Elizabeth Dillon and Michaela Kahler from Arcsine joined us on our podcast Hospitality Nations.
Design is a medium for storytelling…….
Bringing all the influences that create and deliver hospitality to us, the places around the world, we enjoy. It begins with design, beautiful food and a passion of bringing people together. Hospitality is about making people remember how they felt when visiting your space. It takes more than a village to make the magic happen. Hospitality Nations brings those magic makers to you.
Elizabeth and Michaela’s journey into interior design and how they got started.
Ever since Elizabeth was pretty young, she did a lot of travel with her family and visited a lot of hotels, and visited a lot of different cities, this is where she developed her passion. Mainly for interior design, she would say once she was in middle school, she knew that’s what she wanted to do. She just loves looking at details. She loved thinking about interiors, and it was really interesting because once she went to college at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. She was able to try out a lot of different types of design, like commercial and residential. And it was really during her internship, in her junior year with Getty’s Group in Chicago that made her develop this love for hospitality design and kind of opened a whole new world to her. So, that was kind of her start.
Similar to Elizabeth, Michaela says her passion for interior design started at a pretty young age. Her grandmother was actually an interior decorator, really just a learned interior decorator. It was something her grandmother was really passionate about and really, she just did it fabulously. As a little girl, she remembers coming to her grandmother’s house and the house kind of changed with the seasons. And from a young age, she really realized how the changes within the interior space kind of informed her feelings and her experiences. That’s something that she felt. She just carried it with her kind of into adolescence and into adulthood. She did a bit of a segue and studied Sociology at the University of Kansas. And she was fortunate to do a semester abroad, her junior year in Florence and Paris in an Art History Program. And when she got home, she quickly transferred to Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design to pursue her passion of interiors. So, she says it’s informed a lot of her life since she was very young and something that she has a lot of passion for.
The process of design and where they get their inspiration.
Elizabeth says that it really depends on the project. A lot of times in their projects, they like to look at where the project is located. They like to look at the geography the culture. If the project has any history to it, a historic building, or if they have any ties to something in the community. They like to look at local materials. And so, they really try to build a story off of tying the space back to its location. And she thinks that it’s pretty important for them also if there’s any kind of brand identity. If it’s a hotel, they really like to dive into that brand story. If it’s a restaurant, what is the cuisine? What’s the story the chef wants to tell, and they really start there. They kind of brainstorm as a team. And a lot of times, they’ll pull other people who might not be on the project, but they like to blue sky kind of with their whole office and really kind of play ideas off of one another and come into that really with “no idea is bad”. Everybody just put stuff out there and they really kind of work with one another to get the best concept for each individual project.
Michaela says that so much of design is based on the initial story, people who are visiting hospitality spaces, such as restaurants and hotels. They’re there for a certain experience. And they want to experience that story throughout their whole time, while they’re visiting these spaces and while they’re guests in spaces. And one thing that is super important and that they always try to do, whether they’re looking at the big picture or the smaller details, is to make sure that every design decision they are making ties back to that story, whether it’s informed by the locality or the menu. It’s really important that everything feels cohesive and ties back to their original story of why they are doing this.
Elizabeth and Michaela’s journey working together
That’s kind of interesting. Elizabeth talks a bit about her journey first and then, where Michaela and she have a really interesting overlap. But she ended up starting out on the East Coast and started out initially working for RD Jones in Baltimore. Then, she moved on to Forrest Perkins in DC. It was a much smaller firm. They just had a DC at Dallas office and had just a really fun and interesting team there. She was there for probably about seven years. And then, Cliff Tuttle and she opened the San Francisco office together at Forest Perkins in 2008. And so, she kind of had a journey across coasts, which was really neat and worked for Forest Perkins in San Francisco up until probably about like a year and a half ago..
That would have been 2014. Michaela had a design director in college who knew she was really passionate about hospitality and the latter actually was the first person to direct her to Forest Perkins. And she moved to the Bay Area and pursued Forest Perkins and started working with Elizabeth there in about 2014. And then, she spent about a year at Petunia Group thereafter and have now been with Arcsine about almost two years now.
