m like, “Whoa.” And I would go in and just walk through, because it was all these little stalls. And there was all these little vendors that had all these antique shops. And some of them would stay and they’d change, but they would come in and it was just a mix of all these different antiques from different cultures. And it was Asian, it was African, South American.

And I happened to walk into the Turkish shop and talking to the owner, and I think we started talking about soccer. And I says, “Oh, I go to high school across the street.” He’s like, “Oh, I need some help. You want a job after school?” I’m like, “Sure, why not?” So yes, I’m like, “Okay, no problem.” It was great. It was interesting dealing with some of that product. And really, it was almost like if you go into a museum and you see all these artifacts and all these objects, and you can only look. But you were actually physically part of moving and touching and selling. And I felt like I worked in a museum, but I had access to things a little bit more freely that were normally just precious and you can’t touch, right?

SSR: Right. Exactly. All right, so you go to Pratt, you graduate. What’s your first job out of school?

VC: Right out of school I went down to Miami, because I felt like I just wanted to get out of the city. I wanted to try something different. I wanted to just check out. I knew Miami at the time. South Beach was just starting. It was kind of a dangerous place. It wasn’t, like you wouldn’t want to really be there. So I got this job on Alton Road, an architectural firm, and we were doing the Netherlands Hotel, Jewish Museum, just small little pockets. And I think just at that time, I think when Tony Goldman came in and they designated South Beach as Art Deco district. So, they created all these guidelines, which was great. It was history. It was looking at some, preserving some of the buildings. So yeah, that was interesting. That was fun to be part of that sort of beginning of understanding Art Deco and South Beach.

And that was an interesting time for South Florida, I will say. So yeah, that was a great learning experience for me. And it’s interesting, I tell this story all the time. I got out of college and I was like, oh, big shot designer. I’m going to go anywhere and get a job. And I went to all the big firms down in South Florida, and I won’t name them, but some of them I’m actually working with now in collaboration on some projects. And I remind them that I came in for an interview. And so when I went to my last interview with this architect, I was just kind of frustrated. I’m like, “No one’s hiring.” I’m like, “This is crazy.” So I sat down and I said, “Listen,” I said, “don’t pay me for three months. I’ll work for you and then you can assess my value.” And he looked at me and said, “Well, because you said that I’m going to hire you.” Okay. So, I kind of took myself into my first job.

SSR: Amazing, I love it. How long did you last in Miami?

VC: I was down in Miami for almost three years, and I was at my … Rosalba, my wife, who we were dating at the time was still here in New York, so it was a little bit of a long distance thing. And I had an opportunity to come back and do some high-end residential, and I thought that was interesting. I’m like, “All right, that’s cool. That’s something I’d like to do.” And I came back and worked on some insane residential projects here in New York, Kings Point area. And that was for a couple of years. And then it was all in-house construction, it was in-house design. It was really fast-paced. And at that point I was looking for something else. I wanted to see, well, residential’s okay but it’s very specific to an owner, to a style. I wanted something a little bit more with the theater. I wanted food. I love food. So I started thinking about what I could do.

I knew someone who was going over to Rockwell, and he’s like, “Oh, why don’t you come over and there might be an opportunity.” And I said, “Okay.” So, the joke is, I went to Rockwell because I felt like I needed to learn about budget and schedules, because those are the two things we didn’t have when we were an in-house design firm for a billionaire. It was just doing stuff and then changing it and doing it again. And I’m like, oh my God. Crazy. Yeah, Rockwell for me was the culture. I mean, it was amazing. I mean, at the time it wasn’t nine to five. We just worked and we had projects and we stayed late weekends. I remember David on a Saturday coming in getting coconut shrimp from the coffee shop, and we’re all sitting down and we’re eating and we’re like, oh, we’re working on a project.

