Born in Florence and raised between Switzerland and Northern California, David Montalba, founder of Montalba Architects, was exposed to many different cultures growing up, which is evident in his work today from the rustic yet refined Whitepod eco-chalets in Monthey Switzerland to the bespoke Nobu Palo Alto in California.

Today—with offices in Santa Monica, California; New York; and Lausanne, Switzerland—his multidisciplinary firm is celebrated for their thoughtful balance between modernity and timelessness, all while maintaining an approach that is as much about the people who inhabit the space as the space itself.

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Eric Papachristos, who lived in Greece before returning to the U.S. at age 10, spent his life in restaurants, working at his father's diner as a dishwasher. It made sense, then, that his path would lead him back to hospitality after earning a degree in finance.

With a keen eye for collaboration, Papachristos joined forces with celebrated chef Jody Adams to open Greek restaurant Trade Boston in 2011. Thirteen years later, he has grown his empire to count 10 restaurants under his A Street Hospitality Group banner.

His latest venture, the AvroKO-designed La Padrona, is a culinary gem nestled within the luxurious Raffles Hotel in downtown Boston. As Papachristos looks to the future, his ambitions extend beyond the dining scene, with plans to develop a residential community in Boston—a pivot inspired from the challenges of the Covid era.

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Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Mario Tricoci got the entrepreneurial bug at an early age, watching his parents revolutionize the salon world and invent the day spa concept. He saw what they created and wanted to emulate it, but with his own spin. When he opened the Simeone Deary Design Group-crafted Elysian hotel in Chicago in 2009, it changed the hospitality landscape as a refined luxury hotel that put community first and offered approachable service. The project was short-lived (they sold it in 2011), but Tricoci was just getting started, launching Aparium Hotel Group in 2012. Today, the hotel owner and operator counts 11 properties in its portfolio, with four more slated to open this year. Here, the CEO and founder shares how his philosophy of finding the right partner, place, and product has led to Aparium’s decade-plus of success.

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Rachel Gutter is a pioneer in the green-building movement. Now, as president of the IWBI, she is implementing standards that embody a holistic wellbeing approach. If we continue to find the intersection of purpose and profit in our own lives, she says, then we will not only be much happier as individuals but the planet and society as a whole will benefit as well.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, visit globalallies.com. 

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Jacobs is a pioneer in the wellness movement, making it a hallmark of the brand. He has hired the best and brightest minds—from sleep scientists to wellness experts—to deliver transformative experiences for guests. His story is equally compelling. He speaks six languages, went to college in Paris, studied art history in Florence, and has lived in nearly a dozen countries. It’s a storied career that led him to Four Seasons, Starwood Capital Group, and now Singapore with Six Senses.

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The visionary hotelier founded Joie de Vivre hotels when he was only 26 years old, transforming an inner-city motel in San Francisco into the second largest boutique hotel brand in the world. After 24 years, he sold the company, but it didn’t take long for Airbnb to tap Conley to help turn the travel startup into a powerhouse global hospitality brand in the share economy. His most recent venture, the Modern Elder Academy, is the world’s first midlife wisdom school, complete with a beachfront campus in the heart of Baja California Sur, Mexico

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When Beth Campbell was 10, she began working at her parents’ restaurants in Pittsburgh and was managing them by the time she was a teenager. That experience solidified her passion for hospitality. As CEO of Wilson Associates, she has cultivated an office environment where learning, education, and emotional intelligence take precedence. Trust the people around you, she says, because you’re not alone.

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Meyer Davis' refined residential style has attracted many hospitality greats, including chef Andrew Carmellini for Locanda Verde, Barry Sternlicht for the 1 Hotel South Beach, and Dana Kalczak of Four Seasons. For the past two decades, the duo has continued to mark their territory with projects that embody their firm's ethos of creating inspirational environments that leave a lasting impression.

