Here’s to a peaceful end to 2023 and inspiring start to 2024!
4 Inspiration Boards
Our 2022 Wrap-Up
Reflecting on the year 2022, I am so very grateful to work with artists and design creatives. I love that our work involves transforming spaces, like the corridor at Mabra Law firm where Atlanta artist Peter Ferrari painted a vision of beauty and a bold statement for Justice.
I’m in awe of how we transform materials, like how local artist Taylor Means did with Novelis, where he repurposed used aluminum cans into a gorgeous Atlanta Hawks logo for State Farm Arena.
And I adore working with the ever-talented Sarah Davis, who makes accessories fit intentionally into spaces, and designs the most fabulous custom art pieces, such as the artwork she made for The Interlock in the west side of Atlanta, giving life and modernity to historic local photographs.
2022 HIGHLIGHTS
We went international!
Completed artwork for 2 new Reverb Hotels in Hamburg, Germany and Phuket, Thailand
Created a custom artwork package with Avella Design for the Curacao Courtyard Marriott
Completed our first-ever retirement community art package for the beautifully designed The Cardinal at North Hills in Raleigh, NC with THW Design.
Collaborated with C+TC Design to create a beautiful art package in a Sarasota hotel, part of the new boutique hotel line Voco, from IHG.
Created and installed our first art package for a fire station in Sandy Springs, GA.
Completed two innovative projects with the Atlanta Hawks
Art’d up 100 basketballs for a sculptural commission commemorating State Farm’s 100th Anniversary
Built a 10’ diameter sculpture of the Hawks Logo out of recycled aluminum cans
Created Custom Commissions...
A custom Jeremy Brown for The Interlock, a multi-use complex in the booming west side of Atlanta.
Added to the already impressive art collection of the Mabra Law Firm in Blandtown, including a custom Justice mural by Peter Ferrari and rubber wall sculptures by Gregor Turk.
A colossal bicycle wheel wall sculpture built by Jesse Spade for George Mason University’s off-campus housing complex The Flats in Fairfax, VA, in conjunction with Niles Bolton.
Several pieces custom created for residential clients, from artists such as Atlanta artist Janice Rago and Charleston artist Kerry Steele.
Accolades to Our Clients…
Bacán Restaurant at the Lake Nona Wave Hotel received Michelin Guide recognition.
Larson Nichols was named one of NEWH Atlanta’s top interior design firms for 2023.
Mabra Law Firm received an Award of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission/Department of City Planning. The award honors their achievement in new construction, historic preservation, public art, and landscape design for their offices in the Blandtown neighborhood of Atlanta..
And other exciting things...
Artist Interviews with Jermaine Clark, Michelle Armas, Kyle “Black Cat Tips” Brooks, and Janice Rago
3 Case Studies giving insight into our process on past projects
3 Inspiration Boards
Wishing you all the renewed energy + excitement a new year can bring...
Amy Parry Projects
Please note: we will be closed for our holiday recharge from
December 23rd through January 2nd
Closing out a very busy 2021...
With many entire hotel projects completed this year, I was reminded time and again the value of collaboration. We are constantly learning from each other within our APP team, from the talented interior designers who bring us on and the artists that create the work; but we also learn from the lighting designers, marketing managers, engineers, contractors, chefs, general managers and hotel owners.
Collaboration with creatives inspires and pushes us to experiment with new ideas and materials. Working with construction partners reminds us our potential for inventiveness within practical boundaries. Meeting with the managers and staff affirms that the art we place will be celebrated.
I am thankful for the varied and inventive collaboration with so many driven and talented people in our daily lives. Here’s to ending 2021 filled to the brim with accomplishments and invigorated for what the new year brings!
2021 HIGHLIGHTS
We completed several art packages for new-build Hotel Projects across three states...
The Memphian - an "eccentric" Tribute Portfolio in Memphis featuring vintage imagery in neon frames.
The Wylie Hotel - a storied building with beautiful, unique touches designed by Pixel Design Co.
