About
Kathryn Patrice
I'm a hospitality interior designer based in New York, and a contextual one: every project begins with its place, its brand, and the people it hosts.
With over 15 years of experience across luxury hotels, restaurants, and residential development (Roman and Williams, Tihany Design, Pierre-Yves Rochon, boutique hotels in the Catskills), I've built a practice on the belief that every detail, from tiles to toothbrushes, contributes to a harmonious whole. What I'm after in each space is feeling.
Most recently, my hospitality lens shaped Northern Chapter, KRE's reimagining of its residential portfolio around a hospitality-first approach. I carry this passion into The School Studio, the independent practice I run with my husband in the Hudson Valley. I see myself as a bridge between creative vision and operational reality, from concept through construction and final photography.
Experience
Director of Interior Design
Hired to bring a hospitality focus to the vertically integrated developer's design department, directing interior design scopes across six active new developments and 24 existing properties. Developed new hospitality-driven interior standards for the portfolio and was a leader in shaping the physical expression of Northern Chapter, the company's new residential brand, instrumental in its brand narratives and overall vision. Creative director for all interiors, with strategic oversight of landscape, brand and signage, core architecture, and operations, from proforma through professional photography.
Head of Interior Design
Spearheaded in-house interiors for the boutique Catskills hotelier, working directly with ownership, operations, marketing, and construction. Led design for ten new-construction luxury bungalows at the historic Kenoza Hall, and oversaw capital-improvement projects across a portfolio of six boutique hotels.
Project Manager, Interiors — Design & Construction
Hospitality ownership design team for Equinox Hotels, managing interiors for three active new-construction hotel projects (RFPs, contracts, budgets, and consultant coordination) in partnership with the in-house brand team.
Senior Designer
Led the overall design vision and managed interior design scopes for five hospitality projects: a large-scale restaurant concept in a historic factory, two ground-up hotels, a hotel renovation, and two restaurants, carrying each from concept moodboards through final design documentation.
Studio Director of FF&E, Senior Interior Designer
Selected projects: the Aoyama Building and "Treehouse," Tokyo, leading all FF&E for the mixed-use building and the private members club within it, from one-of-a-kind custom furniture to custom building finishes; The Love Restaurant, Philadelphia, as FF&E lead for the Stephen Starr restaurant from concept through construction administration; and Virgin Voyages, Trieste, carrying five F&B spaces aboard the inaugural luxury cruise liner from design development through construction documents, with over forty pieces of custom furniture.
The Fitzroy · Aoyama Building · Treehouse · The Love · Virgin Voyages
Junior Designer — Project Designer
Selected projects: Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain, and The Ritz-Carlton Tianjin, China, leading technical and FF&E coordination across Paris- and Chicago-based teams with onsite client support.
Education
BFA, Interior Design
Syracuse University — College of Visual and Performing Arts (CIDA accredited)Skills
Design & Creative
- Creative Direction
- Concept Design
- Space Planning
- FF&E Design & Procurement
- Material & Finish Palettes
- Staging & Styling
- Photography Creative Direction
- Brand Design
Delivery & Technical
- Technical Drawing Review
- Construction Administration
- Design Documentation
- Mock-up & Prototype Review
- Custom Furniture Design
- Design Standards Development
Leadership & Commercial
- Design Team Leadership
- Consultant RFPs & Hiring
- Contract Negotiation & Review
- Bid Leveling
- Budgets & Proformas
- Brand, Ops & Construction Collaboration
Tools AutoCAD · SketchUp · Photoshop · InDesign · Illustrator · Spexx & Specsources · Microsoft Suite · Google Suite