NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
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Design is largely experiential for Lorena Gaxiola, who says interiors are about moving people with emotion and not just clever ideas.
“I am inspired by people’s connectivity between space and function,” Gaxiola said.
Gaxiola, founder and principal of architecture and interior design studio Lorena Gaxiola, is a Mexican-born, American-made, and now Australian-based designer who has completed hundreds of projects during the past two decades.
She has designed for some of the United State's top Fortune 500 giants, including KBHome, Khovnanian, Ryland Homes, Barratt American, Colrich Group, Distinctive Homes, Zephyr Partners, Continental Homes, and Pulte Homes.
Gaxiola creates experiential spaces drawing on her experience from working on a broad range of properties. This encompasses high-end luxury developments, private residential to commercial spaces for mixed-use projects. It also includes affordable American housing to sell-out six-star resort-style communities—and everything in between.
Gaxiola says she is proudly involved in every job she undertakes.
“I am what I do, and what I do best is design,” she said.
“Clients don’t hire my overhead they hire me, and I pride myself on providing my clients with unique designs every single time. At LG no two projects can be alike.”
Internationally recognised, Gaxiola comes from a family of builders and architects and has designed for property developers for more than 20 years in the United States where she established her design practice 21 years ago. Her work also spans markets such as Mexico, China and now Australia.
“Our design style is to add form and function to our client’s vision. We are strategic and we focus on always targeting specific audiences all whilst delivering a product that is on-time and on-budget,” she said.
Demonstrating place-based inspired interior design, Lorena Gaxiola's Australian projects include Parramatta's chic $400-million skyscraper, The Lennox; a luxury beachfront building in Cronulla Beach, Wavelength; and the $200-plus million luxury retirement living resort, Bowral by Waterbrook.
These projects showcase Gaxiola’s ability to design on various styles and for specific demographics ensuring connectivity between the end-user and the built product.
Described as Lorena Gaxiola's biggest Australian achievement to date, Bowral is a high-end six-star retirement village and resort located in the pristine Southern Highlands of New South Wales.
The meticulously designed project sold out within nine months.
Backed by boutique developer Waterbrook, an owner and operator of Retirement Lifestyle Resorts, Lorena Gaxiola was appointed to lead all interior design of the $200-plus million development.
“I am so proud of this project because it is a perfect example of my company’s abilities. Here is an American designer with Mexican heritage designing in the Australian countryside. My designs are never about me and all about the end-user.”
The six-star resort comprises 135 residences set on the former site of the Lady of the Sacred Heart School, set across 17 hectares.
The project is anticipated to be completed next year, and firmly targets the Southern Highlands affluent market with prices starting at $1.2, ranging up to $2.4 million.
Awarded as the “best international residential project” at the PCBC Gold Nugget Awards in San Francisco, Lorena Gaxiola was at the interior design helm of this $400-million large scale mixed-use development, The Lennox.
Considered the “Academy Awards” of the global building industry, PCBC's Gold Nugget Awards recognise and honour the top innovators in design, planning and development each year.
Aoyuan International’s landmark project includes 431 residences across 39 levels and approximately 5500sq m of retail and mixed-use space on Parramatta's riverfront.
Helping the nearly 1000 planned residents connect with the commanding building and become part of Parramatta’s exciting growth, the tower's chic design pays homage to the past, present and future of the booming river city.
“We focused on merging the architecture and the interior public areas to ensure seamless integration between the external and interior design,” Gaxiola said.
“The interior schemes in the apartments have textures that are easy to combine with any décor style to help residents add their own personality into their home, let it be traditional or modern, green or blue. They can make it work!
Gaxiola's interior design firm was appointed to the luxurious $180-million residential development, Wavelength, by Iridium Developments.
The project delivers 64-plus luxury beachfront apartments of one, two and three-bedrooms as well as four customised two-storey penthouses.
Gaxiola said the high-end property incorporates coastal living and luxurious spaces, located steps away from South Cronulla Beach.
“Owners enjoy top-of-the-line luxuries from private rooftops decks with modern horizon-edge pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean to European styled fittings and high-end finishes,” she said.
“The combination of light muted colour scheme and Turkish marble finishes enhance the contrast between traditional materials and modern architecture,” she said.
Offering a deep understanding of the end-user needs, Gaxiola's strength was identifying how buyers would adjust from their current family dynamic, all while departing from a home into an apartment setting.
“The interiors had to accommodate comfortable furniture that were well suited for entertaining big and small groups, capture the essence of the beachfront landscape and enjoy the comforts of modern amenities,” Gaxiola said.
“My biggest differentiation is not just providing a pretty picture that looks great, but a picture that transports people into that digital space and to see themselves living there.”
To find out how Lorena Gaxiola can revolutionise your next development project, click here.
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