What a ride it has been!

 

I am California-born, raised and educated.  After a great start to my Career working with the incomparable Steve Jones of SFJones Architects in the Los Angeles Area - where most our focus lay in Restaurants - I had no clue where this life would take me.  I am absolutely grateful to all the people from our tight-knit office to the extensive client list we developed, all teaching me and forever supporting to build up my skills.

 

Through a fortuitous East African Coffee Shop and Restaurant Project, I found my way over to Nairobi, Kenya.  There I developed many new hospitality and restaurant brands/concepts at Planning Interiors, Ltd.  The people I was lucky enough to work with challenged me to be my best, most efficient self and designer.  Almost as equally fulfilling was transferring some of my skills to colleagues and students in our office as well as at a local University, not to mention how I have been one (of many) to help push East Africa's ever-growing development to the next level. 

 

I next became the Group Brand and Design Development Manager for The Tamarind Group (still in Nairobi) as they revamped a new generation of hospitality offerings.  It was a chance to actually work from the Brand outward to the design - inspirational!

 

Then life swerves and the important things come true. I met my wonderful Scottish husband, we moved to Scotland and had our two little girls.  I am now focused on making my mark here in the U.K.  The importance of creating my best, working hard and efficiently holds more weight than it ever has before - as I am now showing these little humans the excitement of letting your light shine and being just as strong and capable as all us women can be.

 

 

- Alexandra McKay