Starbucks Coffee Company: Project Re-Ignite, Lakewood, CA

As Senior Interior Designer in partnership with Orange22 Design Lab LLC, I contributed to Starbucks’ Project Re-Ignite in Lakewood, CA. Selected as part of one of five national design teams, I joined a collaborative session in Seattle with then-Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz, helping to reimagine Starbucks locations with deeper local and cultural connections.

This site, a repurposed former McDonald’s drive-through, was elevated through the use of locally relevant and sustainably sourced materials. Key design features included living wall panels and steel cacti sculptures made from rust-patina Corten steel, surrounded by succulents, drought-tolerant grasses, and regionally sourced rock, gravel, and colored glass. We also introduced "Did You Know?" signage—environmental and community-based messages—bringing a sense of place and engagement to the drive-through experience. Illustrations by James Feser.