With spring in full swing, industry players continue to make moves. Read on for Business of Home’s monthly roundup of arrivals and departures in design, manufacturing, media and more.

To the Trade

Robert Schwartz, longtime partner and principal of kitchen showroom St. Charles New York, has stepped away after more than 30 years with the company. That leaves CEO and creative director Karen Williams as sole owner. For those projects led by Schwartz, showroom and client engagement manager Richard Blanchette will assume responsibility.

Martinsville, Virginia–based Hooker Furniture has promoted Erin Stone to vice president of relationship management operations. Since 2014, Stone has worked at Home Meridian International, most recently serving as director of key accounts and hospitality sales operations. In her new role, Stone will work to integrate customer care and service, account and order management, contract and hospitality operations and project management functions.

Modern furniture brand Arper has named Amy Storek as its new CEO of its Americas region. Storek comes to the company with more than 25 years experience in the design and manufacturing industry, having held positions at Vitra and Herman Miller as well as a tenure at the International Interior Design Association as board vice president. As CEO, Storek will oversee all operations within Arper’s North and Latin American markets, leading growth strategy and development.

New York–based recruiting expert The Viscusi Group, which specializes in the furniture and building materials industries, has named Carie Scott Johnson as its new vice president. Johnson brings more than 20 years of senior sales experience to the position, having held posts at Design Within Reach, Création Baumann and Kohler.

Design & Architecture

Global design mogul WATG has named Kajsa Krause as the new creative director of Wimberly Interiors, the firm’s New York–based interior design practice. Krause’s 20-year design career saw her most recently as principal at Champalimaud Design. In the new position, she will work to expand Wimberly’s portfolio, with an emphasis on the residential, luxury, lifestyle and boutique hospitality sectors.

Philadelphia-based firm Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design has announced five staff promotions: former design director Marco Angelucci and executive director and marketing director Katie Guzinski have both been named principals of the firm; and Kaitlyn Murphy, Lauren Sillies and Brian Bendel were promoted to senior designers.

Architecture and design firm Rowland + Broughton has announced two promotions in its Denver studio: project manager Brandon Herbst has been promoted to associate; and 3D artist and designer Brady Fitzgerald has been promoted to senior visual artist. Herbst has spent four years with the firm, demonstrating a deep sense of its connection to the community, while Fitzgerald’s tenure with the studio started in 2019. As associate, Herbst will join the firm’s leadership team, overseeing daily operations; as senior visual artist, Fitzgerald will contribute his technical knowledge to providing architectural visualizations.

San Francisco–based architecture and design firm BAMO has appointed Addy Williams as its first director of operations. For the past eight years, Williams has served as the company’s senior associate, project manager; in the new role, she will oversee and fine-tune the day-to-day operations at BAMO.

BAMO also announced the promotion of Lauren McGuier to residential project manager, along with four new senior associate appointments: Ryan Barr, Amaza Lam, Janet Mercier and Martin Oestlund. For more than two decades, McGuier has been designing with the company, and with the surge in home interest of the past few years will now oversee BAMO’s growing residential team. Barr came to the company from design firm AvroKO, where he served as its managing senior designer; Lam joined in 2002 as a project designer, working her way to associate rank by 2013; Mercier joined in 2000 from Gensler; and Oestlund joined as a project designer in 2004.

New York–based HWKN Architecture has named four new partners: Dorin Baul, Jessica Knobloch-Arscott, Robert May and Olga Snowden. The expanded leadership team will work under HWKN founder Matthias Hollwich, bringing their collaborative spirit to the firm’s strategic operations.

SBLM Architects has announced Ann Chu as its director of the healthcare and wellness studio in its New York office. Chu brings more than 25 years of healthcare experience to the position, most recently having worked as the senior project manager at Victor Famulari Architect. As director, Chu will lead the healthcare project design at the studio.

Washington, D.C.–based architecture, design and strategy firm CRTKL has named Helia Taheri as research strategist and Amy Keller Frye as research manager. Taheri comes to the position with eight years of experience in architecture firms and research centers, while Frye joins with 15 years of research, strategy and evidence-based design experience. Their appointments add to CRTKL’s growing research division, which supports the firm’s mission of data-driven design.

Architecture, design and strategy firm Nelson Worldwide has announced Loren Nelson as its new vice president, market leader and national leader of multifamily sales. He will work to establish the firm’s multifamily and residential market presence both on the West Coast and nationally, with a focus on multifamily housing, affordable housing, student housing, market-rate housing and senior living. His experience has seen him across industries, from banking and real estate to architecture and manufacturing—he most recently served as the vice president of construction coatings manufacturer AVM Industries.

Media & PR

Deputy editor of ArchitecturalDigest.com Allie Weiss has succeeded David Kaufman as U.S. digital director of Architectural Digest, where she will oversee digital initiatives at the brand. Weiss joined AD in 2019 as a deputy editor at AD Pro and brings more than 10 years of editorial experience to the role. Kaufman, named digital director in 2020, has now joined the features department at New York Post.

Jane Held has left her post of account executive at Ruby Press PR after more than two years promoting lifestyle brands at the boutique agency. She is now working as a public relations specialist at Bubble, a skincare line.

Retail & Manufacturing

Upmarket furniture and home decor retailer Perigold has named Nancy Mernit Soriano as its new head of editorial. Soriano brings more than 20 years of editorial and publishing experience to the position, most recently having served as West Elm’s editorial director.

Family-owned and -operated mattress brand Nest Bedding has promoted Christian Alexander to be its new president and CEO. He succeeds his father, Joe Alexander, who has led the company since its founding in 2012. In the new position, Christian will extend Nest Bedding’s mission, with a continued focus on company culture and sustainability.

Industry Organizations

The International Market Centers has named Jojo Feld as the new head of growth and engagement for Shoppe Object. Feld comes to the position with a strong background in e-commerce, having most recently served a seven-year tenure at Food52, where she oversaw its forecasting and buying, merchandising, fulfillment and logistics teams. In the new position, Feld, reporting to IMC vice president and Shoppe Object show director Jesse James, will use marketing to drive expansion and market share for the semiannual trade show.

The Triennale di Milano has announced a new board of directors: Stefano Boeri, Elena Vasco, Giulietta Bergamaschi, Stefano Bordone, Regina De Albertis, Alda De Rose, Sara Goldschmied, Claudio Luti and Roberto Maroni. Their four-year term will be overseen by Boeri, who was unanimously reappointed as president of the foundation, supported by Vasco, who will serve as vice president.

Homepage image: Caroline Selfers