> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Designer for the comfy home away from home
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/designer-for-the-comfy-home-away-from-home/
- Published: 2008-02-20T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T18:37:18.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Interior design firm named number one*

NEBRASKA AVENUE With a reputation for having some of the finest hotels in all of Southern California, it only makes sense that Santa Monica would be home to the world’s leading hospitality design firm in Hirsch/Bedner Associates.

The firm, located at the eastern edge of Santa Monica on Nebraska Avenue, was recently ranked number one in hospitality design for the ninth straight year by Interior Design Magazine, and it’s work on the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street project helped the building earn top honors from Travel + Leisure Magazine.

Walking through HBA’s expansive office on Tuesday, with flags from more than 50 countries where HBA has worked hanging overhead, Thomas Johnson, director of marketing and business development for the firm, made it clear why HBA, with its 450 employees and 12 offices worldwide, has remained competitive in the field of interior design as hotels, casinos and spas look to top one another in the game of attraction and comfort.

“We’re a firm that’s reliable,” Johnson said with pride as he stood in the HBA’s research library, where hundreds of fabric swatches organized by color rested on shelves covering nearly ever inch of wall space. “We know what people want. They want bigger rooms. They want nice stuff that’s better than what they have at home.”

HBA is also a firm that is flexible.With officers all over the globe, designers can be moved to whichever market is hot. Currently Macau, located in the Pearl River Delta in China, is booming, Johnson said, outpacing Las Vegas’ growth.

“In China and Dubai gambling is red hot,” Johnson said, which means more casinos and resorts. “We can swap (designers) from one culture to another. It’s great for career development.”

In addition to going oversees, HBA has designed projects closer to home, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, The Wynn in Las Vegas, and The Spa at Bacara in Santa Barbara.

For nearly half a century, the firm has been guided by its founders’ philosophy of creating a “sense of place,” a well designed and integrated package of fantasy, drama and creature comfort delivered on time and within budget.

The firm was founded in 1964 by Michael Bedner and Howard Hirsch. They have been located in Santa Monica ever since, choosing the city by the sea because of its pool of talented designers and its proximity to LAX, which comes in handy considering executives and designers are constantly traveling to exotic locales like Singapore and Dubai.

Misha Bedner, project director for the firm and son of the co-founder, said he remembers his father telling him a story about how he drove an old Chevy along Route 66 from Detroit to the edge of the Santa Monica Pier, parked the car and decided that this was where he wanted to make a future for himself.

“And he’s never looked back,” Misha Bedner said.

The way a hotel looks, from the type of curtains used to whether or not there is a chandelier in the lobby, can have a significant impact on a guest’s mood and whether or not they will return for another visit, making interior design just as important to the success of a hotel or casino as the location and the cost of a night’s stay.

Incorporating technology has also become an important aspect of design, with hotels removing the massive armoires that housed large televisions and mini bars and replacing them with sleek flatscreens that hide behind mirrors. Wireless Internet access has become the norm as well as iPod docks.

“The typical hotel guest is now sporting a laptop, Blackberry, cell phone, iPod and maybe iPhone and expect hotels to reflect their lifestyle,” said Misti Kerns, president and CEO of the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau. “More electrical outlets, adapting sound systems, etc.

“What else are they looking for? Open lobbies with activity to ‘hang out’ in, (a) multi-purpose social environment (where they can) grab coffee, drink or lunch while working on their laptop,”Kerns added.“Open space in the room, maybe less square footage but very functional, with … better lighting, and comfortable soft-goods \[couches, chairs, bed\] are always … important (and) should be taken into consideration when designing.”

Kerns said when visitors come to Santa Monica they are also looking for a more “sustainable experience,” with the Ambrose being a good example as it features a hybrid car rental service and other green practices.

The hotel was designed in Feng Shui, “and people who walk in ‘feel good’ about their stay,” Kerns said. “That’s what it is all about — casual elegance.”

And with that comes a feeling that a hotel, casino or spa is timeless, said HBA designer Meghann Day. A designer doesn’t want to be too extreme and present something that is too much for the user to take in and lasts four only a few years. Designs must be able to walk a fine line between being bland and being too provocative.

Day said the current trend is the more traditional look with eclectic elements, with a strong emphasis on colors to create a unique space.

As for Santa Monica, HBA executives and designers said the city’s hotels could use some touch ups. They were also surprised by the lack of boutique hotels in Santa Monica, feeling that the area is ripe for them.

But don’t expect HBA to get involved. The firm is busy working on large projects, with over 70 percent of its business coming from over seas and that is expected to continue in the years ahead.

“We’d love to do more of the boutique hotels, and we do on occasion,” Johnson said,“but because of our reputation and our size, we end up with the whales.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 20, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022008.pdf?ref=smdp.com)