I Still Like Making Things That Exist in the Real World

• by Kirill
• in Hospitality
• posted August 12, 2026

So much of design lives on a screen now. I love digital work, but there’s still something different about seeing something you created become part of an actual space.

This large-scale lobby piece for The Ritz-Carlton is a good example.

The project was a collaboration with interior designers and art consultants, working together to create something that felt connected to the architecture rather than simply hanging artwork on a wall. Scale, color, materials, lighting, and the way guests moved through the space all became part of the design process.

That collaboration is one of my favorite parts of environmental work. You’re not designing in isolation. You’re thinking about how your work fits into a much larger experience.

Whether it’s artwork, environmental graphics, wayfinding, or a mural, I still get the biggest kick out of seeing an idea leave the screen and become part of a real place.

That’s the kind of work I keep coming back to.

Art + design made for the spaces we actually experience.

Kirill

Pete Kirill designs identity systems, signage, and information experiences that work in the real world. His clients include cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public spaces, and organizations operating at scale.

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