But it was more about the culture and enjoying what you’re doing. And it wasn’t about, oh, how long or what are we doing? And it was very fluid and organic. So for me, that really, that’s my DNA, that’s what kind of flows in my blood. That was real college for me. Our studio, and it’s funny because Ed Backus, who’s at [inaudible 00:14:51], I was on a panel in Antiqua on a hotel conference with him, and we didn’t know we were going to be on the same panel. And it was so great. Because he was somewhat of a mentor for me in our studio, I think we were like six people. And this is the funny part, is we have six people, that one year everyone had a baby, and including David had Sam, I had Sophia, Ed had Alexander, and Rob had Olivia, and then so on. And Ashia had Ashant. Everyone, so I’m like, “It must be something in the water.” It was six kids, we called them the Rockwell babies. They’re all 24 years old now.

SSR: That’s crazy. But I mean, those early days must have been fun and hard work, but really learning and education?

VC: Yeah, so for me, I was always raised to create your own value, don’t let someone else dictate or make that for you. So, it was important to me to show that I’d show up and I worked really hard to keep my job, and I would do the same thing the next day. Don’t ever let your guard down. Really work hard and making yourself relevant. That was important to me. That’s just how I operate. I tended to have to work a little extra harder, push a little bit more, and I tell this to my kids, “Whatever you do, pick something you’re good at. Because if you’re good at it and you try a little harder, you work a little harder, you’re going to be great at it. You’ll be the best.”

So, that’s something that, this is what I was good at, and it came natural to me. I didn’t have to dress the part or act the part. I mean, I think if you just met me on the street you would never think I’m a designer or I have a creative bone. Because I do have a little bit of a grit and where I grew up. But I do think it’s somewhat, it’s a little bit of DNA who you are and what comes natural. But then if you focus and hone it and you try and you work hard to really do well, you’ll be great. And yeah, I’m fortunate to be, I was around really good people, good mentors from, whether it’s school with professors or at work with people within our studio who I’m still friends with today.

I mean, a lot of us came out of that studio that either at Marriott or at Hilton. Design has become, I always say there’s an RODI, return on design investment. All these companies realize we got to invest in design because we know that creates revenue, good experience creates revenue, and really understanding how to push food and beverage. That was something that was important to me that was part of that growth.

SSR: Yeah. Did you ever work in your uncle’s restaurants or were you just always just around them?

VC: Oh, yeah, you had to. That was part of, you had to. Yeah, yeah. The kitchen area up. Yeah. And it was kind of, did a few things, nothing specific. It was always just, “Go do that. Do this. Go into the back,” there was a barn like this shack, “go stack the crates.” It wasn’t always the best jobs, but I think it built character, right?

SSR: Yeah, I’m sure it did. All right, so you also worked at Jeffrey Beers and ICRAVE.

VC: Yeah. So Rockwell was amazing. That was really great. So with Jeffrey, it was an opportunity to get into nightlife. I really loved this idea of the technology. And you know Jeffrey had a very specific look, and was very residential. I said, okay, a shift would be great. A smaller office. I felt like I never really had that experience. I’m like, it was a good time to do that. And he was amazing, very respectful, great guy. And it was a good studio. So yeah, I did some, that’s where I really got into Vegas nightlife. At the time it was with The Light Group or the Chatteris, or yeah, that was, for me it was a good way to transition and be specific for something that I wanted to get into. Because nightlife had the technology, this idea of landscape and immersive, creating immersive spaces, that entertainment component.

How do you create a transitional space throughout the night? That was intriguing for me. And some of the experience at Rockwell with theater, we were all around, whether it was Hairspray or Team America or the Rocky Horror. So this idea of, like one thing at the Rocky Horror, I helped out on that project briefly. I was one of many, the stage was actually, the seating area front part flipped, and I’m like, “Wow, this is crazy that you can … The theater is outside of the stage, it’s outside of the proscenium.” So, that to me is the nightclub. That could be a restaurant, that could be part of what we designed, creating a space that the guest is part of the theater, but you don’t know that you’re on stage, right? So yeah, that was intriguing.

