CHICAGO — Eileen Jones, among the most influential designers in a generation to elevate the importance of brand and experience in corporate interiors, retail, education, healthcare, and civic and cultural environments around the world, will retire as Perkins&Will’s firmwide leader of branded environments on March 15. Throughout her more than 40-year career, Jones has been turning spaces into active, engaging, productive places, from a 1,500 square-foot showroom in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart to the 10 million-square-foot expansion at the Holy Mosque of Makkah.
With her former colleague and predecessor at Perkins&Will, Eva Maddox, Jones helped develop the very concept of the branded environment as a core design principle, where values, culture, brand, and vision come to life. In her 22 years at Perkins&Will, Jones, who is a member of the prestigious International Interior Design Association College of Fellows (FIIDA), has been instrumental in delivering award-winning work and building long-term relationships with clients such as Haworth, DuPont Antron, Northwestern University, WM, MDC Wallcoverings, Nike, American Express, the University of Virginia, and Masland Contract.
Phil Harrison, CEO
Following her retirement, Keith Curtis, a design principal based in the firm’s Atlanta studio, will take on the role of firmwide branded environments practice leader. Keith has over 30 years of experience designing for some of the most recognized brands in the world, including those in the hospitality, retail, corporate, civic, healthcare, education, and science and technology sectors. In the Chicago studio, Yvette Fevurly will lead the local practice. Fevurly has more than 20 years of experience in environmental graphics programs, signage, and wayfinding across the corporate, hospitality, healthcare, and development sectors.
“It has been a great honor to be part of a firm that strongly encourages creativity, innovation in design, and is committed to inter-disciplinary team building and project delivery. This is strengthened by the dedication to building deep partnerships with our clients, and producing design solutions that lift spirits, connecting people with place in ways that bring delight and well-being to all who engage in our environments,” says Jones. “I am excited that Keith will be taking on my firmwide role and that Yvette will be leading the team in the Chicago studio. Both fully embrace the power of brand as an expression of the built environment and its importance in satisfying our clients and their customers.”
“Eileen has cultivated enduring relationships that transcend the built environment and the specific projects she’s undertaken,” Fevurly says. “Her remarkable legacy and extensive body of work are a testament to her dedication and influence in her field.”
Jones’ impact has indeed been wide-ranging, extending to product development for the carpet industry, shaping the next generation of Perkins&Will leaders, teaching at various institutions, and serving on the advisory board of her alma mater, the University of Kentucky School of Interiors at the College of Design. In honoring Jones, the IIDA–the leading association of commercial interior designers–said: “Her leadership in creative problem solving, research, and strategic thinking has positioned her and her teams for award-winning solutions and worldwide recognition. Jones’s work is diverse and uniquely reflects the character, culture, and brand of each individual client.”
“Eileen’s imprint is on every area of our work at Perkins&Will,” says Lindsey Peckinpaugh, managing director of Perkins&Will’s Chicago studio. “She understood early on how important the brand experience is in drawing people together and improving our lives. We are forever indebted to Eileen.”
