Designers And Manufacturers On The Move: November 2026 Edition

Interior Design‘s latest On the Move includes must-know industry promotions and hires, like new principals at Workshop/APD and a key acquisition in the acoustics space. Read on to see who’s climbing the ranks in design.

Architecture and Design Industry Promotions and Hires

Kingspan Acoustics

Kingspan Acoustics has acquired Unika Vaev, the Connecticut-based designer and supplier of decorative acoustic solutions for commercial interiors. Founded in 1975 as a source of design-led contract textiles, Unika Vaev has built its reputation since 2013 on acoustic products chosen as much for appearance as performance, sold through a national network of independent sales representatives. The acquisition extends Kingspan Acoustics, whose brands include Denmark’s Troldtekt, into the North American specification market. Unika Vaev will continue operating under president Wick Wolfe and its existing leadership team.

Workshop/APD

Workshop/APD has named J. Tyler Marshall, Michael Luft-Weissberg, and Stephan Thimme principals at the New York architecture and design firm. Marshall, one of the firm’s earliest employees, has spent more than two decades on complex residences, including Central Park apartments, a 1920s waterfront Tudor estate in Greenwich, and an 1800s miner’s cottage in Aspen. Luft-Weissberg, who joined in 2015, leads the mentorship program and guides ground-up homes, renovations, and boutique hospitality through demanding regulatory processes. Thimme, formerly a managing director and senior associate, oversees documentation, digital modeling, and AI-driven workflows.

Corgan

Corgan has relocated its Orlando studio to The Exchange on Orange, the downtown tower formerly known as SunTrust Center. The 20,000-square-foot office, designed in-house for 45 employees, takes its color palette from Florida’s citrus groves. It includes a model shop with 3D printing and fabrication, a materials library, a work café, and a large lobby. The studio supports the firm’s aviation, data center, workplace, and education work across the Southeast, including renovations at Orlando International Airport and the School of Arts and Entertainment at Cherokee for Orange County Public Schools.

LMN

LMN has elevated AP Amrhein to director of urban design and welcomed Fiona Booth as director of interior design at the Seattle firm. Amrhein, with 15 years in city infrastructure and planning, led the strategic development of LMN’s Urban Systems Lab. Her credits include the Seattle Convention Center Campus Master Plan and the SR-520 Montlake Lid and Land Bridge, and she served as vice chair of the Seattle Design Commission. Booth, a licensed architect and interior designer with nearly two decades of experience, brings higher education and workplace work for Washington State University, Microsoft, and the Novartis Institutes, and will contribute to business development.

PCF Architects

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners has become PCF Architects, the fourth chapter in a New York firm established as I. M. Pei & Associates in 1955, and named four new partners from within its ranks: Christopher Jend, Min Lee, Hitoshi Maehara, and Matteo Milani. Jend leads adaptive reuse work, including the repositioning of 1271 Avenue of the Americas, the former Time & Life Building. Lee’s credits include Daniel Tsai Hall at Georgetown and Fordham School of Law. Maehara was I. M. Pei’s project architect for over 20 years, on the Miho Museum and Mudam Luxembourg. Milani worked with Henry Cobb on the International African American Museum in Charleston.

Marmol Radziner

Marmol Radziner, the Los Angeles-based architect-led design/build firm, has promoted two longtime leaders. Jason Davis is now chief operating officer, overseeing design and construction services, administrative support, and core business performance while guiding growth into new markets. He joined in 2003 and moved through construction, prefabrication, and architecture, including the restoration of John Lautner’s Garcia Residence, before leading the San Francisco studio. Aista Sobouti, who joined in 2015 and has led landscape design and project management for the firm’s coast-to-coast clients, became landscape studio director in April, overseeing design direction, staffing, client relationships, new business, and mentorship.

Ted Moudis Associates

Ted Moudis Associates has opened a Boca Raton office, its first in South Florida, to serve clients across Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. The New York-based workplace architecture and interior design firm, founded in 1990, previously worked in the region without a local base and also has an office in Chicago. Jennifer Adams, associate and studio design principal, leads the new studio after recently returning to the firm. Adams has extensive South Florida experience and established relationships in the market, and she has led complex workplace projects across industries.