Elizabeth was really excited to hear that Michaela was working at Arcsine because it had been a company that she’d been watching kind of grow over the years. And so, when she interviewed with them, it was super exciting to see Michaela there. it was really excited to have the opportunity to work with her again.
Michaela is just going to note that it’s always nice to work with designers and other colleagues that you’ve worked with before, because you form a great synergy and it’s really nice to be able to continue that synergy into Arcsine as well.
How Elizabeth and Michaela collaborate
They have project teams and it’s obviously changed a little bit in terms of how they can work together. But Michaela and she worked on several projects together. They’re working on a really interesting hotel in Carmel right now, and there have been several times where they will review samples together, on each other’s porches or they’ll get on a FaceTime and go through things. They found some really interesting ways to digitally make it work. So, that’s been really great, but they definitely work in teams and it’s nice because they have architects and designers on staff. And so, that process is pretty seamless. They’re working in the same drawings. They can ask questions just to their internal staff if they’re not sure about how something will get constructed or something about a process. So, it’s been actually just a really nice experience because it’s the synergy between the teams that really works pretty great.
Michaela said that as Elizabeth noted, the porch material reviews are super crucial, so that’s been really helpful to be able to meet outside and get together just to review things in person. Because something that she’s looking at maybe different than what Elizabeth is looking at. And so, she thinks and there are definitely times where it’s important to be in the same space to collaborate. But she does think, this past year has really shown that they can push the envelope in terms of technology. They use email and several different apps such as Slack, where they kind of collaborate and they’ll do digital pinups, looking at Pinterest boards or everyone will show or throw various sketches into their Slack rooms. And they talk over Zoom and really think these things through that way. So, she thinks and she’s definitely grateful for technology during these times to keep them moving and keep them collaborating.
Revisiting the 13th of March last year when everything shut down and the whole world shifted and changed, on how did that affect Elizabeth and Michaela personally and professionally. Their reflections on where were and where we’re going.
For Elizabeth, it was a very interesting time because she thinks that no one at that point really knew how long this was going to last. She thinks that everybody was still thinking in these like two-week increments, like, ‘Oh, we’ll be back April 1st or we’ll be back beginning of May.’ And then, the reality kind of started to set in that they need to probably be planning for a longer term, stay at home, and to make sure they’ve got the right systems in place. And personally, she ended up having both of her kids schooling from home so, having all four of them at home, really was interesting! It still is interesting. They’re hopefully going back pretty soon. But she reflects on it in the sense that the things that it’s done have been positive. She thinks that it really slowed their lives down. They were moving at breakneck speed before between work and personal lives. And so, she thinks that really kind of put the brakes on a lot of that and made them look at how do they live now. And so, she thinks that’s been positive. She thinks the other positive thing that’s come out of it is that they can really work remotely, and they found some new tools that make that process easier for them. So, she thinks that that’s been some things personally and professionally that she’s found to be kind of bright spots in this really challenging time.
Michaela thinks that really it has reprioritized a lot of things for everyone. She said that fortunately, we have spent more time with our families. She’s learned to really make her home a place she wants to be in because she’s at home all the time and she’ll second what Elizabeth said that it’s really taught us that we can create beautiful designs and we can collaborate from remote places and from our desktops at home. And she thinks it just opens up kind of a world of possibilities for the future of collaboration. And she also thinks that we’ll be seeing a lot more of that in the future. She thinks people want to be with their families and it’s allowed them to spend more time where it really matters personally.
How Elizabeth and Michaela’s approach changed to design and how designing a space with the measures that are in place.