The Bellyard Hotel - which won Best Midscale in the 2021 Boutique Design Gold Key Awards.
The WAVE Hotel Lake Nona - a massive, spectacular project with our friends at Blue Lantern Studio including 300+ pieces of art and accessories.
Created tons of Custom Commissions...
We kept Lacey Longino busy with two large murals (Bellyard + Aviary Summerhill) and her first large-scale textile piece (Camperdown, Greenville, SC)
Numerous commissions with Caroline Bullock resulting in a Case Study on her large-scale piece for Boca West Country Club.
The great scope of The WAVE Hotel allowed us to engage artists from all over the country including: Laura Fayer Kevin Chambers, Amy Rader, Amy Genser, Melissa Borrell, Sarah Gee Miller, Alex Proba and Janice Rago.
Saw great acknowledgements for two past bar/restaurant projects...
Society in DC's Hamilton Hotel included on Travel + Leisure's List "The 21 Coolest Hotel Bars in the World."
LylaLila included on the New York Times 2021 Restaurant List.
Had a couple of firsts...
Elegant renovation projects for two distinct Country Clubs. Excited to enter this market with the great designers who serve them - Larson Nichols + ai3.
Completed a super fun package for Encore at Georgia Tech, our first stand-alone co-working space.
Beginning work on our first entire-hotel art package in Europe - a first for the Reverb by Hardrock brand in Hamburg, Germany.
And other exciting things...
Announcement of another forthcoming Reverb in Kalamazoo, MI - a historic
preservation project turning the iconic Gibson Manufacturing Site into another state-of-the-art, music-centric hotel.
A large-scale custom wallcovering for the new Atlanta HQ for Variant.
The Atlanta Hawks went to the playoffs for the first time in 4 years and Derek Bruno returned to activate a central hallway in the Arena with a large-scale mural.
Artist Interviews with Koketit, Mike Black, Sarah Gee Miller and Erika Lee Sears
An increased focus on curated packages of accessories!
5 Inspiration Boards
One final note...
After seven years as Art Consultant and Director of Art Resources, Lisa Thrower will be moving on from her role with APP. Over the years, her unique vision has contributed to the variety within our projects and social media.
Please join us in wishing her our best in her new endeavors…
Wishing you all the renewed energy + excitement a new year can bring...
Amy Parry Projects
Please note: we will be closed for our holiday recharge from
December 24th through January 3rd
Case Study #3 | Sonya Yong James for Lyla Lila
Our third Case Study gives a little more detail about the custom indigo spoon installation that APP commissioned last year for Atlanta restaurant Lyla Lila. Created by local artist Sonya Yong James, this piece perfectly complements the passion of Chef Craig Richards and the interior design by Smith Hanes Studio.
It all started with a bit of synergy - the kind that only occurs during a great studio visit.
Please flip through the Case Study below, or review our initial overview of the project here.
Currently Inspired By...
Happy 2020 from Amy Parry Projects!
Hope your year has started beautifully! We are feeling very inspired by the transition into a brand new decade. Please enjoy this latest selection of new, eye-catching art; our first Inspiration Board of the year.
Lots more to come!
Sonya Yong James | Lyla Lila (ATL)
Christmas came early for Atlanta foodies when Chef Craig Richards’ newest concept, Lyla Lila opened to the public on December 6th. The midtown restaurant is the result of many months of exploration into Richard’s passions - Southern European (leaning Italian) cuisine, experimental jazz and an interest in creating a comfortable, approachable dining experience.
When Chef approached Amy Parry Projects to consult on a statement piece for the Restaurant’s main dining room, everyone was initially imagining a textile piece - in the interest of southern charm; one that spoke to the passing down of craft. Naturally, Atlanta artist Sonya Yong James came to mind. A studio visit was scheduled between Chef and Sonya (recently represented by Whitespace Gallery) and a delightful shift in direction happened en studio.
Hanging from a pot rack in Sonya’s space within the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center was a large, old wooden spoon that she used in her hand-dyed textile work. Richards saw the spoon and was struck by it’s natural beauty. As Sonya and Chef connected over music and other “ties that bind,” the spoon became the story. Sonya embarked on creating a textile hanging work from a collection of indigo dyed spoons.
