Boutique Design - November/December 2010 - 2

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his is Boutique Design’s annual Heroes Issue, where we show exactly how doing good can also be good for business. Exhibit A is hospitality design pioneer Trisha Wilson (page 22), who went to South Africa in the early 1990s to create some design magic at the Palace of the Lost City development. While working on that iconic project, she saw firsthand the grinding poverty faced by many residents of that country. And in typical Trisha Wilson fashion, she took action, focusing the efforts of her charitable foundation on helping the residents of a small town in South Africa’s Limpopo province. That work, along with her many other charitable initiatives, reflect Wilson’s credo: “Do great design, give back and the success will come.” Then there’s St. Louis developer Joe Edwards, who’s spent the better part of the last three decades working to reverse the extended economic decline of that’s city Loop neighborhood. The centerpiece of Edwards’ one-man redevelopment crusade is the Moonrise Hotel (page 46), which he created in conjunction with designers at The Harrick Group. “I tried to do it right—I want all the buildings to last another 100 years,” Edwards says. Trisha Wilson Some 1,700 miles to the west of and friends in St. Louis is Seattle’s Pioneer Square South Africa. neighborhood, which has taken some hits of its own during the downturn. Sensing that a hotel could help reverse that trend, the owner of a historic bank building in the district put together plans to convert that locale into a Courtyard by Marriott (page 38). Brought in to overlay a state-of-the-art hotel on the bones of a century-old building was design firm Degen & Degen (D&D). D&D principal Anita Degen says since its opening, the Courtyard has been having the desired impact on the neighborhood. “There’s a lot more foot traffic and there are a lot of business gains in the area,” she says. Finally, there’s Valley Forge Fabric’s Diana Dobin, this issue’s vendor profile (page 76). Dobin’s crusade to make textile manufacturing more eco-friendly stems from her allegiance to long-term business planning. Five years ago, she picked up some strong signals that sustainability concerns were likely to become a front-burner issue in her business. But Dobin also concedes that going green can cost a company some green—at least in the short run. “You have to be proud of what you do,” she says. “If a certain strategy involves taking advantage of people or damaging the environment just to make money, we won’t do it. No amount of profit is worth living with that.” I’m honored to help bring these inspiring stories your way. As Boutique Design’s new editor, I will work hard to make sure that this magazine (and its affiliated web site and events) continue to be an integral part of your busy days. Speaking of BD events, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the inaugural Boutique Design New York, our new hospitality interiors fair, which will take place November 14-15 at the new Javits Center North.

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EDITORIAL

Editor | Matthew Hall matthew.hall@stmediagroup.com Senior Art Director | Kimberly Pegram kim.pegram@stmediagroup.com Editor at Large | Mary Scoviak mary.scoviak@stmediagroup.com Assistant Editor | Megan Krause megan.krause@stmediagroup.com
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Boutique Design | November+December 2010

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Boutique Design - November/December 2010

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