{"id":246735,"date":"2024-12-18T11:26:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T16:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_news&p=246735"},"modified":"2024-12-18T11:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T16:26:39","slug":"jeffrey-beers-2024-hall-of-fame-tribute","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/jeffrey-beers-2024-hall-of-fame-tribute\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeffrey Beers: 2024 Hall of Fame Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Cove at Atlantis, Paradise Island, the Bahamas, JBI\u2019s first major resort hotel project, 2007. Photography by Peter Paige.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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December 18, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Jen Renzi<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey Beers: 2024 Hall of Fame Tribute<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Way before \u201cexperiential\u201d became a hospitality-design buzzword, Jeffrey Beers was pioneering spaces that embodied the concept. The New York architect, who passed away from cancer earlier this year, masterminded sensorially forward, holistic environments that were stages for interaction, transporting patrons straight to the zeitgeist. Over his four decades as a hospitality leader, Beers left an indelible imprint on commercial design, influencing the look, feel, flow, and vibe of restaurants, entertainment venues, resorts, to luxury residential developments from Greece to Dubai, Mexico and Singapore\u2014a legacy Jeffrey Beers International<\/a> (JBI) is continuing under a leadership team of loyal colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integral to Beers\u2019s success was his intuitive understanding of client and crowd. He had an authentic connection to his audience as a bon vivant, globe-trotter, and born-and-bred New Yorker attuned to the cultural pulse. Growing up, his parents, both entrepreneurs\u2014mom was in the travel biz, dad was in advertising\u2014introduced him to the city\u2019s restaurant scene, and extensive family travel gave him a first- hand feel for hospitality from a young age. Design was also in his DNA: His grandfather was a chief architect of the Wrigley Building in Chicago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The namesake founder of Jeffrey Beers International, who passed away in March at age 67. Photography by Melanie Dunea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Jeffrey Beers Expanded His Auspicious Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beers began his career auspiciously. At the suggestion of his Rhode Island School of Design mentor, glass artist Dale Chihuly, Beers applied for and won a Fulbright scholarship that took him to Rio de Janeiro, where he worked for Oscar Niemeyer for two years, imbibing the emotional, sculptural nature of Brazilian modernism. Subsequent time at the office of I.M. Pei taught Beers the power of detail, the importance of diplomacy, and the equal weight that should be given to form and feeling. After eight years with Pei, he struck out on his own, making a splash with JBI\u2019s inaugural project, in 1985: Bar Lui, its 180-foot bar\u2014billed the city\u2019s longest\u2014celebrating the space\u2019s long-and-narrow proportions and setting the tone for a portfolio that would make social connection the design focal point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JBI quickly expanded with high-profile Manhattan venues like China Grill and Fiamma that demonstrated Beers\u2019s keen awareness of atmosphere. His spaces had a theatrical precision that delighted guests while fulfilling the operator\u2019s needs\u2014choreographing movement from bar to table, planning sightlines and light levels, and designing for seamless service. This talent resonated with top culinary talents; over the years, Beers collaborated with celebrity chefs Masaharu Morimoto, Gordon Ramsay, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and especially Daniel Boulud, with whom he created five restaurants across the globe, beginning with DB Brasserie at the Wynn Las Vegas, in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Glass sconces, among the 35 Jeffrey Beers handcrafted for Bar Lui in New York\u2019s SoHo neighborhood. Photography by Nelson Bakerman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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JBI\u2019s inaugural project, 1985. Photography by Nelson Bakerman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Exploring A Long-Lasting Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though Beers was synonymous with NYC nightlife in the early years, he was also one of the first big-name designers to put a more refined stamp on Sin City as it was morphing in the late \u201990\u2019s into a haute culinary destination. With venues like Rum Jungle, Tabu Ultra Lounge, and Japonais, he nailed the sybaritic flourishes that such a context required but he also brought nuance and polish to the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His emotive approach translated well to hotels, too. Beers\u2019s first major top-to-bottom resort was the Cove at Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, in 2007, and he was also given the honor and responsibility of upgrading