The memorable experiences of dining out are built on not only the quality of service and food being served but a thoughtfully executed design.
Among the nation’s leading restaurant and retail designers is Christian P. Árkay-Leliever, Founder and Design Director of Connecticut-based Arkay-Leliever, LLC. Christian has curated restaurants and spaces including Camacho Garage, Dockside Brewery, BE Chocolat, Bar Yoshi, and Henry C. Reid & Son Jewelers. He is currently working on some exciting projects. One is Ristorante MV in Bernardsville, NJ, which is only weeks away from opening.
artwork by Bree Árkay-Leliever)
The Toronto, Canada native thoughtfully brings innovation, function, and craft into every product and space he creates. Christian’s attention to detail and appreciation, and immersion into design and cultures throughout the world make his signature brand truly stand out. While COVID-19 has inhibited customers from appreciating the interior design of a restaurant’s space or even a retail environment, Christian has continued to transform spaces to be more sensitive to COVID-compliances. By generating more open-space environments that help owners make guests more comfortable Christian has helped to optimize operator profits.
Christian’s latest designs factor in the growing trend for take-out, pick-up, and delivery services. His design at Dockside Brewery in Milford, CT, offers guests easy access to a host of curbside services. “Management oversight and programming remain key to making such efforts possible as well as fluid. The Dockside team was incredible. The customers showed their appreciation time and time again for the Dockside solution,” said Árkay-Leliever.
Christian’s passion for design was sparked by the cultural impact and influences he was exposed to while growing up and throughout his college years. Through the European family grounding and travels, he was impacted by the emotional connections to the people, places, cuisine, art and architecture, which translated into who he is and how he approaches each and every project. Growing up, Christian’s father owned his own business. It was another outlet for Christian to explore his creativity. At a subsidiary to his father’s company there was a print shop where Christian worked with the printers, learned how they worked the machines, and actually created some graphic designs for them on small projects. “I loved it and was told I was quite an entrepreneur from the start. At around 16-years-old, I set-up my own graphic design and printing company creating designs for business cards, logos, window displays, and car decals. I also designed a light sculpture in my high school art class, sought out a local neon manufacturer, had the neon sculpture produced, and used it as a sales tool in my buddy’s front window of the store with my sign and information alongside it. Great success!”
Christian’s college experience at Ontario College of Art and Design allowed his talent for design to flourish. He maintained his own business throughout his education where he learned how to manufacture and produce metals, ceramics, blown glass, acrylics and much more, even brand and logo design. “It was my very own work-study program and I remain most thankful for the opportunities and those who believed in me at such a young age.”
His academic pursuits brought him to North Carolina’s Penland School of Craft for a true summer work-study program prior to beginning his Master’s degree program at New York’s Pratt Institute under the watchful eye of his mentor and friend Bruce Hannah. While at Penland, not only was Christian able to become an apprentice to well-known arts philanthropist and collector Randy Shull in Asheville, NC, in the months to come, but concurrently had an offer for an American gallery debut of his design works at the famed Blue Spiral Gallery.
“There were several influential professors who taught me about the concept of thinking and mindfulness when crafting. It’s about designing with a thoughtful attitude. You’re not just making something; when you want to truly design a beautiful product, you have to consider all the details, the materials, the emotion, the handedness, and the character within that make it what it is. You want the owner to not only envision the basis the designer had while creating the piece, but to appreciate the art and thoughtfulness that went into every aspect of the design and crafting process.”
While completing his Master’s program, Christian began gaining exposure through galleries and boutiques throughout New York City. Starting during the mid-to-late semester of his first year of graduate school, he began designing, and sourcing manufactured locally and abroad to make his products. He contacted boutiques and galleries throughout the city to gain interest in his works who eventually placed orders or invited him as a guest designer/artist to exhibit his works. Entrée Libra was his first exhibit in the city where he sold a handmade cherry table with aluminum inlay for several thousand dollars.
During this time, he concurrently sought out relations with well know architecture firms and hospitality brands throughout the city, not realizing that these introductions and meetings would eventually be the same firms that followed his growth and many years later would ask him to join them.
He began doing quite a lot of royalty work with brands such as Sasaki, Umbra, and Wilton Armetale. Eventually he became one of the industry’s hot young designers, written up not only in New York City, but during his last semester, in Dallas, Toronto, and even Kansas City where he had exhibits and products on the market.
Christian would then go on to travel the world as the design director for Susan Hope, the late VP of Merchandising of the Exposures Homes catalog.
“Susan’s passion and leadership gave me the impetus and opportunity to grow within the brand. She taught me even more about how experiencing culture allows you to gain perspective and a new eye for design that could be applied to not only my work but my personal life as well,” explained Árkay-Leliever. “Relationships were extremely important and remain a key part of my work today. Working as a team allowed us to create a collection of products that people enjoyed not only because of their beauty but because of the story behind them and how they were crafted. I could tell you everything about what we developed, where it was made in the world, how it was constructed, and how it was developed based on the many cultural influences surrounding us.”
Remembering the relationships from a decade prior, they now came to light where he would grow to create and lead the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) Collaborative, a renowned and award-winning product innovations team for over five years under the leadership of architects Stephen Apking, partner and Peter Magill, managing partner, SOM collaborated with companies such as Herman Miller, Philips Lighting, Armstrong Industries, and Milliken.
With an eye for talent, the Rockwell Group sought him out, and with his interest and passion for craft and love of hospitality, Christian became the Product Design Director working in collaboration with David Rockwell and studio leader Barry Richards. Together they designed, created, and launched several award-winning product collections in collaboration with some of the most well-known product manufacturers in the world, including Maya Romanoff, Leucos, Shaw, and Kyle Bunting. Some collections are now part of permanent museum collections in New York City.
As Christian’s designs at Arkay-Leliever, LLC continue to be brought to life, he considers how the pandemic could affect future retail and hospitality space. “I believe restaurateurs as well as retailers will be more sensitive to how people live and work within the confines of their environments and how the guest experience should not be compromised. Technology is a huge factor in crafting seamless experiences, however nothing can beat human interaction and the sense of adventure; bet you can’t wait to go to dinner and a concert!” he said. Not only does Christian envision working with new clients that will open during the pandemic and thereafter, but he hopes to work with clients who seek to create an immersive brand and cultural experience that allows one’s guest or client to depart not only with a great brand experience but a great memory as well.
Businesses that are interested in working with Arkay-Leliever should visit their website.
Christian suggests considering these questions before you start a design project:
- Do you or have you worked in the industry?
- Do you have a concept or a vision in mind?
- Have you created a budget or a feasibility plan?
- What is your timeline?
- Have you any inspiration or spaces you admire?
- What do you like and dislike in your current environment or others as a reference?