A custom armature was made, spoons (new and old) were gathered, Sonya switched studios (and was awarded the prestigious Artadia Award on the heels of three back to back exhibitions) and the piece was installed as the Restaurant prepared for it’s first round of guests - friends and family of Chef and his Lyla Lila business partner Billy Streck.
Sonya’s spoons are a beautiful complement to the Restaurant’s beautiful, eclectic interior which was designed by Atlanta’s Smith Hanes Studio. If you are in Atlanta, please make a point to enjoy both the food and design of this new, great space.
Recent article from Atlanta Magazine here.
Via Sophia + Society Now Open in DC featuring APP Art Program →
A Fiola Mare Alum Opens a Fancy New |All-Day Osteria Downtown
Via Sophia and a hidden cocktail bar will debut in the Hamilton Hotel
by Tierney Plumb
Jun 11, 2019, 1:24pm EDT
Photos by Rey Lopez/Eater DC
The Hamilton Hotel is ready to unveil the final pieces of its multi-million dollar renovation downtown at the corner of 14th and K Streets NW. An Italian restaurant specializing in Neapolitan pizza and a glamorous, postage stamp-sized bar serving cocktails and caviar are both scheduled to open tomorrow.
Following a full lobby transformation and guest room refresh, the historic 318-room hotel is replacing its outdated 14K restaurant with an all-day osteria called Via Sophia. A dark, library-themed bar called Society is hidden off the lobby.
The anticipated two-part venture is helmed by an all-star hospitality cast that includes Via Sophia executive chef Colin Clark, who’s amassed an impressive East Coast resume by working under several James Beard Award Winners (Marc Vetri, Jeff Michaud, and Fabio Trabocchi). He was also part of Le Diplomate’s opening team in 2013. Most most recently, Clark was chef de cuisine at Trabocchi’s Georgetown Harbor darling, Fiola Mare.
Via Sophia (1001 14th Stree NW) will open with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s also an weekday happy hour for apertivos and a late-night pizza menu. Weekend brunch will join the mix later this summer.
In Clark’s new post, he hopes to breathe new life into the same block as The Washington Post’s headquarters overlooking tree-lined Franklin Square.
“We are going for upscale — this is 14th and K and we are trying to make it a dining destination,” Clark tells Eater.
Since wood-fired Neapolitan pizza is Via Sophia’s star attraction, the staff went the extra mile to elevate their pie-making skills. Clark and sous chef Cameron Willis trained under master pizzaiola Roberto Caporuscio, owner of New York City’s Keste Pizza & Vino and Don Antonio (named “#1 Pizza in New York” by New York Magazine).
Five seasonal pizzas at Via Sophia include a classic Margherita — with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil — and Fra Diavlo (salame picante, fresno chiles, red onion, buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes).
Even the staff floating around will be dressed to the nines. Ashley Blazer Biden, Joe Biden’s daughter, designed the hotel’s new stylish black-and-white uniforms in collaboration with Livelihood.
Atlanta-based Art Consulting Firm, Amy Parry Projects, helped curate a custom art collection that weaves old and new elements across Via Sophia. Think nostalgic antique metal pizza peels juxtaposed with modern photography and abstract art pieces.
Clark’s most recent cooking stint at seafood-focused Fiola Mare is evident across its underwater section of dishes. A grilled Norwegian salmon features a traditional Spanish romesco sauce, alongside charred broccolini, pine nuts, and black garlic dressing. A minimalist presentation of black bass, accented with baby squash, asparagus tips, morels, and a golden beet border, lets the fish shine.
Southern Italian-inspired dishes include bruschetta built on a house-baked semolina loaf; tagliata di manzo (sliced steak) with charred spring onion, confit cherry tomatoes, balsamic reduction, arugula, and barolo jus; and monkfish ossobuco, with sauce livornese, clams, olives, capers, fennel, and potatoes.
