PRINCIPAL INTERIOR DESIGNER/ FOUNDER
Ginger Lunt, IIDA, ASID
“All art forms, from photography to architecture and fashion, are strongly interconnected and provide endless inspiration for interior design,” says Ginger. Growing up on Oahu, with a musician/realtor father and photographer mother, nurtured her creativity and love for Hawai`i’s natural landscape, architectural history and blend of cultures.
Ginger believes that the quality of the environments people spend time in are essential to their physical and mental well-being. With projects of any size, she shows that both creativity as well as strong management and organizational skills are essential to making design projects successful.
Prior to starting her own firm in early 2018, Ginger worked at Philpotts Interiors for nine years where she was honored to be mentored by inspirational designers and develop her own voice and aesthetic. During her time there, she was a part of award-winning residential and hospitality design projects.
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER
Amy Vicente, LEED BD+C
“The harmonious balance between context, material, history, and functionality of space creates a timeless design that resonates with the client and is unique onto itself” is how Amy describes the design process.
Growing up in an eclectic blended family of Moroccan-Spanish descent inspired Amy’s love for culture and travel from a very young age. She nurtured her creative passion for design through her experience and work abroad, as well as in the US. The study of lifestyle and culture, the respect for artisanal craft, and the understanding of a need for local and sustainable material usage further forged her design aesthetic.
Amy’s hospitality work experience background has gifted her with the ability to understand the technical side of projects, the need for collaborative and cohesive design across all trades, a conscious approach to budgets and schedules, and the organization and communication skills to execute a successful project.
PRINCIPAL INTERIOR DESIGNER
Tiare Dreher, IIDA
From a young age, Tiare explored her creativity through many forms including visual arts, dance and fashion. Her passion was nurtured by her family’s native Hawaiian heritage and she was continuously inspired by Hawai’i’s verdant landscape. After attending college for interior architecture in Oregon, she came back to Hawai’i to contribute to the design community.
Over the last 16 years, Tiare has been involved in a variety of design roles that had her working on a broad range of projects from luxury residential development and hospitality to commercial and high end residential homes. Prior to joining Tantalus Studio, Tiare was the Senior Director of Design for Ward Village, at the Howard Hughes Corporation, where she managed the interior design process for multiple luxury residential towers and collaborated with world-renowned interior designers. When she is not designing, Tiare loves to cook and host dinner parties at her Kailua home for family and friends with her husband and 3 young children. She also enjoys yoga, going to the beach and discovering new coffee shops.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER
Christian Hastings
Christian has fulfilled his passion for creativity through different outlets, from visual arts to music, and eventually finding himself in architecture school, fueled by an excitement to create inspirational spaces and design for the betterment of communities.
He obtained a Master's degree in Architecture from the New School of Architecture & Design and has spent over a decade working in the field in Hawaii and California. He has worked on a variety of project types; from historic, institutional, commercial, but mainly in the high-end residential niche.
After 5 years at an award-winning residential architecture office in the Santa Barbara area, he returned home to Oahu and decided to make a change from architecture to interiors. He began working on a variety of hospitality projects, then focused back on residential with an opportunity to work at Philpotts Interiors for 2+ years. He continues to be inspired by architecture that provides a sense of place and encourages one to notice and interact with their environment.
PROJECT DESIGNER
Jodie Emerson
Growing up in Hawaii, Jodie always loved art as a child. She would spend her time drawing and enjoyed taking art classes.
Unsure about a career in arts, Jodie ended up getting her Bachelor of Science in Accounting. In 2002, she moved to San Francisco with plans to get her Masters in Tax. During her time living in San Francisco, she found herself drawn back to the arts, specifically in interior design.
She visited showcase homes and design shows for fun. Jodie stopped taking tax classes and started taking interior design classes. She received her Certificate in Interior Design and Interior Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. She worked for several high-end residential interior design firms in San Francisco and Honolulu, including Philpotts Interiors.
Jodie’s experience as a CPA combined with 10 years working in interior design firms allows her to handle both the creative and technical aspects of interior design.
SENIOR DESIGNER
Laura L. Teachworth
“There are a multitude of factors involved in interior design, but it all boils down to people and how they interact in a space. This is the essence of good design, and good design has the power to elevate the human spirit and set the tone for a life well lived,” believes Laura. She strives to achieve this through a holistic approach to timeless design, employing simplicity, quality materials and a balanced sense of space.
Having been raised by a builder (and architecture junkie) father and aesthete mother, she developed a keen awareness of the spaces she occupied at an early age. She continues to be inspired and energized by the design process and loves to puzzle over floor plans and mood boards, just as she did at age 10. Working globally across a broad range of project types and scales, Laura has refined her aesthetic and developed a knack for streamlining her approach to complex challenges at each phase of the design process. She credits her knowledge and acumen to the many talented designers she’s been fortunate to train with over her 10+ year career in interior design and architecture.
PROJECT MANAGER
Brianne Engelhardt
After working as a buyer for years in the fashion industry, Brianne realized her passion for Interior Design. “I find the marriage of the two to be incredibly inspiring. Staying ahead of trends, pushing the envelope and helping clients to realize their personal style is immensely rewarding,” says Brianne. Working under Ginger at Philpotts Interiors taught her the importance of client communication and organization from conception to completion. Brianne has worked on numerous published residential projects in Palm Beach, Florida and beyond. She draws inspiration from her travels and deep connection with nature.