Boutique Design - Spring 2021 - 28

BUSINESS INSIDER

A RENDERING OF THE UPCOMING R ADICAL HOTEL , ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

was typically packed, shoulder-to-shoulder, which
is always a sign of a successful restaurant or bar.
Today it's hard to imagine the crowded conditions
that were not only inherent to our daily lives, but
desired in my world of designing restaurants and
hotels! Being in airports, or inside a super crowded
lobby or restaurant is something I will have to
readjust to as we begin to move around again.

Best piece of advice you've gotten? David
Rockwell used to say, " If you do great work and
no one sees it, what's the point? " He didn't mean
to suggest that the only point of what we do is
for the work to be publicly lauded, but that you
don't create something for it to sit in a vacuum.
It should be made known and celebrated by
the public, because the value of great design
is that it can change people's lives and give
them lasting memories. It was the ﬁ rst time I
understood the true value of marketing and PR
around a project.

MICHAEL SUOMI
P R E S I D E N T,

SUOMI DESIGN WORKS

08
2
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SPRING 2021

Something you never would have imagined
before last year? The Tuesday before lockdown
started, I was having dinner at the Nomad Hotel
in New York with an old friend. The dining room

Has it changed your approach to design or working
with clients? Design, no. It is very grounded in
creating a strong narrative which would never
change. The clients, yes. They are used to using
very tactile materials and the design teams are very
hands-on, so that aspect has been a challenge. We
were so acclimated to being in person frequently
for presentations to show the ﬁ nishes and their
intricacies, which in part conveys that narrative.
As a solution, I now send the clients packages in
advance of our presentations.
What is your outlook for the future? I'm extremely
optimistic. I doubled the size of my little company
during the worst part of the pandemic. To me,
that's a great sign. Doing great hotel design is
always going to have value regardless of the
current economic status.

DAV I D J O S H UA F O R D A N D C O U R T E S Y S U O M I D E S I G N W O R K S

A G U E S T R O O M AT T H E R A D I C A L

How did the last year shift your perspective on
work, life, career? It has altered everything. One
of the biggest differences is the redeﬁ ned view
of what an ofﬁce really means. I launched Suomi
Design Works in late 2019 with a physical ofﬁce on
one of the most desirable streets in Manhattan. I
was probably only using the ofﬁce 12-13 days per
month because I was always traveling. Being away
is the norm for me, but now my staff are all working
remotely, they're doing well and actually growing.
Redeﬁ ning what an " ofﬁce " can be is changing my
life-I'm now engaged, living in Florida relatively
full-time, and running my ofﬁce remotely.
Boutique Design - Spring 2021

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