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After cutting his teeth styling for retail catalogues and showrooms and working with Martha Stewart, Kemper Hyers' life changed forever when he joined Barry Sternlicht at Starwood, helping to launch such brands as Baccarat and 1 Hotels. Like the rest of the design community, Hyers continues to grapple with today's new normal, but he remains optimistic. The hotel industry will be back, he says, but the trick is to be thoughtful and mindful.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

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We spoke with Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), to understand the state of the hospitality industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Rogers, the $2 trillion stimulus package recently signed into law by President Trump, is less about stimulus and more about preservation. But he does see some light at the end of the tunnel, and even applauds hoteliers who are allowing their hotels to be used as medical facilities or for quarantine locations during these difficult times.
 
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When you think of the names that have defined the industry, David Rockwell is on the top of that list. Likely, many of your favorite spaces have that signature Rockwell touch. Whether that’s Nobu restaurants in New York, his stage sets for Broadway, or the recently opened Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards, Rockwell's hallmark—an intersection of theater and hospitality—creates a thrilling choreography that starts at the entrance. “You don't want the set doing the same thing the actors are doing,” he says. Because of this, Rockwell says his success can be credited to taking chances and realizing there is no safe choice when it comes to design.

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Gary Dollens has been with Hyatt Hotels since 1977, when he took an entry level position with a Hyatt in Oak Brook, Illinois. It sparked his love affair with hotels and Hyatt, specifically, which has lasted to this day. In 2004, he switched from operations to overseeing architecture and design for the brand, while also helping guide Hyatt into an exciting new decade with acquisitions like Two Roads Hospitality. In fact, he shares how saying yes more often than no has been his greatest lesson learned.

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Blake Danner's gregarious personality served him well, leading to jobs with Ian Schrager, Andrew Zobler, and for the past few months, at Proper Hospitality as chief operating officer. The lifestyle-meets-luxury brand is rapidly expanding with properties in San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Austin, all featuring an eclectic design by Kelly Wearstler. Behind it all is Danner, who says he loves being the producer, orchestrating unforgettable moments leading to his ultimate sign of success: happy guests.

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Studio Collective partners Leslie Kale, Adam Goldstein, and Christian Schulz founded their firm during the Great Recession. Though they started out to make ends meet, they soon found successful with cocktail lounge the Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt before diving into hotels with the Landsby in Sylvan, California. Today, the trio leads a 20-person team, where they’ve expanded their portfolio with notable projects like the Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, Proper Hotels' spinoff brand Hotel June on LA’s Westside, and recently, Ferraro’s Bar & Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. With more than two decades of experience, the Venice, California-based design firm has learned how to let the client and project dictate where things are headed. “You have to trust that it will still be great,” says Schulz.

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Having worked for the likes of Nike, W Hotels, and Ian Schrager, Aaron Richter took a risk when he joined Equinox during a time when the fitness industry lacked design direction. Now, as senior vice president of design, Richter is rewriting the rules of what a guest experience should be. For its brand evolution from fitness clubs to hotels, Equinox calls itself a new kind of luxury, powered by possibilities. When many are trying to figure out the $4.2 trillion wellness industry, Equinox is leading the pack.

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Designer and architect André Fu made a name for himself a decade ago with the career-making Upper House in his native Hong Kong. It was his first hotel and his big break only a few years after launching his firm AFSO. It embodies the full cinematic experience, which is at the core of all his projects. whether that’s designing pop-ups for brands like Louis Vuitton or crafting sumptuous getaways like the still-to-come Capella Maldives.

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As a trailblazer in the wellness space, the Irish-born designer first got her start in fashion, but is now known for her zen-like designs for the likes of Six Senses and Miraval that immerse guests in all five senses.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

The tables are turned on this very special episode of HD's "What I've Learned" podcast. Interviewed by Adam Kubryk of Global Allies, editor in chief and senior vice president of the design group Stacy Shoemaker Rauen talks all things hospitality, from how the industry has evolved in the past two decades to building a community centered on a people-first approach. "It's been a real privilege," she says, "and I can't wait to continue to elevate this industry that is like home [to me]."

