Today on the podcast, we explore the fascinating world of hospitality design. Joining us is the incredibly talented Samantha Eades, a commercial interior designer renowned for her exceptional work in creating captivating hotel and restaurant spaces. We learn all about combining art and functionality to create beautiful spaces, and how design can be utilised to craft immersive experiences. 

Samantha is the co-founder of Mitchell and Eades, an interior architecture and design company with offices in Melbourne, Brisbane and Dubai. Samantha's journey into the world of design was driven by her passion for food and travel, a perfect foundation for crafting extraordinary hotel and restaurant spaces all around the world. 

In our conversation, we talk about the theatrical nature of design in the hotel space, where multi-sensory spaces demand attention to detail in every aspect, from aesthetics and music, to food and service. While it’s tempting as designers to prioritise style, we discuss the sensibilities associated with commercial design that should always be considered, such as durability and functionality. 

Samantha talks about the importance of bringing deep empathy to a client in order to bring their concept to life. We discuss the role of the designer being less about their personal style and all about creating an environment that tells a story. It was amazing to hear Samantha talk about approaching each project with a sense of humility - even as a maestro in her field!

One of the keys to successful design in hospitality is crafting a compelling narrative for the space. Samantha explains how she often starts by delving into the historical, physical and social aspects of the location to help inform the space’s story. While it may be easier to develop a narrative for heritage buildings, new builds require a more creative exploration. 

We talk about the change in the hotel and restaurant spaces, where we see them evolve from being just functional spaces to encompassing a complete experience. Samantha shares her personal quest to create immersive, holistic experiences in hotel spaces and talks about creating a flow between the different offerings: from where guests sleep, to where they eat, to where they play.

For Samantha, designing spaces that create wonderful memories for people is the ultimate pleasure. Her insights on blending style with functionality and the power of empathy in design bring a new and fascinating perspective on commercial interior design.

For those in our DevelopHers Inner Circle, this conversation is extended and we find out all about Samantha’s joint ventures, partnerships and more. 

So tune in and enjoy some wonderful insights on creating not only beautiful commercial spaces, but meaningful, holistic experiences for humans.

 

LINKS:

 

DevelopHers Inner Circle

 

Connect with Samantha

 

• Website: www.mitchelleades.com  
• LinkedIn: Samantha Eades

 

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