Architect and Interior Designer Lauren Rottet Pays Tribute to Women’s History Month
~ Rottet’s ongoing commitment to her profession is female-forward ~
Lauren Rottet, FAIA, FIIDA, internationally celebrated architect, designer and founding principal/president and owner of Rottet Studio, acknowledges Women’s History Month, and her continuing commitment to the design industry and to women who create public and private spaces.
A WBE-certified business, Rottet Studio occupies a unique place in the industry – over 60% of their full-time staff are female. Rottet is also the first woman in history to be elevated to Fellow status, the highest membership honor, by both the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA). In the past two decades, Rottet has broken new ground with award-winning furniture, office, workplace and hospitality design. Her firm’s output totals more than 65 million sq. ft. of built design.
“I was raised by a father who told me that there wouldn’t be a difference between men and women in my generation, and I needed a career so that I wouldn’t need to rely on anybody else.” This is how Rottet described her decision to study architecture, after forgoing a career in medicine. “Fewer than 10 percent of women graduated in my class, but I didn’t really think consciously about being a woman in architecture. I never really thought about it as a male field,” she adds.
“I think probably the best career advice I ever received, was just to listen. You want to immediately come up with a solution or an idea, and instantly respond, but I think if you sit back and listen to the parameters, to what the client wants, what the surroundings tell you about a project, I think that’s probably the most helpful professional advice one can give.”
“They always say, ‘Hire your replacement, because then you can do bigger and better things,’” she says about hiring and mentoring process. “The key to being a good mentor is recognizing when you can’t do it all by yourself, and that you have to teach someone else how to do it. The education of our staff, and of our clients is absolutely key.”
About Lauren Rottet/Rottet Studio
Lauren Rottet is the Founding Principal and President of Rottet Studio, an international architecture and interior design firm, recognized as one of the Top 3 Most Admired Design Firms in the World. Their extensive portfolio of residential, hospitality, corporate and maritime projects for the world’s leading companies and brands, includes: Goldman Sachs, Disney, BGC3, New York Stock Exchange, Target, Four Seasons, Langham, Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Belmond, Viking Ocean Cruises and more. “Rottet is facile whether it’s a client’s private home or a million-square-foot project. I am not sure I have seen someone who is as skilled in such a wide vernacular of design styles from contemporary minimal to elegantly traditional in such an authentic manner.”– from Authentic Design, Paul Goldberger. Rottet’s product designs have received many accolades, including Interior Design’s Best of Year, four gold medals for Best of NeoCon and four Chicago Athenaeum Awards. She serves on the board of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