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

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Always a person who wanted to build things, born entrepreneur Kane Sarhan had many early careers. He started a college gossip magazine, was an assistant to a venture capitalist, and founded the Enstitute, a mentorship program for college-aged students. One of his funders was Barry Sternlicht of Starwood Capital Group. He then joined the iconic hotelier as brand director for the launch of 1 Hotels and Baccarat Hotel. Now, Sarhan is entering the wellness game with membership club the Well in New York, which has the audacious mission to be a one-stop shop for mind, body, and soul connection.
 
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Father-son duo Alan and Michael Fuerstman of Montage and Pendry Hotels, respectively, both caught the hospitality bug early. Alan cut his teeth at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona and the Bellagio in Las Vegas before founding Montage Hotels & Resorts in 2002. Michael, for his part, inherited his dad’s love of hospitality. Beginning his career as the coveted pool boy at the Bellagio, he eventually joined the family business in 2009, where he helped create lifestyle brand Pendry—a natural next step for the hotel company that is responsible for reinventing luxury through a forward-thinking lens.

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The iconic Ian Schrager joined editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen for a fireside chat during HD's annual Elevate conference held in October in New York. During the hourlong discussion, Schrager was candid about his Studio 54 days and his friendship with longtime business partner Steve Rubell. Always humble, Schrager said he's not afraid to make mistakes and try something else. Whether he's cultivating gamechanging hotels like Morgans or expanding his EDITION and PUBLIC brands, he says it's about pushing experience over the edge.

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Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels has been lauded for her eclectic design style that doesn't shy away from color and pattern. But it's her meticulous attention to detail that has elevated her to icon status. She carefully curates and champions work from venerated and emerging artists and craftspeople alike. No matter how perfect the design, she says, it always comes down to the people who make each hotel come alive.

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Born and bred in Toronto, Dana Kalczak has spent the last couple of decades at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts where she's played an integral part in creating a company that doesn't chase trends but deliberately takes the time to research and understand its guest. New hotels in Philadelphia and Montreal showcase the brand's ability to adapt while still being able to create magical, unforgettable moments.

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Josh Wyatt's career has had many iterations, with hospitality being his backbone since he founded Generator Hostels in 2007. The gamechanging brand led to many other opportunities, including at Neuehouse, where he's marrying the best of both worlds in a members' club that celebrates great design in urban settings. He credits his success to surrounding himself with good people who know where the car is going. If you trust them and just get in, he says, good things will happen.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies.

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Growing up in Brooklyn, New York and then Long Island, Julien Albertini, cofounder of Asthetíque, was influenced by his architect father and his mother, who loved redecorating their home. He studied architecture and then finance, designing small projects around the city until he met his business partner, the Moscow-based designer Alina Pimkina. Their vision and goals aligned, and their design firm, with offices in New York, Miami, and recently Riyadh, has showcased that rich intersection of masculine and feminine in projects for the past seven years, from Café Polet in Moscow to to Kahawa Café in Doha. Albertini shares his journey from architecture and finance student to successful entrepreneur.

Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Julie Monk grew up in the Midwest but her career has taken her all over the world from Denmark to New York and Hong Kong, where she is now based. The trained architect has worked on projects big and small, but she points to two things that have solidified her passion for the hospitality industry: the merger between BBG-BBGM and HOK and her time living and working in Asia. Both of which transformed her worldview, allowing her to be fully immersed in all facets of design.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies.

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This episode originally aired on December 25th, 2018.
 
Brad Wilson started his career working with his mom to open a series of bakeries throughout Chicago. It was a natural step to go into hotels, helping to launch brands such as W and the gamechanging Ace Hotels. His pragmatic approach to hospitality has evolved into a deep love and understanding for the industry. "I'm sort of a junkie" for it, he says. "I crave it."

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

As Dream Hotel Group continues to grow and launch more brands, including Unscripted Hotels and the upcoming 5-Star Chatwal Lodge in the Catskill Mountains, CEO Jay Stein credits a community-oriented approach to Dream's success. In fact, he points to a piece of advice from his father that has become a core value of Dream's philosophy: to show respect to everyone on the team. It's a key tenet that has helped make Dream a lifestyle juggernaut.
 