Then ICRAVE, so yeah, we were friends. Actually, my high-end residential experiences when we first met, I think, and then I was doing some hotel work. It’s like, “Oh, can you help me out with some hotel projects? Bring that experience?” I’m like, “Sure.” And it was sort of like a little transition. I’m like, “Okay.” I feel like, I think organically I was realizing that I was on this path to I just being my own studio designer, and that was that process, and it was somewhat organic and fluid. But it was also like I had to work, family, and I had bills, and it was always about working, making sure I was able to do that.

So yeah, that was interesting too. I’m going to say we had a lot of fun. We definitely had a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people from construction to development that I’m still friends with today. We talk every so often. So, I’m super grateful for some of the experiences and the people. And look, it was tough. It wasn’t always easy, but that actually makes you stronger and makes you better, I think, as a person, right?

SSR: Was there one project or projects between those three firms that you think really, I don’t know. I mean, you learned something in every project, but something that really set you …

VC: For sure. The first W Hotel, I was the guy in the corner. Nobody knew who the hell I was. I was just grateful to be in that room with Barry Sternlicht where he laid across the table and with David, and to watch these two interact was crazy. He laid across the table and everything was silent, and he was like, “Oh, Weston the West’s lifestyle. Why don’t we just call it W?” I know everyone thinks it was … The W had … There’s different interpretations of where that came from. My version of it is that it was invented in that room with Barry and David. And I was there to watch that. So to be on that project, I think it was at the time, it was a lot of co-branding. So it was a developer who realized they had to bring Bliss, Todd English or Randy Gerber, bring all these co-branding components to do their thing and create a great guest experience.

Where now looking back, I realize that owners and developers are now like, “Well, we can do that. Food and beverage is such an integral layer component of the experience, and they figured out it’s not just heads and beds. They figured out, well, we can do food and beverage. We can partner and bring people on to do it. So to have been part of that, I think I did two, did the Union Square was a great experience, which in my studio here led us to, I think we did six autographed hotels, which are very design specific, which for me, it was sort of like every autograph to me is at the beginning of a W in terms of inventing and creating a design, a concept, because all very specific to its own narrative. There’s a level of expectation from the brand, but you’re free to do whatever and create something interesting.

And you’re starting to see a lot of the lifestyle brands doing that. So that for me was probably a very influential part of who I am and what I do, because it had nightlife, it had the restaurant component, it had the hotel, it had all those aspects of what we tend to lean into in all different parts of a project.

SSR: Well, no, and I think that’s cool too. I mean, that was 25 years ago, which is crazy. 

VC: Oh my God, 25 years ago. Wow. Crazy, right?

SSR: It’s just crazy though that that was 25 years ago. But I think you’ve been lucky too. And maybe we can talk a little bit about it. It’s like before we get on why you went out on your own, but Rockwell has always been a bad experience. Jeffrey was really in the nightclub world playing with technology and trying new things. And then ICRAVE obviously I think his tagline is experiential design. So you’ve been in that world, and so I think that’s really helped maybe mold who you are now, and what your firm does too. Because I feel like it’s all about storytelling. It’s all about that experience, which I hate to say are like buzzwords, but it’s cool that that’s been part of your path.

VC: Yeah, that definitely part of my path. But I’m going to say I realized later on that we’re in the people business. It’s about people, it’s about relationships, it’s about its design, yes. But it is about people. And that’s become a big component for me now, whether it’s on a project or in the studio, super important. Understand how those relationships shape and mold what you do. For me, I work on making sure that my people who work here, designers here have the tools and the things they need to be successful. And be successful in their projects and service our clients. And so I don’t service the clients, I service my staff. I work for them. They don’t work for me. I said, “I work for you guys and you guys work for the client. And that just makes a lot of sense to me. And I feel like there’s nothing better. I mean, 18 years in business, 19, because it was my daughter, Isabella, when she was born. I have three girls I remember, and she’s actually at Pratt in design school now. So that’s-

SSR: Oh, that’s cool.

