ABOUT
The Vanguard Theory is an award-winning creative studio that collaborates with like-minded artists and designers globally. Discovery is at the heart of everything we do. Extracting the history of a place. Telling its story. Sharing the dreams of its people. Sometimes it’s on the surface, shining on anyone who seeks it. And other times it’s deeper, buried within its roots, covered over by changing tastes, forgotten by time. And sometimes those stories haven't happened yet. Those stories are just sketches. Ideas. Blueprints. All of these stories live around us; The past, the present, the rules and the visions to break them. The Vanguard Theory are storytellers whose stable of principles and artists are inherently curious. With nods to the past and ideas about the future, The Vanguard Theory is our idealized vision of what design can be. For our community and the rest of the world around us.
The Vanguard Theory has continued to be featured in The New York Times, Surface, Dezeen, Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and other publications. The studio has achieved the prestigious Gold Key Award in 2023 Best Guestroom for Wayfinder Waikiki, in 2016 Best Lobby for The Surfjack Hotel, and Finalist in 2018 for Best Guestroom for White Sands Hotel.
Noteworthy accolades include IIDA Ho’ohuli Grand Award in 2019 for Renew Hotel, IIDA Jury’s Pick & Maker Award in 2021 for Eleven Cocktail Bar, IIDA Against All Odds Award in 2023 for Pacific 19, and IIDA Play & Ho’ohuli Grand Award in 2023 for Wayfinder Waikiki.
VANGUARDS
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Michelle Jaime, Leed AP
Founding Principal / Creative Director
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Shaleah Soliven
Associate Designer
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Chelsea Ashburn
Senior Project Manager
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Kelsey Williamson
Designer
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Shelby Yasuhara
Office Manager
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Nerine Asbel
Project Coordinator
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Christina Croes
Residential Designer
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Allyson Gonzaga
Visualization Artist
Services
Creative Direction
A holistic approach to extract, shape, and tell your narrative. From concept to execution, every touchpoint is an opportunity to share your story by building your overarching narrative. We have experience in hospitality design, experiential marketing, apparel design, and retail planning development.
Interior Design
The spaces we live and work in should feel like home. As left and right brainers we are experts at dreaming big and working smart to make things happen. We program our projects from the inside out, with a priority on how inhabitants will use each space. Whether it feels comforting or inspires you, we seek to create an environment where things thrive.
Brand Development
Our team collaborates with community partners to develop identities that give personality and soul. Through extensive research of a place, its history, and its culture we create a narrative that’s unique to a project.
Procurement
We purchase and coordinate FF&E from around the world to the middle of the Pacific. We manage the logistics, stay on budget, and maintain targeted deadlines.
Journal