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Growing up, Lauren Rotett always wanted to do something creative and set her sights on architecture school. The Texas native first cut her teeth in corporate design with SOM, eventually going out on her own and landing her first hotel job, the Surrey, on the Upper East Side of New York. With three offices across the U.S., today, Rottet's firm is heralded for melding residentially inspired interiors with dynamic, architecturally driven solutions.

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Ennismore's Charlie North has been leading the hotel developer's interiors practice since 2015, after cutting his teeth with the likes of the late David Collins, Alexander Waterworth, and Martin Brudnizki. Recently named to our 2019 Wave of the Future class, North is behind the Hoxton's growth Stateside, as well as helping to spearhead the redo of the posh Gleneagles in Scotland. With each property, he's creating thoughtful, layered spaces that encourage guests to linger.

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As one of the Fab Five, Queer Eye's Bobby Berk is a self-made designer whose road to celebrity wasn't easy. He left his small town in Missouri at age 15, couch surfing and sleeping in his car while doing double shifts at Applebee's to make ends meet. A job at Restoration Hardware then Portico led him to start Bobby Berk Home. Now, as a fan favorite on Netflix's hit show, he has no plans of slowing down.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

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Hospitality rising stars Marcus Carey and Damon Lawrence are shaking up the hotel industry with Homage Hospitality, one of the first brands catered to the African American traveler by honoring and preserving black culture through design and programming. With one property open in New Orleans and three more on the boards, it seems they're onto something.

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In May at HD Expo in Las Vegas, editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen sat down with keynote speaker Andrew Zobler, CEO and founder of the Sydell Group. The hourlong conversation touched on everything from working with Barry Sternlicht to starting the Sydell Group, named for his grandmother and known for its collection of brands, including the NoMad, the Line, and the Freehand. In this rare appearance, he shined a light on the evolution of lifestyle hotels.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

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Jonathan Tisch, CEO and chairman of Loews Hotels, is a lifelong hotelier who jokingly refers to himself as a modern-day Eloise, having lived and worked in hotels all of his life. His properties can be found in immersive destinations that give people many reasons to visit. As he says, the hotel industry is just another arm of the entertainment industry.

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Christine Gachot credits much of her success with being in the right place at the right time. She worked on memorable projects like Gucci with Bill Sofield and helped André Balazs launch the Standard in New York before founding Gachot with her husband, John, in 2012. Since then, they've helped shape brands like Glossier, Eaton Workshop, and most recently Shinola, which opened its first upscale hotel in Detroit this year.

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Childhood friends Asher Warr and Robin Faulkner, cofounders of Amarla Hotels, launched their first property in Cartagena in 2018. The 17th-century mansion, a former tobacco factory, celebrates the community via authentic experiences—a pillar of the newly founded  brand. Next came Amarla Casco Viejo, the eight-room boutique that is reimagining Panama’s hospitality scene. The British entrepreneurs are rethinking hospitality by creating hotels centered around what they call a heartfelt hospitality approach—one that transcends the property and immerses visitors into the location.

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A profound love of contemporary art as well as a desire to revitalize his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky led Steve Wilson and his wife Laura Lee Brown to create a hotel that showcased art in a museum-like setting. That idea grew into 21c Museum Hotels, which now counts eight properties in the U.S., mostly in rehabbed buildings, with a recent acquisition by Accor set to expand the brand internationally.

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Inspired by his restaurateur father, Will Guidara always knew he wanted to be in the business and open a New York restaurant. That dream soon became a reality. The Danny Meyer alum, along with chef Daniel Humm, took over and reimagined the Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and reinvented the hotel restaurant, first with the NoMad New York and since then in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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As a trailblazer in the wellness space, the Irish-born designer first got her start in fashion, but is now known for her zen-like designs for the likes of Six Senses and Miraval that immerse the guests in all five senses.

