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Pamela Hughes: What’s Next?
By Lalaena Gonzalez-Figueroa
Photography by Giovanni Lunardi
On Balancing Work and Style
“When I am designing a five-star hotel it is more like stage-set design. It is all about drama and atmosphere.”
“When we are designing for a homeowner, we must be very personal with them about how they live, what they want and what their dreams are.”
[2]She is known around the world as the founder and principal of an exceptional design group, a savvy businesswoman and a talented artist. Pamela Hughes exudes poise and polish, but her reality runs deeper than a professional facade. Even at a young age she distinguished herself as someone special, a creative and independent spirit who was driven by an innate desire for excellence in her endeavors.
Pamela grew up surrounded by the very elements that would inspire her professional success. Her mother was trained as a fashion designer whose family was an artistic bunch that includes painters, ceramists, jewelry designers and decorators. Her father was an executive in the aviation industry whose successful career took him –and his family- across the country in a series of business-related moves.
She began to shine at an early age. Pamela recalls sewing at the tender age of three, working alongside her mother as she learned about textiles and built an understanding of how to put pieces together. “I started to sew clothes for my dolls, then for myself,” she recalls, laughing, “I still consider myself to be a frustrated fashionista!” While a career as a fashion designer wasn’t her ultimate destination, Pamela did utilize her fashion sense, carriage and good looks as a young model in Washington D.C. throughout her college years.
[3]Creating an artistic oasis in her home, Pamela is surrounded by her favorite things: photography, art, books and ceramics.
“I was fascinated with anything that had to do with art and design,” reveals Pamela. As an Applied Design major at the University of Maryland, she pursued her interests by studying subjects such as art history, furniture design, illustration and fabric design, as well as interior design. She also delved into interior architecture through graduate school courses.
She envisioned herself working as a fashion designer, tapping into her own modeling experience, as well as her skills in sewing and apparel creation. But one day, in a serendipitous moment, everything changed. “I walked into an interior design studio completely by chance,” Pamela recalls. “I will never forget that moment; I was completely overwhelmed by the feeling that this was where I belonged.” The opportunity to combine her talents in drawing, drafting and color, paired with her intimate knowledge of textiles and her creative nature, was like manna from Heaven. She launched a career with an interior design firm and learned the business from the ground-up. She went on to build her own thriving company, Hughes Design Associates, which maintains offices in Sarasota, FL, McLean, VA and New York, NY.
[4]Conceptualizing a modern space with her talented design team at Muleh in Washington, DC.
Pamela has built a brand that is synonymous with elegance and style, and her business reflects the elements that have contributed to her success. Her close-knit family continues to act as a foundation upon which her life and career have been built, and her international travels have opened her mind to a wealth of cultural and artistic resources. “I come from a family that loves life,” she explains. “I have always been inspired to live mine to its fullest, and to enjoy every moment.”
In her professional and personal endeavors, Pamela gleans inspiration from the world around her. “I see new things everywhere,” she offers. “I have been fortunate to avoid creative impasses; I’m always bursting with ideas.” Moving frequently throughout her childhood taught her not only to adapt, but to discover the good in every situation. Creatively, Pamela craves the opportunity to explore new locales, to eke out unique beauty and style.
She has always been this way. As a teenager, mature for her years, Pamela convinced her parents to let her travel to Europe accompanied only by a friend. “I was sixteen and had long been interested in architecture,” she recalls. “I had this amazing desire to look at historical buildings.” And for three months, that’s exactly what she did. A mother herself, Pamela admits that she is not as liberal in her parenting. But the freedom to move, to explore and discover a world beyond her own, fulfilled an innate need in her younger self. The milestone trip to Europe has been one of the defining moments of her life.
[5]Visiting with Marston Luce at his shop in Georgetown, DC, enjoying his extraordinary collection of 18th through 20th century French and Swedish antique pieces.
Her work with a broad spectrum of clients has Pamela in the company of luxury homeowners around the world as well as high-end builders and developers of commercial and residential projects. Since being called upon to handle the design of local projects including The Ritz-Carlton, The Members’ Beach Club, The Tower Residences, Plaza at Five Points and the clubhouse at The Concession Golf Club, she and her firm have become a sought-after group among Sarasota and Manatee County residents, who appreciate the classical elements that comprise the Hughes Design style. While the firm doesn’t impose a signature look to its projects, there is a common thread woven throughout the fabric of its impressive portfolio: a sense of quality that evades definition, but remains nonetheless present in every space created by Pamela and her team of designers.
[6]Keith Christopher at the Hodgell Gallery on Palm Avenue shows Pamela the latest acquisitions of cutting edge wall art and sophisticated art glass.
Pamela’s touch is particularly evident in her firm’s residential projects: she understands that a home needs to be a haven. The residences she designs, she explains, must reflect the lifestyles of her clientele. “I love to make other people happy,” she explains. “It’s true- home is where the heart is. By creating a space that serves as a retreat for families, a place that is beautiful and comfortable and inspiring, I am contributing to the well-being of my clients and their loved ones. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
While she has been inspired by visionaries including Winston Churchill, Coco Chanel and Sarasota’s own Michael Saunders, Pamela reveals that her own vision is what influences her work. “I do believe it is a gift,” she acknowledges. “I walk into a room and can instantly see how the character of a space will influence its design.”
[7]The frame can be almost as important as the art. Here, Pamela and Bill Hartman select moldings for antique prints from the collection at his gallery on Palm Avenue.
Like Hubert de Givenchy, Pamela attributes her creative talents as true gifts, which she utilizes to their fullest. Her professional life, filled with exciting travel and work, is tempered by downtime spent in her adopted hometown of Sarasota. Pamela is an avid cook who enjoys the delights of Italian and French cuisine. She remains fascinated by history, which she absorbs through books, documentary films and visits to galleries and museums. And sometimes she simply sits and enjoys Sarasota’s glorious beaches, shining sun, fresh gulf air and cerulean blue sky overhead.
Pamela Hughes
Hughes Design Associates
Pamela.Hughes@hughesdes.com [8]
www.hughesdes.com [9]
Sarasota, FL (941) 922.4767
Washington, DC (703) 442.3200
New York, NY (646) 308.1302
[10]Pamela’s creativity is not limited to designing beautiful spaces. Her culinary skills have been honed by years of cooking for family and friends.
Copyright © 2011 REAL Magazine
Links to this article are encouraged
Photography used under license from Giovanni Lunardi Photography [11]
Photography Copyright © 2011 Giovanni Lunardi
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