Reggi Nichols Founder and President, waldrop+nichols studio
Andrea Waldrop Vice President, waldrop+nichols studio
Reggi Nichols
40 years in the industry RID, IIDA
Hospitality design was a logical career path for Reggi Nichols. With her father working as a general and regional manager of high-end hotels throughout Kansas City, Missouri, when she was young, she essentially grew up in grand hospitality environments, experiencing them firsthand. As the founder and president of waldrop+nichols studio, her leadership has been the constant behind the firm’s 35-year success and her 40-year career. New Zealander Andrea Waldrop, who has spent years living and working abroad, brings global experience to her role as vice president of the firm, where for two decades she has earned a reputation for being an accomplished registered interior designer. Scripting a design story line—what the two women term “spatial mythology”—is essential to the success of the waldrop+nichols studio’s luxury hotel projects. “The narrative remains the constant, giving authenticity and continuity throughout the entire process,” Nichols says. Details are also key. “The success of hospitality interiors is often based on the appeal to a broad spectrum of genders, cultures, and lifestyles,” adds Waldrop. “This naturally opens the profession up to inclusive diversification.” Witness the firm’s Omni Louisville Hotel in Kentucky. The 612-key project pairs the charm of the city with the graciousness of the Omni brand through the use of contrasting luxury materials: light and dark millwork, mixed metals, limestone and polished leather, rock crystal and iron trusses. Copper and amber hues add warmth to the rich depth of charred wood. Much like Louisville itself, the design showcases a refined urban industrialism.
honors
IHMRS Annual Gold Key Award Finalist Andrea Waldrop
20 years in the industry RID, IIDA breakthrough project
PROJECT TEAM DONA BIANCHI, CLIFF MAILLET, DANIELLE CROSS KEY CONSULTANTS IWORKS, COURISTAN, LOCAL LANGUAGE, AFM, DUNBAR-CULLUM PHOTOGRAPHY RACHEL KAY/APPLEBOX IMAGING
waldropnichols.com
Gaylord Palms Resort, 2002
Clockwise from bottom portrait: Andrea Waldrop. Reggi Nichols. Marble flooring runs through the elegant lobby of Kentucky’s Omni Louisville Hotel by waldrop+nichols studio. The spa is sybaritic and calming. Snapshots of historic Louisville facades, maps, and curated original works of art line a lobby corridor. The entrance to Pin + Proof, the hotel’s speakeasy bar and bowling alley.
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INTERIOR DESIGN