The Art of Making Spaces Beloved - Alexa d'Argence- Defining Hospitality

Dan Ryan sat down with Alexa d'Argence, senior interior designer at Ken Fulk Inc., to explore what it really means to design spaces people fall in love with. Alexa pulls back the curtain on her work at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco and the Beverly Hills Hotel, sharing how a strong concept and cinematic vision guide every decision from the big picture down to the smallest detail. The conversation gets reflective too, touching on why slowing down is sometimes the only way forward, and what it means to truly love the work you do. About the Guest:  Alexa d'Argence is a Senior Interior Designer at Ken Fulk Inc. in San Francisco. With a background rooted in hospitality and residential design, she has worked on projects ranging from The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa to the Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill, recently featured in Architectural Digest, and is currently deep in the renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel. A graduate of Cornell and a lifelong lover of hotels, she approaches every project as an act of care, craft, and storytelling. Chapters: 00:42 Meet Alexa d’Argence 01:45 Sketching Under Pressure 04:02 What Hospitality Means 05:03 Hotels and Childhood Memories 05:59 From Marin to Hospitality Design 07:51 Storytelling and the Movie Mind 13:23 Designing for the Guest 17:22 History Beloved and Future Dreams 28:19 Sketching Together Works 29:08 Hidden Beauty Onsite 32:05 Details Beyond The Spread 33:15 Beloved Places And Memories 34:54 Renovations And Responsibility 36:10 Sustainability Sponsor Break 36:37 Tools Sketches And Renderings 39:40 Puzzling As Design Mindset 44:19 Mentorship Scent And Farewell Quote of the Show: "It's a calling, a vocation for me. So there's a lot of love that goes into it. This is a job where you are working long hours, and if you don't love it, you're gonna burn out." - Alexa d'Argence Links: - Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub\_confirmation=1 - Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ - Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexadargence/ - Guests Website: https://darmethod.com/ - Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ 🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/  Ways to Tune In:  - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s - Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 - Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/