COMMERCIAL + RESIDENTIAL
INTERIOrS
interior design + project manager
Fresh out of high school, where he studied drafting and design for 2 years, Sean lucked out by getting to work on one of his mentor’s projects.
The refurbishment of a historical but much-neglected one-of-a-kind home, the Hiss Studio. The home was designed in 1952 by Tim Siebert for Paul Rudolph, one of the founders of the famed Sarasota School of Architecture.
That lit a fire that has continued burning to this very day.
Kanega
In '92 Sean returned to open his first venue, Kanega, with partner Lou Salvatori. He designed and helped build the multi-hyphenated space that functioned as a bar, coffeehouse, live music venue, cafe, art gallery and deejay club. The long space with high ceilings had a very light feeling. The walls were intentionally preserved with cracked and exposed plaster – the floors were polished raw concrete. With the decision to use a custom-surfaced cinder block for the bar (fabricated metal bartop) and a pony wall in the back, Sean opted to incorporate 16" masonry measurements into custom fabricated stools and chandeliers. Furniture was a constantly evolving collection of vintage items ranging from the ‘30s to the ‘70s. There was also amazing art hung throughout that would change every 6-8 weeks with art openings to celebrate. Kanega won "Best of" by Sarasota Magazine and Sarasota Herald.
Temporary Spaces
In the mid-2000s, as co-owner with Johnny Houston, Sean would again reprise his role of designer and builder. This time it would be for a series of three spaces where they would occupy for 1 to 1.5 years each and most elements would carry over to each location. Sean opted for a late 1800s French/Italian interior design influence. A combination of teal paint, burgundy fabrics, dark wood, ornate furnishings and baroque chandeliers. With the move to each site over the 4-year span, there was a familiarity and freshness at each new locale. LA WEEKLY for their annual "Best of" issue created a new category to award Temporary Spaces... "Fresh Fete."
CLIFTON’S
Originally opening in 1935, this behemoth of a bygone era is five stories and 25,000 square feet with a giant cafeteria and six bars all intertwined in a magical forest-like Netherland. Clifford E. Clinton conceived this historic undertaking which was later the inspiration for his friend Walt Disney to do Disneyland. Bought in 2010 by developer Andrew Meieran, he had spent years of restoration and design on this project. It was already open and mostly completed when Sean came on board, as both Creative Director and Brand Ambassador. He helped bring a couple of the unfinished rooms to completion, reimagining another one, and helping keep up with the ever-evolving details of various other rooms. This included full changes to spaces for special events. Andrew's unyielding commitment to the vision and his willingness to keep investing and experimenting made this a project unlike any other. There is truly nowhere quite like Clifton's, a true "Cabinet of Curiosities.”
Willis Show bar
Originally opening in the '40s and then closing in the late '70s, Willis Show Bar sat empty for nearly 40 years. By the time Sean and his partners got the space, it had been completely gutted. All that was left were four cinder block walls, a raw beat-up concrete floor, and a battered art-modern cove ceiling. After weeks of trying to find images from when it was open, a single shot of the whole bar was found. From this one image and the remaining detailed ceiling, they resurrected the room to its old glory. Deciding to focus on the 50s/60s feel for the design, Sean dug through old paint color sheets from that era to find the right tones. He decided upon a sunburst tile floor carried through the whole space, including the bathrooms, where the colors changed to two-tone blue for men and two-tone red/pink for women. Everything else was made up of teak wood, brass and charcoal marble. For the final touches, there were a series of island-themed paintings commissioned by a local artist, tropical floral arrangements and a giant reinterpretation of the original Willis Show Bar mural on the outside wall. They won "Best of" by the Metro Times, Hour Detroit Magazine and were featured by dozens of print and tv outlets.