VC: That’s interesting. And yeah, for me, there’s nothing better. Like students that came and started working here and teaching and mentoring, because that was important for me. I remember people who helped and mentored me and took the time. They didn’t have to. They spent the time, and I’m grateful for that, so I’m doing the same. But there’s nothing better than walking down a street and someone approaches you who worked for you 10 years ago and says, “Thank you. Yeah, you were a positive … I wouldn’t be in this industry if it wasn’t for you.” I’m like, “Oh my God, I didn’t expect that. I had no idea,” right?

SSR: Yeah, 100%.

VC: That’s happened a few times, and I’m super grateful that I was able to make a difference in people’s lives. And they were part of this culture. And to me, it’s really about creating a culture and an environment. We spend a lot of time in our work environment. We recently we’re in a new office around the corner from the old office post pandemic. We got a bigger space and you need to come and see us. We have a loft, high ceilings. And my whole concept here was work from work that feels like home, because that’s important. I think you have to be comfortable. You have to be. We’re in hospitality. We have a full bar, full kitchen. We have chefs that are here for presentations and they love to see a kitchen, and it’s just comfortable, approachable. So, I think creating an environment that suits your company or your personality or the culture you’re trying to create, super important.

I’ve been working on that. I think I’m lucky to be able now to kind of focus on that. Because a lot of repeat clients, obviously we don’t advertise. We’ve been a little bit more, we’ve been able to be a little more selective on projects too, which is super important. Because I’m from the old school. You never say no to a project. You just go in, you do it right. You get in. And that’s the core of 20 years ago, building a business. It’s just you got to get a project, you work and you got to keep going.

But now I’m lucky to say, having all these experiences with staff and clients, it’s kind of changed that. And I think with clients too. I’ll give you an example. I had one client, this is in Miami. It was me and four chefs. We went to Spain, we did a tour of Spain, we hit Madrid, Barcelona, and the end of the trip we went to Segovia. His dad had a 16th century monastery, and he raised Andalusian horses. And we spent a couple of days on the farm with these Andalusian horses, and I think he was raising Falcons. And then we came back and we did three concepts, and that’s when we started doing branding. We really started realizing that branding was an integral layer of architecture and a concept, and then technology and marketing, it’s got to be live right away. So we did three concepts and one nationally, we did seven or eight projects of each. And working as a team, and really was based on that time we spent together and building that relationship.

And then another client here in New York, I won’t mention his name, but he’s a legend in the industry and he doesn’t like a lot of people, but for some reason he liked me, I don’t know why. He invited me and my family to his house in Tuscany and Lucca. We spent a week at his home with his lovely English wife, beautiful, lovely woman. And we would stay up late, smoke cigarettes, drink coffee, and I found out he was a vet, a war vet, and I found out he had two Purple Hearts.

SSR: Oh, wow.

VC: Yeah. I would’ve never had that conversation and that dialogue unless I had built this relationship with the client. So for me, over time building those relationships with clients at that level, it’s so important in growing a business and growing who you are professionally, or even as a person. I think I’ve grown as a person through those experiences, through my job, I was able to grow as a person to become a better person. So now I’m a big supporter of veterans, so just so you know, through that experience.

SSR: That’s amazing. And so let’s go back. Why did you decide to go out on your own? I know you said you kind of had that inkling, and ICRAVE helped you figure that out-

VC: Yeah. So for me, I always felt I needed to make sure. I never wanted to be like, oh, I didn’t never like the word boss. You’re a boss. I just didn’t like that. It just didn’t feel right. So for me was I wanted create a culture, a company, I work for that company and oh yeah, I want 401k. I want health insurance. I want all those things you’re supposed to have in a company. And I realized, “Well, wait a minute. I can create that and make it specific in how I want it to happen.” I felt like doing that and being part of that and then building that business, it kind of happened organically. It wasn’t sort of like, “Oh, I just want to start a business.” But I think it happened organically. You have these small little projects and over time you build, and it’s through relationships.

