By: Doris Hager, Principal and founder of Hager Design International Inc.
Whenever I mention our design firm is located in Vancouver and that I live in Vancouver, the response is ‘I love Vancouver, it’s such a beautiful city.’ I’m always proud to call Vancouver home and our headquarters.
Vancouver is part of the great Pacific Northwest, as is Seattle, where West Coast Style first appeared in the 1930s. Originating in Japan, this West Coast organic style combines natural elements and man-made components, incorporating the natural environment into the designs of buildings. Designers who trained across Canada, America, and exclusively the West Coast merged styles introducing what is now known as West Coast Style or West Coast Modernism.
Our melting pot of cultures and countries that reside in Vancouver create a collage of influences that penetrate art, design, and culture evidenced in our own office through the countries represented such as Germany, Mexico, Philippines, Austria, Iran, China, and First Nations. This vast mix of cultures brings an open and eclectic feel to all our design projects no matter where the location. These various cultural influences shape our design firm to be adaptable in designing hotels and restaurants around the world.
Vancouver’s modern and contemporary art scene inspires our designers, and we bring that with us into creative projects. Combining modern and contemporary styles is a design trend proven to stay into the next decade. Vancouver is known for its public art installations where commissioned artists collaborate with designers. In 2019, a $4.8M spinning chandelier by Canadian Artist Rodney Graham was installed under Vancouver’s Granville Bridge by a local property developer.
We are surrounded by mountains and the ocean, both balanced by modern high rises and vibrant neighborhoods, showcasing trendy restaurants frequently visited by movie stars and celebrities. A healthy balance of outdoor activities mixed with glamour and culture creates a diverse palette for inspiring designs.
We are familiar with diverse and contrasting scenery mixed with culture and casualness that exude elegance, that’s why it’s so easy for our designers to adapt to any city, anywhere. Our firm can design a trailer park in Colorado, a fishing lodge in Northern BC, or a 4-star hotel in Saskatchewan and 2-star Surfer motel in Southern California.
Our acceptance that inanimate objects and ideas throughout the world influence us as people, our culture, and our designs, makes designing throughout North America easy for our team.
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Doris Hager is the founder of Hager Design International Inc., an international interior design firm with hospitality projects throughout North America. Doris can be reached at info@hagerinc.com