“This is very in line with my background — the whole idea is a balance between rustic and modern,” Clark says. “We knock the rustic element out of the park — it was a decision early on to make bread, pizza, and pasta in house.”
Chicken al mattone (crispy artichokes, guanciale, peppers, maitake mushrooms, chicken jus) is “as old school rustic as it gets” he adds.
Carb-driven entrees include ravioli finochietta, with asparagus tips, fava beans, morels, and fresh parmigiana. Pappardelle comes with rabbit ragu, ramps, pecorino and Castelvetrano olives.
Antipasto orders include caponata-toasted eggplant with San Marzano tomatoes, golden raisins and pine nuts. Meat and cheese boards feature prosciutto di parma aged 24 months.
Wines and spirits hailing from Italy largely make up the drinks section, with some 120 wine bottles available. Local makers from D.C. and Virginia also contribute to the craft beer and spirits selection.
Society, inspired by Prohibition-era secret societies and private clubs from the art deco period, features just 14 seats. Fancy bar snacks include caviar with panna cotta, nuts, and Sicilian olives. Zack Faruki, an alum of Michelin-starred Fiola, is leading a mixology program.
Wines by the glass start at $20, and big spenders can also peruse from a rare collection of reds with a few bottles dancing near the $700 mark.
Society is an ode to renowned French-born architect Jules-Henrí de Sibour, who originally designed the hotel in 1922. The Prohibition-era architect was a member of Yale’s Skull and Bones Society. Framed hand drawings and photos taken from his time at Yale line the walls.
Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 p.m. to midnight; and Thursday through Saturday until 1 a.m.
Currently Inspired By...
When we discover new artists or get blown away by new work from some of our old favorites, we do our best to share the work and hopefully pass on the inspired feeling. It is a very exciting time to work in hospitality design and we have enough ideas for any kind of project.
Here's to the beauty of endless possibilities!
Please let us know how we can contribute custom art to what you're working on this summer.
Lyla Lila Announcement - Art Consulting by AP Projects
Lyla Lila will bring house-made
pasta to
Midtown this fall
The restaurant from Craig Richards and Billy Streck is set to open in lilli Midtown later this year
By Carly Cooper - May 30, 2019
A rendering of Lyla Lila | Courtesy of Smith Hanes Studio
Last year, Craig Richards left his position as vice president of culinary for Ford Fry Restaurants and executive chef at St. Cecilia and joined forces with restaurateur Billy Streck (Hampton & Hudson, Nina & Rafi, Cypress Street Pint & Plate). The duo soon discovered they had more in common than a love of food: their daughters share a name. So it only made sense to express that connection through the name of their new restaurant, Lyla Lila. (Richards’s daughter is Lyla; Streck’s daughter’s middle name is Lila.)
“We had 30 names on the table, but this makes it a lot more personal to us,” Richards says. “The restaurant is an expression of us.”
Located in the lilli Midtown building at the corner of 3rd and Peachtree streets, the food at Lyla Lila is inspired by the cuisines of southern Italy and Spain. It will include house-made pasta and wood-fired meats and seafood, along with Old World wines and seasonal cocktails.
Pasta options will include smoked squash and ricotta caramelle with spiced pumpkin seeds and sumac; and tomato leaf pappardelle with pork and beef cheek ragu and charred peppers. There will be two risottos on the menu, along with entrees such as a pork porterhouse with eggplant and oysters; and a whole-roasted fishtail with smoked onions and lemon butter, served with an anchovy and arugula salad. Sides include a salt-roasted sweet potato with fermented chili butter, while appetizers will include lamb croquettes with fennel pollen aioli and a wood-grilled lettuce salad with rye croutons, wild oregano, and yogurt dressing.
The beverage program will focus on seasonal cocktails and Old World wines, along with both local and European-style beers in bottles, cans, and a few drafts.
“This food lends itself really well to sparkling wines, so we’ll have an expanded sparking wine program,” Richards says. “We want the beverage side and the kitchen to be a reflection of each other.”