And before you know it, you’re doing massive hotel project and you’re working with people that you’ve known for many years in those different industries. And I mean, it happened really fast too. I mean, it’s so fast-paced, but looking back, you’re like, wow. I mean, one of the things I love was working directly with the brands. We did Moxie, the North America prototype, I think eight years ago, 10 years ago, I think, when he came here. Working with some of the designers that were on Marriott, some of them were former Rockwell people in the design industry, working directly with the brands at a creative level. I would have never had that opportunity unless I stepped out on my own to have those experiences in working in a collaborative way directly with the brands. It’s not just a project. You’re creating a big experience that’s then going to influence other firms, building these concepts. So that was interesting to me to be able to have that experience and push.

SSR: Right. And what were the early days like? Did you have projects? Was it you and a desk? Did you bring some people with you?

VC: Yeah, I mean, look, I think the first five years of a company, any company, there’s growing pains. And the growing pains, you either get through it or you don’t. If you get through it, then you have a business and you can go. And a lot of people don’t and they just go back, which is fine, and doing whatever, working with firms or whatever. But the growing pains, you have to have thick skin, I think, right? You get the good and the bad. You’re going to meet people that are on that same path, some that are not. And you’re going to learn who to trust, who to not. I guess there’s definitely growing pains. And I guess for me, I embrace this idea that this is a business and it’s not just I want to design stuff and I want to show people what we could design. It wasn’t about that. It was really this focus. I enjoyed the business, the idea of building a business.

And I guess maybe that’s just my upbringing, this idea. I mean, it starts like mom and pop shop. You’re fully engaged. You’re part of creating all the components. And look, I, moved in an office. I’ve been, work weekends and I’m building stuff. And I’ll tell my staff, “Listen guys, I’ll sweep the floor and throw out the garbage sometimes because that’s what I have to do.” Because you know when you’re … I’m not afraid to do that. So yeah, that was the growing pains of those five years. And those experiences really catapulted to finding a place in the industry and creating a company. But I learned a lot. I think, look, I think what we can all say this, we learned from our mistakes. You make mistakes, you learn from that and you try to do better. And I’m sure you’ve heard this. My successes are based on my failures. That’s true. Because if I didn’t have those failures, I wouldn’t have pushed myself to have those successes. And that’s just the reality. That’s life, right?

Was it Jelly? Jelly Roll, what did he say? He goes, “The world is your oyster. And I keep shucking oysters. I just got to keep shucking oysters and finding more pearls.” I thought that was pretty good. I thought that was a good one.

SSR: That is good. Wait, is there one thing you wish you knew back when you started that you know now? I always ask, or is ignorance bliss?

VC: I say this to my wife too, and if I had to do it all again, I’d do it all again. Because we can all imagine that it could be better, it could be this. No, the process and then the experiences is what builds that story. And I don’t think that I would go back and change anything. Even some of the crazy stuff that almost broke me, I’m like, no, I wouldn’t change it, because those experiences is why I’m here and who I am today. If I had to do it all again, I would do it all again. Exactly. I don’t think I would change anything.

SSR: Right, I love it. Is there one project that you think put your firm on the map or really helped you grow?

VC: Yeah, I guess I’m going to say the DOUGLAS Hotel in Vancouver. Because it had my Vegas client who partnered with a casino client. So, we did five restaurants, we did the Autograph hotel, and then Munjay did the JW and we became good friends. And that was great. Two designers, everybody’s like, “Oh, they’re going to go at it.” I’m like, “No, we’re two Italian guys. We’re going to go have a drink and have fun.” And so that was a great experience, again, and they did something really cool. We did something really cool and I got to work with our Vegas client and the food and beverage. It was in Vancouver. I’m from Toronto, so it’s Canada. So I thought, that’s cool. I’m Canadian, right? Doing a project.

And it was, no, it was, that to me, I think was a ground up. Great architecture, great city, and learning about the city, exploring and the people, that was to me, it had a lot of aspects of things that really, I really enjoyed and loved about design and architecture, interior design. So that probably … But there’s many, obviously it’s like, do you have a favorite child? I would never say, even though we may have one.

SSR: And someday.

