On the season finale of the Chaise Lounge, Nick sits down with Belinda O’Kelly and David Kasprak the two architect-designers who founded O’Kelly + Kasprak in 2010 together after the hospitality firm they had both worked at dissolved. Nine years later, they run a company that can design from the ground up, manage projects as they go and even offer services as specific as acoustic engineering.

O’Kelly got her first gig through her roommate while she was studying abroad in France. It was getting too expensive to send out portfolios from a Parisian internet cafe at $25 a pop, and her roommate had a family connection, so she ended up designing bars and restaurants in Chicago for about a decade before moving on to realty. 

Kasprak called O’Kelly up and pitched the idea for a new firm. O’Kelly, despite deciding to quit architecture forever, got on board. Their first client was a major client at the old firm, and now it’s been nine years. They say their success comes from O’Kelly being young and enthusiastic where Kasprak is experienced and jaded. This helps them strike a balance that keeps their business healthy,

Visit O’Kelly + Kasprak online at OKellyKasprak.com to view a portfolio of its hospitality designs.