Meet Vincent Celano | Founder of Celano Design Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vincent Celano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vincent, what do you attribute your success to?
A few things. As far as my success, I wake up every morning thinking about how I can lift people up. In the case of our staff, its important as a leader to offer complete support and ensure everyone feels as if they are part of something that matters. That’s my job! We shouldn’t just like our job we should love our job and the place we go to every day.. just like a relationships or our own home! Think about that for a moment. Also, as a design studio we are not style-driven at all, We like to explore, discover and tell a great story – sometimes it’s a reference to the past sometimes it’s a leap into the future, but regardless it’s a production we embrace and enjoy. As far as the brand, we like to emphasis that our studio is multi-faceted when it comes to design architecture, interior design, lighting design – and we actually just launched ‘AgenCe’ a division of Celano Design Studio that focuses on graphics, branding and marketing. Last thing.. diversifying! When it comes to relationships, not only are projects different – but the clients are as well. It’s important to build commonality, which leads into trust and ultimately a great project outcome. Client diversity, whether it comes from past experience in hospitality like a restaurant, hotel or night club translates to how we communicate and bring that energy forward in developing and bringing these various experiences to life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think how anyone is set apart from others is an organic process through life experiences. What I’m most proud of is being reminded where I came from, what I have done, and where I am today. I would say working hard, staying humble, and dreaming helped me get to the place I am today. Growing up in Brooklyn, I would go to our building roof top and marvel at the city skyline. This inspired me to explore, love architecture and art, and eventually make my way to NYC at a young age where the culture and people paved my way to who I am and what I do today. As far as lessons along the way, I think the biggest would be to always look forward. It’s like driving a car, if you look in the rearview too often you will not be focused on the road ahead. Always learn and do better but focus on the future and the road ahead! My brand or story would be to never judge a book by its cover. Take the time to connect and read the story and get to know people. My passion for what I do is multi layered; it includes connecting with people and embracing relationship making as an integral part of the design process. I guess I’m really just an author for others, one with a particular style influenced by my life experiences and passions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ll start with some background, Miami to me is a hub of excitement, growth, and vitality. Exploring new, up and coming neighborhoods and experiencing the early evolution with the known pioneers is epic! Exploring the neighborhoods, the architecture, culture and people would be first. Some great places include Little Havana, Coconut Grove, Upper East side (great modern architecture), Little Haiti, Midtown (which was once rail yards), Wynwood, and finally the re-immerging Miami Beach Historic District. There are so many great stories to be found within the walls of these historic building going back to Al Capone’s days on the beach! After a taste of the neighborhoods, an afternoon cocktails at any of the great ocean front hotels is in order (Edition, W Hotel, 1 Hotel, The Standard to name a few). Relax at one of the amazing bars with a view of the ocean and people watch into the sunset. There are so many great options for dinner, but we would start at my buddy Chef Jeremy Ford’s Stubborn Seed. The restaurant is super creative, has a great vibe, is in a great neighborhood, and features a real food experience! For alfresco I’d say Glass & Vine in the Grove, which is currently in the process of reinventing itself, but I think it will be the cool hip area once its finished. Lastly, I’d suggest the Regatta Harbour, coming soon, where we designed four great restaurant venues. For late night cocktails and shenanigans, I would have said the Electric pickle 10 years ago, but now I would say Ama, Bar Bevy, Blind Barber, or Shh… Miami. They all have a well curated vibe and guarantee a fun night, but less a chance you’ll need bail money like the Electric Pickle days! Also, once the high energy club scene is back, I’d say LIV would be a stopover as I was part of the original concept when it first opened in 2008. The theater and energy of the original design was and is like no other!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This would be a very long list. I think it’s important to recognize the relationships and people around us that keep us going and provide the support we need. However, while the support, mentorship, love, and encouragement from close friends and family is important, ultimately we as individuals are the only ones who can define that path forward. If I had to dedicate my shoutout to someone, I would say great teachers, specifically my art and architecture teachers. As an educator or mentor, if you care and are passionate about what you do then you will be successful at your craft, but most importantly, you will be a positive influence for others. There is no better reward than that. As a business owner and leader, this is something that is important to me today. As far as a book, I would say “Towards a New Architecture” (Vers une architecture) by Le Corbusier due to my love for modern architecture. The collection of essays advocates for and explores the concept of modern architecture without dismissing the past styles, which I love as well. It mostly makes you think about the future and act on change in a positive way, which is important as we constantly see this in the design world today. I’ll also add that my family deserves a little credit and recognition in my story. When I was growing up, I thought having immigrant parents was a devastating challenge, but it actually turned out to be the greatest learning experience ever! A strong work ethic was ingrained in me from a young age; my grandmother, who was widowed at a very young aged and passed at close to 100 years old, was always around us and was the most unassumingly strong person I knew! Strength and perseverance were things I saw in her and learned from her.

Website: http://www.celanodesignstudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celanodesignstudio/?hl=en

Image Credits
Brendan McGibney for the headshot