VC: I have three girls. Do I have a favorite one? No, I can’t. I love them all. They’re all good.

SSR: Yep. And now you’re almost about to celebrate 20 years, which is awesome. How would you describe your firm today and you as a leader today?

VC: Oh, great question. So I mean, this industry is constantly evolving from the type of work we do, but also how we do it. I mean, I came out of school drafting, and now technology is such an influential part of the process of how we do things. And we have to embrace the generation. They’re different. And I feel like let’s learn from those differences, and so I tend to be one to kind of go with the flow, but I also like to mentor and teach. And I always like to tell people, “This is how we did it. This is how it was.” Just as a reminder. “You don’t see the foundation, because we built a house in the building, but I want to remind you of the foundation. Let me tell you a little bit about how we built it, what we did early back then, so you understand what the component of what’s holding this building up.”

It’s a little bit more fast-paced, which is great. And in terms of the studio, what I’m super excited about is that we have in-house lighting. And the technology of lighting is insane. I mean, we just did [inaudible 00:39:53], it was Power over Ethernet. The whole project was low voltage lighting, and it’s insane, the wiring. And they gave me a tour last week and I’m like, “Wow, this is pretty wild.” So the lighting studio was an integral part of that from an early design development concept. And now we have graphics and branding. We have an agency, Design Co., it’s a separate company, but it’s under Celano Design Studio. And it’s focused on branding. We’re doing Via Via at the Venetian. We did the naming, we did the logo, we did all the collateral, we did the menus. And if you look at, I have on my desk, it’s like plateware, dishes, and we’re doing all aspects of design.

For me, growing up, I always said, “If you could design a spoon or a cup, you could design a chair, you could design a table, you could design a building, you could design a high rise, you could design a city.” It is just scale, but they all have human interaction, technology, it’s all just design. So, we have graphics and branding as a component of the studio. And now another thing we’re doing is a Celano Collective is a industrial design manufacturing. We’re building, we’re actually manufacturing custom lighting and custom furniture specific to our projects that are under our studio specifically. So it’s actually being made, and the fact that we could see it, we can play with it. Because I think the physical part of making things is super important. Today with technology we tend to not get away from the computer. And I encourage our staff to sketch, draw, go to the factory, see how things are built, go to the site, understand construction.

I think that’s an integral part. So today, Celano Design Studio I think is for me how it’s growing in terms of all those different aspects. But then how they sort of come together, work together to create and define these experiences, these designs. And it’s changing. I mean, could I tell you next year, next five years? Probably not. I could just think about how we can grow and think about forecasting, where hospitality is going, where hotels are going, where technology’s going. We have our finger on that pulse, we see it, working with chefs and this idea of food theater and kitchen and exposed kitchen, and how does that back of house come front of house? It’s constantly evolving and it’s not about evolving in a way where you’re keeping up, it’s evolving in a way you’re participating. It’s a participating sort of evolution. And we’re all part of it.

And I love it. That’s what actually keeps me going. It’s not a job. I have friends. When you come from a middle-class neighborhood, my friends are retiring after 20 years, or fire department, police department teachers. I’m like, “I’m not retiring. I don’t see that.” I’m like, “I don’t think I’m doing that.” That’s great that you’re going to do that. But that’s just not in my world of what I do. And I’m not scared of that, I actually love that. I think that’s great that I could just continue to do what I do as long as God willing I could do it, right?

SSR: Yeah, no, 100%. Is there one part of the process that you love the most or that still gets you out of bed?

VC: Yeah, I love kicking off a project, because we invite the entire studio. Even our receptionist is part of it.

SSR: That’s cool.

VC: Because everyone’s a guest. Everyone could tell a story. Everyone has an experience and they could bring something to the table that is relevant to being part of the ingredients and creating the story. So I love that dialogue. I love those conversations and I love hearing different perspectives from different people. I think that’s super important, regardless of who comes from where, I think it’s all relevant. And I feel like it’s important that everyone matters. I think that’s important. If you work in a company, you should feel like you can have an active participating role, when you feel you want to do that. And that’s why we tend to not pigeonhole people. Everyone has their strengths and different aspects of what they do, but we tend to, all right, if you’re really good at this, that’s great, but why don’t you test out something else? Because learn and you’ll grow. Maybe you’ll find something that you didn’t think you were interested in.