such storied destinations as Gloria Palace in Rio de Janeiro and The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. JBI has teamed with top brands including Fairmount, Four Seasons, Hard Rock, and Omni, creating transporting environs rounded in modernism that fused the magic and joie de vivre of the travel experience with more practical needs of guests and operators. In the last decade or so, as residential developers increasingly borrowed from the hotel playbook, Beers\u2019s expertise extended naturally into that genre, evident in his concepts for iconic residential projects like One West End and One Fifty Seven in New York and Alyx at Echelon Seaport and Ritz-Carlton Residences in Boston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Glass, a medium Beers first explored at RISD with Chihuly, remained a passion throughout his life and a centerpiece of many projects and products. He could often be found experimenting at the crucibles at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, where he was a devoted board member. Beers loved how the medium\u2019s fluidity and dynamism \u201ccontrasted the rigor and discipline of architecture\u201d and marveled at the material\u2019s unique ability \u201cto bring about emotion,\u201d he said at a 2016 lecture at St. Francis College. That viewpoint perhaps summarizes his ethos and design approach, which gave equal credence to control and freedom. He had an exceedingly holistic approach to space that celebrated the multidisciplinary nature of his chosen discipline. \u201cThe world of architecture can be so much more than just putting a building together; it can embody so many of the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Beers blowing glass at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, New York, where he also served as board member. Photography by Michael George.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Beers\u2019s influence went beyond the built environment. He was a mentor, guide, inspirer, friend, and cheerleader, renowned for giving you his full attention, making you feel you were the only person in the room. He treated everyone the same, from the plumber on the job site to celebrity clients like Jay-Z, for whom he designed the 40\/40 Club and Roc Nation headquarters, both in New York. As a leader, he was known for fostering a collaborative, creative spirit within his studio. He often said he looked for \u201cgood dance partners\u201d in his team, bringing together people who both shared his enthusiasm and invested their personal passions. Among them are partners Nora Liu-Kanter, Michael Pandolfi, and Tim Rooney, longtime colleagues who now guide the firm alongside COO Julia Choi, CFO Jeffrey Ashey, and the older of his two sons, Justin, a former real-estate exec\u2014a team Beers handpicked when succession planning. Such continuity ensures that Beers\u2019s ethos\u2014creating spaces that connect people and connect with <\/em>people\u2014remains at the heart of his firm\u2019s award-winning work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take A Look At Jeffrey Beers’ Hospitality Designs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Cove at Atlantis, Paradise Island, the Bahamas, JBI\u2019s first major resort hotel project, 2007. Photography by Peter Paige.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The lobby of Alyx at Echelon Seaport in Boston, 2021. Photography by Eric Laignel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Conferencing space at the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel, 2016. Photography by Eric Laignel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DB Bistro Moderne at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, JBI\u2019s first project in southeast Asia, 2010. Photography by Kelly Campbell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Tabu Ultra Lounge nightclub in Las Vegas, 2003. Photo\u00adgraphy by Eric Laignel. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Aura nightclub, Paradise Island, the Bahamas, 2007. Photography by Peter Paige.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Discover Jeffrey Beers’s Residential + Product Designs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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108 Leonard, a National Associa\u00adtion of Home Builders Nationals Award\u2013winning luxury condo\u00adminium building in New York. Photography by Evan Joseph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The dining room of a residence in metropolitan New York, 2024. Photography by Eric Laignel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Roc Nation head\u00ad quarters in New York, 2020, winner of an NYCxDesign Award, an OPAL Award, and a World Design Award. Photography by Eric Laignel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Bossa Terra limestone pavers for tile and stone company AKDO, launching spring 2025. Photography by Peter Flage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ajiro Burst of Happiness wallcovering in hand\u00ad-inlaid paulownia veneer in Wine O\u2019Clock color\u00adways for Maya Romanoff, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ajiro Burst of Happiness wallcovering in hand-\u00adinlaid paulownia veneer in Strong as Steel colorways for Maya Romanoff, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n