When upscale Asian steakhouse Haii Keii opened in the Upper Kirby District earlier this year, guests uttered fawned over its interior design before even sampling its luscious food and drinks.
Those interiors are the work of hospitality visionary Gin Braverman, founder of Gin Design Group and the October honoree of the Houston Design District’s Leaders In Design program.
While her firm has done some residential work, her name is attached to some of the city’s most exciting hospitality destinations, including David Cordua’s The Lymbar, ChopnBlok, Makiin and Jun. All of these restaurants – many award winning -- have been noted for their innovative interiors as well as their delicious food.
“It sounds so basic, but ‘immersive design’ considers all of the senses,” said Gin, who lived in New York’s Catskills before her family moved to Houston. “You dial in to what your client is trying to bring to the world, and then translate that through as many mediums as possible. It’s consideration for all of the sensory components.”
Gin studied history at the University of Texas, then moved back to New York where she worked as an off-camera designer for an HGTV show. For a year and a half she lived in Taiwan, a place that influenced her style.
“I always wanted to work in design,” she said. “It was a journey, and I couldn’t ignore that it was what I needed to do, and it developed into a career and a passion.”
Current projects include 5570, a 30,000-square-foot private wine club based in Dallas that’s expanding to Houston, and Kirkwood, a restaurant being launched in the Energy Corridor by businessman Mac Haik.
“I always wanted to work in design. It was a journey, and I couldn’t ignore that it was what I needed to do, and it developed into a career and a passion.”