When Lyla Lila opens in early fall, it will serve dinner seven days a week. Weekend brunch will follow, along with weekday lunch. Smith Hanes Studio is designing the 4,000-square-foot space.
“In developing the concept, we pulled out some old vinyl—Miles Davis, Duran Duran, old Madonna—and got inspiration that way,” Streck says. “You might see some vinyl playing on a turntable. We’re definitely encouraging an after-dinner crowd.”
Expect a wooden floor with tiles that merge into the horseshoe bar area. There’s an area with cafe tables and banquettes for cocktails, a dining room, and a 25-seat private room. The Peachtree Street-facing patio is designed for people-watching, while a second patio in the cocktail area features a fireplace as a throwback to Cypress Street’s sizable firepit.
“We want the patio to be a beacon if you’re coming from either side of town,” Richards says.
And if all goes according to plan, Richards says, Lyla Lila will have the energy and vibrancy of his daughter, who is “extremely excited” about having a restaurant named after her.
Currently Inspired By...
More and more we are honoring requests to show art options with greater depth and texture. For this last Inspiration Board of the year, we would like to share a “few of our favorite (dimensional) things.”
There is so much to love about three-dimensional art; how it can punctuate a space and accentuate the overall design. Please click through these options in wood, glass, metal, fiber, porcelain and even just thickly applied paint.
Currently Inspired By...
We could not be more excited to usher in the next season of 2018. Please enjoy this Spring Inspiration Board, chock-full of bright and playful works of art.
The Wonderful Work of Eileen Braun
A couple of weeks ago we had an amazing studio visit with mixed media sculptor Eileen Braun and were fascinated by her transition in materials - from ceramics to rattan - in the creation of her extraordinary, otherworldly vessels.
We are sharing here, her description of the work and a glimpse at what she has been working on.
"In 2016, I put my clay work on hold and sought a new media less demanding of material constraints. After a lot of experimentation, I found it in encaustic wax and rattan weed. As I make the work, the forms grow increasingly more complex. Their sizes range from 3 - 7 feet high and the deep shadows (not easily shown in images), provide a completely different personal experience. The work is deceivingly light, weighing in at a mere 2- 6 pounds.
My art mirrors natural forms with a biomorphic edge. Often the exact life cycle stage one is viewing is too complex to pin down. Is it focused on seed, mature growth, or the desiccation of this system? I leave that up to the viewer.
Movement, texture and complexity of form are integral to the work as well. My hope is that the viewer will be drawn in by the shape. While approaching, they will be intrigued by the ever-changing views because one can see both through and around the form simultaneously. The texture, shadow and line created by the materials add to the multidimensional cornucopia of delights.
Process: The sculptures are constructed from rattan reed, encaustic wax, cotton string, and glue. In some instances I have added dress-makers pattern tissue - influenced by my research of Japanese Akari lamps. The rattan reed is left natural or occasionally pre-stained; soaked, manipulated and secured at all junctions with cotton string. Additional elements to the sculpture are constructed or texturized with encaustic wax. The exoskeletons in many instances have been en-robed in wax, giving them the appearance of metalwork."
Enjoy the work and imagine the possibilities - tabletop installations, wall-hangings, ceiling installations...
Just exquisite!
custom | hand-embellished | murals
Please admire the gorgeous mural that was selected for the oval wall above The Dining Room of Chef Linton Hopkins' new ATL Steakhouse, C. Ellet's. The imagery is in reference to the landscape surrounding the Mississippi River where the restaurant's namesake, Charles Ellets Jr. served as an impressive US Army Corps Engineer/Colonel during the Civil War building canals and bridges, managing water flow and planning future river navigation for the US Military.
The 9 x 84 foot mural is mysterious and ethereal, hand-embellished with metallic paints by Seattle-based artist, Maeve Harris.
Learn more about ATL's newest Steakhouse here in a recent article by Eater Atlanta.
And just wait until you see the additional 70 foot mural in the stunning C. Ellet's Club Room!
C. Ellet's was Designed by Square Feet Studio with Art Consulting by Amy Parry Projects