So that to me, that early concept development, that exploration, that whole journey. And look, it’s got to happen quick too, because the owner’s like, “When are we going to, what’s the presentation? What are we doing?” But that to me is the exciting part. That’s what I love.

SSR: Yeah. Is there something that’s on the boards that you’re really excited about?

VC: Oh yeah. We have a project in Puerto Rico. It’s a Autograph hotel, the public areas, the pool, the room, the towers, the suites. And we have a Michael White BBianco signature restaurant, amazing chef, super great guy. He came to visit us a few times, great conversation, talking about food. We’re actually doing the branding for that, Levant for that restaurant. And we’re picking out the uniforms and the plateware and talking about the decanting station. So, you’ve become part of the culinary team, and that’s so exciting. And it’s just great positive energy. And look, it’s challenges. It’s like a schedule. I’m going to Puerto Rico tomorrow, you got to get it done, let’s go. But that project is super exciting. It’s an autographed brand and conversion from a Renaissance. Great entertainment as part of in that location in La Concha, in Condado. So, I’m super proud of that.

There’s a couple of new ones we’re working on that I can’t really talk about because we signed some stuff and we’re not allowed to talk about it. But I’m hoping that I could share that soon with you and everyone. But yeah, for the new year we have a couple of really good things that are growing, starting.

SSR: That’s amazing. And how big is your team now? And is it at a good number? How do you also handle growing and shrinking? Depending on-

VC: So we’re 15 total. And to me that’s a good number. Between 10 and 15, 12 and 15, I feel like it’s manageable. I could be part of every aspect of the design, but then I can also give people their freedom to just do their own thing. As a studio, that’s been pretty manageable. I don’t know how 30, 60 people, that to me, it gives me a headache to think what that would be like. So yeah, we’re like a family here. We’re always eating and there’s drink, there’s happy hour, everyone. So it’s a good environment. I think that’s important. And I think it’s important that when we interview and hire people we say, “Look, we hire for your energy and your personality, and you got to feel comfortable working in the studio in that type of environment.” Creativity is sometimes a challenge. Because sometimes you’ll have a great idea, sometimes you don’t. And it takes some time and there’s the pressure to come up with stuff. But yeah, between 12 and 15 is a good size for us that we’ve been able to do a good amount of projects, a yearly kind of cruise through.

SSR: Yeah. No, I love it. All right, so for the sake of time, I hate to end our conversation, but what has been … Wait, let me start that again. Sorry, for the sake of time I’ll ask our last question, which is always the question that is the podcast. So, what has been your greatest lesson or lessons learned along the way?

VC: Wow. Yeah, greatest lessons along the way. That’s a good one. I guess the greatest lesson is, don’t overthink. Stick to what you know and you’re comfortable. Know what you bring to the table and don’t feel you have to bring more than that. Be confident in your abilities and who you are and what you do. And I’m me and this is who I am, so I’m not going to try to be someone different to appease or do something to get a project or whatever. So I think being comfortable in your own shoes and who you are is super important. I think that was … I guess I’d leave it at that. I think that’s the key.

SSR: I love it. Perfect. Well, thank you so much for spending these last, I was going to say an hour, but it’s not an hour. So, I started again. Oh my god-

VC: This was great, thank you.

SSR: Thank god it’s Monday. But thanks so much for spending this last hour with us. It was so great to catch up with you, and can’t wait to see what you do next in the next 20 years.

VC: Thank you so much. Really, thank you. I’m grateful for you to have, you made me think back and reflect. Reflecting back, it makes me feel really good, so I appreciate that you were able to do that for me. Thank you. And I hope to speak to you again really soon. I’ll keep you posted on what we got going on here.