We sat down with Katie Lambert AIA and Felicia Franzese to learn how our Interior Design team thrives in so many different industries and project types.
Reyes Beer Division, photograph by Steve Hall
In recent years, OKW’s Interiors Team has put together some truly impressive and transformative projects. They have won awards, created community, and set the standard for what good design can be.
But if you assumed these projects were all new office buildouts, you’d be wrong. They show an incredible range: hospitality-grade retail buildouts, stunning common areas and lobbies, and enviable amenities for private clubs.
(And yes, we’ve done some amazing offices as well.)
15 E Oak, photograph by Kendall McCaugherty
Unlike most design firms, OKW’s Interiors team doesn’t do just one thing. Felicia Franzese, OKW’s Senior Interior Designer, puts it best when she says we’ve “learned the importance of straddling the lines between market sectors and seeing how they impact each other.” That kind of cross-pollination of expertise makes our portfolio not only very diverse, but compelling and strong.
Studios known for office renovations can crank them out quickly, but seasoned designers and design-forward clients might see a unifying sameness to their portfolio.
“At the end of the day, you’re solving real problems for people.”
Kate Lambert AIA
Partner & Design Director
“Our materials are always different,” Felicia says. “The volumes, the approach, the clients are always different. Each project is very specific to what it is and we develop a lot of trust with our clients because of our process.”
That process requires specific skills. OKW has worked across markets and sectors for decades and some of our longest-lasting architectural clients are private clubs, senior living operators, and commercial real estate firms. With our interiors team tapped to collaborate with the architectural studio on many projects, our designers are asked to switch gears often and think like many different end users. We’ve pivoted very quickly to become a much more dynamic practice for a firm whose interiors group mostly consisted of office renovations in 2015.
3500 Lacey, photograph by Kendall McCaugherty
But for Katie Lambert AIA, OKW’s Design Director, it’s just part and parcel of being a designer.
“I think there’s too much emphasis on vertical market sectors,” she says. In her role, in which she oversees nearly every project that our firm designs, she leans heavily on her personal philosophy: “good design is good design and it supersedes specific uses.”
Great Lakes Coca-Cola, photograph by Nick Ulivieri
Good design, of course, doesn’t begin when pen touches sketch paper. It begins with listening. Because we’re able to work on different project types for completely different constituencies, we’ve mastered the art of teasing out what is most important. When you have clients as diverse as we do, that can mean many different things.
Krispy Kreme HQ, photograph by Steve Hall
For example, each sector requires that we think about the length of time a typical person spends in it. Retail environments are about creating experiences that are rich, but ultimately brief. This might demand that we focus on the space’s ability to be quickly adapted, updated, or transformed as store owners adjust to their customers’ preferences. Offices, by contrast, are high-touch spaces that require a balance of longevity and flexibility. While 30-year leases are long, companies can reimagine their office three or four times in that timeframe. At the end of the spectrum are residences, which have more permanence to them by nature. This requires that we focus more on timelessness and durability.
This philosophy doesn’t exist at most architecture firms, where the Interiors group is siloed, protective of their own work, and tend to run as their own company. While this may allow firms to specialize in specific industries and markets, it doesn’t work very well with new or non-traditional project types.
Ridgemoor Country Club, photograph by Wayne Cable
“It’s the story of 2015 and beyond,” Katie recalls. “Even before the pandemic, offices had started changing to hospitality oriented spaces. With people working remotely, you want the space to bring people together. Our diverse portfolio makes us better positioned to address these issues.”
It’s not always easy work. In fact, it can be pretty challenging. But the resulting skills we’ve built – applying our best practices across industries, learning the landscape and details of new project types, and developing a culture of adaptability – have made us a truly unique team within the design industry. Felicia likens adaptability with something many of us are familiar with because it’s a skill we developed in grade school.
“You would shove all your books in your bag and go to Social Studies, then Math, then Art. Your mindset and thinking are completely different for each class. Our interiors practice is like that, adapting to whatever you’re doing at that moment in time. Not everyone can do that.”
Lucky for us, she can.
10 S Riverside Spec Suite, photograph by Kevin O’Reilly
“Felicia has always wanted to be a key part of the rest of the office,” says Katie. In the last five years, our team and office have strengthened the connection and trust between the Interiors team and the rest of the studio. “It’s exciting because you see our team bringing their unique expertise to really elevate projects.”
VSA Partners, photograph by Tom Harris
So why hire OKW for your interiors project? For several reasons.
The first is that our flexibility and adaptability means that we don’t come to any project with a pre-baked idea. Although we bring a toolkit of best practices and time-tested principles of what makes a space work, we start by listening: to our clients’ goals, to what keeps them up at night, and what it will take for them to feel successful.
We’re also excellent listeners. We make a conscious choice to not specialize in a specific sector because it allows us to give our clients the very best space they need, not the one we can cook up the most quickly.
“Each project is very specific and we develop a lot of trust with our clients because of our process.”
Felicia Franzese
Senior Interior Designer
Lastly, with OKW, you get the best of our office. Given our size, we don’t hand off sensitive client goals to a young associate to do all the work. The people involved in generating ideas will always be our top minds. Katie and Felicia not only set the tone for the project, they answer emails. That level of client service for a firm of our size and age is rare and special.
“Our personal attention is exceptional,” Katie says. “Whether you’re working in a space or enjoying it at your club, you’re going to be living with it, using it every day. You’ll want to know that you’re only a phone call away from leadership at any point during the project.”
Building lobby, rendering by Michal Ciurej & OKW Interiors
Our diverse portfolio proves that we are passionate, not just about corporate interiors, but about the practice and art of design. It’s not just about creating the next flashy, eye-catching office renovation, but using our intellect and design acumen to create a valuable experience for a community. Since every project is a chance to immerse ourselves in a new ecosystem and language, we become better designers and more skillful listeners with each opportunity.
Does your space require an interior reimagining? Send us a note and get to know our people and process!