About AP founder, Phillip Pond

Phillip was trained as an architect at the University of Virginia and pursued that work in the usual way for several years. Thankfully he was reformed along the way by friends and colleagues in fine art, interiors and product design. From those connections he learned the pleasure of working at a smaller—more human—scale of design, and also rediscovered how his innate love of narrative can lend order to design and set the stage for experiences.

He brought this approach to early work at the rockwellgroup, continued this path with exhibition and parks design at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and then went deeper into luxury hospitality, learning a more international mindset with roles at the Studio Charlotte Macaux and Yabu Pushelberg.

Beginning in 2010, Phillip helped to spearhead Avro|K0’s initial expansion into hotel design (the Knickerbocker and later 1 Hotel Central Park) and also honed his operations-driven design approach for food & beverage outlets. Relocating to Thailand as their Chief Creative Officer 2015-2018, he dug into a more broad and complex set of projects, from grand scale luxury retail spaces in Shanghai, to a cozy rooftop bar in Kiev.

Among all of his past work, the Eaton Hotel in Hong Kong, stands out as a lesson in timeless hospitality and real community building. It’s a project with a unique design vocabulary, derived from a sense of place, and with a brand vision that is dynamic, always adapting to the needs and influences of its global group of guests.

See Phillip’s full CV and a partial Atelier Pond project list here