Henricksen

Brenda Lemmer has joined Henricksen, the national contract furniture and architectural solutions dealer, as senior business development manager, A&D. She will deepen the company’s relationships across the Twin Cities architecture and design community. Lemmer began her career in HGA’s corporate interiors practice, then spent 17 years at Knoll, leading Midwest A&D market development before representing KnollStudio. In 2020 she founded COLLECTION, a Minneapolis representation firm for architectural walls, workplace furniture, and textiles. She created Knoll’s nationally recognized designer mentorship program and served seven years on the IIDA Northland Chapter board.

Huntsman Architectural Group

Huntsman Architectural Group has promoted three professionals across its San Francisco and New York offices. Greg Dumont, an architect who joined in 2005, becomes senior associate. He has worked for Pixar, Kaiser Permanente, and YouTube, and specializes in entertainment and production environments such as recording studios, theaters, and screening rooms. Meaghan Regnart, a certified interior designer who joined in 2014, becomes associate. She brings workplace and building repositioning expertise for clients including BXP and DivcoWest. Julia Rubert, who joined the New York office in 2022, also becomes associate. She supports commercial office, repositioning, and retail banking projects from visioning through construction administration for Uber, Flagstar Bank, and Shorenstein, and was named to Interior Design’s 2025 30 Under 30 New York class.

Susanne Fox has joined the firm as senior interior designer in its New York office, supporting projects nationally across the firm’s San Francisco, Chicago, and New York locations. She strengthens the firm’s expertise in amenity-driven workplaces and building repositioning, and brings residential and hospitality sensibilities to larger commercial projects. Fox previously worked at major design firms, owned her eponymous design studio for nine years, and taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Principal Sandra Tripp credits her with anticipating challenges and keeping a client’s larger project goals in focus.

SOM

SOM has appointed six new principals across its Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. studios. Jason Fisher leads a Chicago studio working on civic and mixed-use projects, including the Lincoln Yards masterplan and Alibaba’s Shanghai headquarters. Mina Hasman, based in London, becomes the firm’s first global head of climate strategy. She launched its Whole Life Carbon Consulting service and was named to TIME’s 2023 climate leaders list. Jorge Rovira co-leads the Advanced Manufacturing practice, including Rivian’s Illinois and Georgia plants. Environmental engineer Marzia Sedino brings passive-design expertise to projects such as the New York Climate Exchange. Phil Wessell, in Washington, co-leads rail transportation and has worked on BWI Airport and Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Tahmores Zandi, in Los Angeles, leads technical design on UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley student housing.

The Architectural Team

Vesta Home

Summit Furniture

Kelly Gates has joined Summit Furniture, the Monterey, California luxury teak outdoor furniture brand and part of Landscape Forms, as vice president of sales. She will lead the sales organization, advance market strategy, and deepen engagement with the design and hospitality communities. She will also support its network of showrooms, representatives, and partners. Gates brings more than 20 years of leadership across luxury retail, wholesale, hospitality, and private label channels. Most recently she was vice president of business development at Perennials & David Sutherland, where she drove revenue growth through customer development and market expansion. Earlier roles include Omni Hotels & Resorts, Louis Vuitton, Stacy Hyde, and Neiman Marcus.

Architectural League of New York

Marianela D’Aprile has been named program director of The Architectural League of New York. She succeeds Anne Rieselbach, who moved into an advisory role. D’Aprile will supervise the program team and run the League’s series, including Current Work, Emerging Voices, the League Prize, and members-only programs, working with executive director Jacob R. Moore. She was previously deputy editor at the New York Review of Architecture, where she helped turn a hand-folded pamphlet into a leading critical voice. She has also written for The Nation, The Architectural Review, and the Avery Review, and served as a contributing editor to BOMB Magazine. She holds a bachelor of architecture from the University of Tennessee and a master’s in architecture history and theory from UC Berkeley.

IA Interior Architects

Kendi Sparks has been named managing director of IA’s Austin studio, succeeding Stephanie Long, who is retiring from the design industry. Sparks has spent nearly a decade at the firm and has been a leader both locally and firmwide, contributing to the studio’s growth. She plans to deepen existing client relationships and create new opportunities for the team and project portfolio.