Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), the global leader in hospitality interior design, has named James Lee as Principal at HBA Los Angeles. Lee brings an international reputation for creativity and a portfolio of experience designing luxury projects on five continents to his new role.
A celebrated interior architect and interior designer, Lee’s design philosophy is rooted in a holistic approach based on the human experience. His “dress down to dress up” mindset and keen eye to the subtle but detailed elements, while maintaining a sense of the bigger picture, guide Lee in marrying architecture with interiors to bring exceptional design concepts to life.
“We pride ourselves on hiring talent with ingenuity, leadership potential and the inherent ability to perceive a client’s vision,” said Kathleen Dauber, partner, HBA Los Angeles. “James has a demonstrated understanding of how to institute threads of inspiration into a cohesive expression resulting in a design narrative with authenticity that exceeds client expectations.”
As a Principal at HBA Los Angeles, Lee is responsible for each stage of a project’s design process-from conceptualising the design intent and creating a comprehensive design solution that adheres to the client’s and operator’s criteria to taking into account a project’s location, history and cultural context-while working closely with the project team to ensure a project’s integrity and direction remain intact.
His extensive project history spans urban and lifestyle hotels; resorts; residential; restaurants, bars and clubs; and retail across the United States, the United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, Singapore, India, Morocco, Italy, and more. Lee has designed projects for major hospitality brands and operators including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Park Hyatt, sbe, Hilton, and Marriott International.
Lee is an honoree of Boutique Design’s Boutique 18 class of 2017, which recognizes the most noteworthy on-the-rise designers in the hospitality industry, and winner of Interior Design’s HiP Awards at NeoCon in 2014. He has also served on the 2019 IIDA/HD Expo Product Design Awards Jury.