Elizabeth said that it’s been really interesting for some of their restaurant clientele. They need to think about this space right now. So, they need to think about what do the clienteles need right now? Then, what will they need maybe six months from now? And do they have the ability to have an outdoor space? She thinks those have been kind of the three key components they’ve seen, and it’s been interesting. Definitely, the use of outdoor spaces and pretty much all their projects have really liked that priority if it was low to begin with. Now, it’s like at the top. And so, she thinks anywhere that that can be utilized. She doesn’t imagine that going away anytime soon. She think that mentality, even once they feel safe, they’ll still maybe going to lean towards wanting to be in those type of spaces or spaces that are really well-ventilated. And she thinks it’s going to take a while for people to want to sit next to each other, too. So, she thinks it’s going to evolve. It’ll be pretty interesting to see how that evolves this coming year. But she thinks it’s like looking at it too, looking at a project in two different ways.
Elizabeth also doesn’t see the communal table or communal dining going away. She thinks that people may not be sitting right next to each other if they’re not within the same group. So, she still thinks there may want to be a little bit of separation, but she hopes that comes back because that was such a great feature when people feel safe again. She hopes that there’s the ability for more than one group to want to sit in that kind of space.
Michaela agrees with Elizabeth. She thinks that they are, even restaurants and hotels that they’re working on right now that are anticipated to open in early 2022 were still seeing communal tables being a desire. And she thinks people will still want to go out in large parties to see those larger tables as one party. And then, also she thinks there’s people that are going to want to still meet and mingle, hopefully in the future. Maybe, it’ll be a bit of a further distance, but she does foresee the communal table, hopefully coming back.
New trends Elizabeth and Michaela see at the moment (revisiting, color, design)
Michaela definitely thinks as Elizabeth noted previously, already just the desire to be outside, she thinks that’s something that’s going to continue into the summer, fall and winter months of 2021. She thinks people feel most comfortable outside. And fortunately, a lot of the restaurants they designed are in the Bay Area. So, they do have the ability to have the warmer temps and it’s a little bit more comfortable. Check out our article to get some tips on finding the most comfortable outdoor furniture for your space! She’s currently in Colorado and cell dining there definitely looks a little bit different. There’s a lot of big igloo set up with heaters and blankets and people are doing it. It’s 20 degrees outside and people are in their parkas, in their hats and gloves and they’re sitting outside dining. And she definitely thinks that trend will continue maybe even post-COVID. She thinks restaurants that didn’t have spaces for outdoor seating are now making that a priority. And she thinks that will definitely remain in the restaurant industry moving forward as much as possible.
Elizabeth definitely agrees with what Michaela said. She thinks that’s a trend. She thinks that’s definitely a trend they’re seeing for most of their hospitality and restaurant clients. She thinks for trends they’re seeing kind of more in a residential approach are what kind of what Michaela touched on before, where people are really wanting to invest more in certain spaces of their house. Definitely their outdoor spaces, they’re home all the time. And so, people wanting to upgrade their home offices and she thinks projects that maybe were on the back burner before, or kept getting put off, have now come to fruition. And so, she thinks that what they’re seeing in the Bay Area at least is there’s just like a surge of residential projects going on. And it’s exciting for that niche to still be thriving even during COVID.
On materials that are better to use for outdoor spaces
It really depends on the project, Elizabeth stated. They have beautiful outdoor courtyards that they’re completing right now. And they really just tried to pull in a variety of different outdoor woods and metals. There’s some really amazing outdoor fabrics. Those have really come a long way in the past 20 years that she’s been designing. You see a lot of outdoor fabrics now indoors that’s really evolved. She thinks that it’s just really getting a lot of texture outside too and color and mixing that with some interesting pieces and landscaping. She thinks when all those play nicely together, and you can really create a unique space.
Michaela thinks in those outdoor spaces, it’s really important to make them very comfortable and almost residential. Like people want to perch and they want to sit there for a couple hours next to the fire pit with their glass of wine, as opposed to dining and going to grab a drink at the next bar. She thinks kind of the process of dining is changing a little bit because of the pandemic and because we are a little bit more limited in our abilities in terms of where we can go during these times. So, she thinks definitely more residential feel in furniture and finishes is something they’re seeing a lot, both outdoor and indoor spaces.
