Interior Design Lead

Interior Design Lead (Location: Chicago, Illinois, US)

Curioso is a collective of architects, interior designers, and artists designing meaningful experiences around the world. Our award-winning projects represent a range of industries, including luxury hospitality, lifestyle hospitality, restaurant, wellness, multifamily, and professional spaces. We're a collaborative studio driven by curiosity, empathy, and an entrepreneurial spirit, with a diverse, multicultural team across our studios in Chicago, IL, and Mérida, Yucatán, México.

We're looking for a senior Design Lead to join our Chicago studio.

Position Overview

The Design Lead is a senior leadership position for an experienced hospitality interior designer who moves fluidly between design vision and project execution. You'll work directly with our Studio Design Leaders across the full project lifecycle — from schematic design and design development through construction documents and on-site implementation — while mentoring a talented team and deepening client relationships.

Responsibilities

Lead multidisciplinary project teams through all design phases (SD, DD, CD) on hotel, resort, restaurant, and mixed-use projectsEstablish design vision, strategy, goals, budgets, and schedules — and hold the team accountable to themMaintain quality standards across design deliverables, ensuring alignment with both client expectations and Curioso's design ethosDirect FF&E specification, procurement coordination, and vendor relationshipsRecognize and communicate opportunities for additional services as project needs evolveMentor and develop designers at all levels, fostering a culture of creative rigor and collaborationPresent design concepts, narratives, and progress to clients and internal stakeholders with clarity and confidenceCoordinate across interior architecture, architecture, engineering, and construction disciplinesCollaborate with Managing Partners and Studio Design Leaders to align staffing and priorities across both studiosIdentify opportunities to streamline workflows and improve studio efficiencyBuild and strengthen client and brand relationships to support business developmentBilingual (English/Spanish) a plus

Candidate Requirements

10–12 years of experience in an interior design or interior architecture studio; luxury hospitality focus preferredProficiency in Revit (BIM), AutoCAD, SketchUp/Enscape, Bluebeam, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop), and Microsoft/Google OfficeDeep knowledge of space planning, material specification, and FF&E across all project phasesStrong hand sketching and concept visualization skillsA collaborative leadership style with the ability to give clear, constructive design direction

Also in Your Toolkit (Beneficial, but not required)

Visualization Tools: 3D Max, LumionFF&E Specification Software: SpecSources, DesignspecTablet Apps: Procreate, Morpholio TraceProject Management: Asana or CMap

Location: Based in or willing to relocate to Chicago, Illinois, USA

To learn more about Curioso, visit curioso.us.