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Paligroup's Avi Brosh started his own residential development company at 30. When a client noted that if he added a restaurant and lobby, he'd have the perfect hotel, he decided to try his hand at hospitality, opening his first property in 2008. Since then, he has launched multiple Pali locations throughout LA and is expanding to Miami, Seattle, and San Francisco. His success lies in the fact that he is involved in every aspect of the design, listening to his intuition to create hyperlocal experiences.

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When Pesek noticed that restaurants were missing out on lucrative business during the day, he created Spacious, a technology-meets-hospitality company that turns vacant locations into bustling workspaces. As CEO and founder, Pesek is rethinking how we work today, equating his business more to a coffee shop than a traditional coworking space.

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Working alongside such revered chefs as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Charlie Palmer, Tihany solidified his reputation as the father of restaurant design. "For me, restaurants are portraits of my clients," he says. "They always have been." As he embarks on his 40th year as a designer, one thing remains true: his unwavering commitment to his 15-person team. 

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Bashar Wali left Syria 30 years ago, and got bit by the hospitality bug while in school. Now he's president of Provenance Hotels with over 14 fiercely independent properties that are full of human connections. He's not in the hotel business, he says, but in the theater business—always striving to create memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

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Dutch designer Marcel Wanders doesn't always play by the design rules, opting for concepts that are lighthearted and surprising but always timeless. Take his Knotted chair, which put him on the map and transformed the design landscape. Whimsy meets playfulness in everything Wanders' touches, including his latest, the Mondrian Doha, which is a feast for the senses.

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Among her many accomplishments, the tennis superstar has found time to launch her own design firm, V Starr Interiors, as well as start her own fashion brand, EleVen. Unsurprisingly, Williams is driven by a competitive spirit that has made her a noteworthy contender on and off the court.
 
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Brad Wilson started his career working with his mom to open a series of bakeries throughout Chicago. It was a natural step, then, to go into hotels, helping to launch brands such as W and the gamechanging Ace Hotels. His pragmatic approach to hospitality has evolved into a deep love and understanding for the industry. "I'm sort of a junkie" for it, he says. "I crave it."

This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

From an early age, the Melbourne-bred, New York-based Ross Mollison had a love for music and live entertainment. This nascent passion led him to launch Spiegelworld in 2005, known for its groundbreaking shows that blend cabaret, the circus, and variety performances.

Under Mollison's leadership, Spiegelworld has become synonymous with cutting-edge, adult-oriented entertainment that pushes the boundaries of traditional theatrical experiences. Indeed, his creativity and vision have played a key role in shaping Spiegelworld's reputation as a trailblazer in the world of live entertainment, spotlighted in the forthcoming DiscoShow and the development of a circus town in Nipton, California, where Mollison and his team dream up their creative, otherworldly endeavors.

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Alexandra Champalimaud's owes her storied career to perseverance, gumption, and unwavering self-confidence. She fled Portugal and ended up in Montreal, starting her own design firm with just three people in her apartment. Today, she's responsible for 52 in New York. She credits her success to being tenacious and paying attention to the details.

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Since the Brooklyn-based Studio Tack came on the scene six years ago, Brian Smith and his team have become a highly sought-after firm known for imbuing each space with an authentic touch. Perhaps nothing has resonated more with the design world than the firm’s reimagination of the motel. From the Sound View Inn in Greenport, New York to the Anvil Hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Studio Tack has a found a niche that celebrates the great American road trip in a modern, yet nostalgic way.

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Margaret McMahon has had a storied career, though her path was a bit unconventional. After a summer of windsurfing and smoking pot, McMahon's mother encouraged her to find work at a temp agency. As luck, or fate, would have it, that led her to Trisha Wilson of Wilson Associates, who "saw something in me that I didn't see in myself," says McMahon. After three decades with Wilson, she left to helm Wimberly Interiors, the design arm of architecture firm WATG in New York, which now boasts multiple offices and a vast portfolio of high-end hospitality and residential projects that can be credited to McMahon's passion, savvy, and open-mindedness.

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