What they do during their downtime (things to do just to relax)
Elizabeth loves sketching. She actually really enjoys drawing mandalas. She also really enjoys hiking. She thinks the Bay Area is just so amazing. One can drive an hour and be in wine country or could drive an hour and be at the ocean. And so even though she’s not from the West Coast, they try to explore pretty much every weekend in a new area. That’s really one of the things she enjoys doing the most and then, spending time with her kids because they’re really fun.
Michaela definitely spent a lot of time outside this past year. She thinks it’s because they’re inside most of the day in their homes, it’s really important for a change of scenery for herself. So, they spend a lot of time hiking, skiing and just with family.
On travel
Post-COVID, Elizabeth’s family has done several local driving trips. They haven’t felt comfortable flying yet, but definitely all up and down the coast. That’s been really fun and she’s really looking forward to the day that they feel comfortable traveling again because they had several trips planned last year. They were hoping to go to Japan, and they really miss international travel. And that’s one of the things she couldn’t count down the days more to want to be able to do again.
Michaela and family have been fortunate to do quite a few road trips within the US. They also, much like many other people had a lot of international travel plans for this year and they just kind of reprioritized and decided to go see some of the places in America that they’ve been really wanting to see and see it as a bit of a silver lining because they probably wouldn’t have gone to those places. They did a Pacific Northwest trip and stayed in a few Airbnb on Orcas Island in the coast of Oregon. They went to Yellowstone and saw Jackson Hole. So, they’ve done a few road trips safely, obviously staying at Airbnb, but they’ve really enjoyed getting on the road and going to see a new place that they can reach via our car and it’s been really nice.
Tips and recommendations on how to get into design
Elizabeth thinks that it’s really important if you’re in school to do several different internships at different types of firms. Maybe do one at a commercial firm and one at a hospitality firm, one at a residential firm. Make that your time to try out as many different types of design as possible or try to find a firm that does a variety of things. She thinks that it’s really important to at that time expose yourself too as much as possible. So, you can really figure out maybe where you want to start. And she thinks that it’s really important also trying to find within those internships, identifying people who, whether or not you stick with that firm in a full-time job, it’s really good to keep contacts so that you can have future mentors or people that you can touch base with along the way who have experience in different types of design. She thinks building your network when you’re in college and then, just continuing to keep those relationships strong as you start your career and don’t be afraid to ask somebody to be a mentor. She thinks it’s always really a great opportunity.
Michaela added that there are also a lot of really great networking organizations that do events, much of which are virtual right now, but that’s a great way to meet people within the industry. And to maybe find that mentor, maybe if you’re not in school, maybe if it’s something you’re pursuing or you’re not sure if you want to pursue, definitely look for some of those networking events where you can meet people within the industry. Maybe, start to learn about some of the products and organizations, and that will hopefully help to inform your next direction as well.
Network groups they both recommend.
Michaela shares that NEWH is a hospitality networking group. They have chapters all throughout the US. US GBC is a green building group, mostly focused around sustainability, but that’s a great networking group to get involved with. They have a lot of CEUs and a lot of events that allow you to learn about sustainability within design and architecture. ASIT is another interior design network. That’s just a few to name.
Elizabeth also added AIDA. They’re another design network. She said those four are really strong.
Favorite blogs, Pinterest pages or Instagram you follow for inspiration.
Michaela is always super inspired by eyeswoon, Athena Calderon. She also has a podcast and she’s really kind of coined the term Multihyphenate, which she thinks a lot of designers and architects just are by nature, they always have their hands in a lot of different things. They’re inspired by cooking and travel and nature and all these different things that they feel informs their passion.
Elizabeth loves following just other design firms and different product pages. She thinks it’s really fun to see. She loves the Style Nation’s Instagram page. She thinks they have some really beautiful imagery. And so, it just always inspired her. Like if she sees a new product and it really resonates with her, it’s just great. It like sparks ideas. So, there’s so many, she doesn’t know if she could even narrow it down because she’s looking at her Instagram page, and it’s just such a wide variety of designers and different people she has crossed paths with over the years. So, it’s fun to just have a good cross section of people from all different angles.
To find more inspiration, you can also check our blog on choosing a sustainable hospitality furniture!
