Boutique Design - September 2018 - 4

EDITORIAL

Game ChanGers
Welcome to my first issue as editor of Boutique

Design. I'm no stranger to design. In the past two
decades I've interviewed creative directors and principals of branding firms in charge of products such as
Starbucks, Pinkberry, Budweiser, and Martha Stewart
Living, to name just a few. Every detail matters when
it comes to brand awareness and customers' expectations. In this Instagram/Snapchat world, if you miss
that, you lose.
That need to get "everything" right is more prevalent
than ever in today's hospitality market where guests don't
just see themselves as consuming or using the brand,
but living within it, for a meal or a night. Exceptional, not
expected, is the rule, and the game changers in this issue
show how to deliver that better, faster, smarter. They
looked past the obvious when presented with obstacles
and instead found inspiration in unlikely places.
For instance, in "City Centrists" on page 38, the
designers of two very different projects discuss the challenges of putting hotels in already heavily populated
urban areas with major space limitations. They drill
down on their inventive, design-led workarounds for
quirky layouts and a double-digit menu of room types-
not a small feat in either instance. In "Local Lexicon," on
page 44, the focus shifts to spaces that were intentionally sliced and diced into smaller, more intimate settings,
while maximizing the design with multicultural nuances
to create not only ambiance, but "aha" moments.
The design disruptors profiled in "Design Disruptors
Part I: Strong Hand" on page 24 and "Design Disruptors
Part II: Multi-hyphenate" on page 26, break new ground
for maverick thinking. Ace is expanding its portfolio with
two new flags that that play to convention-defying travelers looking for "essentialism" on one end, liveable luxury
on the other, while Lark Hotels' executive team brings
innovation to both their carefully-considered design

executive editor
mary scoviak
mary.scoviak@stmediagroup.com

and their fearless leap into a complex role as owner/
manager/developer/design at this rapidly-growing lifestyle flag. And, by the way, it's the same human beings
straddling all those departments.
In "Second Site" on page 32, DesignAgency's latest
collaboration with Momofuko founder and chef David
Chang sees the firm bring the heat in Toronto's new
Japanese/South American restaurant concept, Ko¯jin.
That venue, previously home to two separate eateries
on the top floor of Momofuku's multi-venue outpost,
channels its menu into inspiration for a deep-toned,
richly textured space that breaks new ground for the
food empire.
Sharing is caring; designing for those spaces is more
important now than ever. In "Hang Time" on page 54,
find out how Hilton and The Student Hotel are leveraging their corporate strengths to integrate coworking,
shared dining spaces and multifunctional areas into
conventional hotels.
Design details are at the heart of every story we do,
and that will continue. I'm thrilled to be part of this
journey with BD, telling the often-messy stories behind
the projects and how the designers overcame those
obstacles to turn out functional, drool-worthy hotel
designs that attract new guests and turn them into
repeat guests and brand loyalists.

editor
emily potts
emily.potts@stmediagroup.com
Art Director
Kelly Farrar
kelly.farrar@stmediagroup.com
senior editor
Christina Green
christina.green@stmediagroup.com
Associate editor
sarah Chaplin
sarah.chaplin@stmediagroup.com
special Projects editor
Oriana Lerner
oriana.lerner@stmediagroup.com
contributing editors
alicia hoisington
Kat Odell
alicia sheber
editorial intern
elizabeth Duccilli
liz.duccilli@stmediagroup.com

SALES
Associate Publisher/
Business Development manager,
midwest/West
melani beattie
melani.beattie@stmediagroup.com
(312) 218-5691
Business Development manager,
Northeast
michael schneider
michael.schneider@stmediagroup.com
(212) 404-6936
Business Development manager,
southeast
scott rickles
scott.rickles@stmediagroup.com
(770) 664-4567

CORPORATE
President
tedd swormstedt
senior VP, Boutique Design
Group, st media Group/President,
Hospitality media Group
michelle Finn
michelle.finn@stmediagroup.com
(312) 961-2772

Emily Potts

Audience Development Director
Christine baloga
Book Division Director
mark Kissling
Production coordinator
Linda Volz
reprint information
(717) 632-3535, ext. 8065

SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICES
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skokie, IL 60076
(847) 504-8166
fax: (847) 763-9030
bD@omeda.com

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Cincinnati, Oh 45242
(513) 421-2050
fax: (513) 421-5144

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Boutique Design - September 2018

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