Creative director Gabriella Khalil takes our career questionnaire
Gabriella Khalil founded Cayman Islands hotel palm Heights in 2019, just a few months before COVID-19 closed borders. Instead of shutting down, Khalil turned the space into an artists’ retreat. This year, she transformed the former AIG headquarters in New York’s Financial District into WSA, a hub for artistic businesses, including publications and galleries—with a long waitlist. What’s your best habit, and what’s your worst? My best is being curious about new and different things. My worst is procrastination. What do you do when you’re creatively stuck? Quiet walks, sleep, and downtime. Is there a businessperson you admire? Martha Stewart. Is there a trend you never want to hear of again? Tradwife culture. What’s the best mistake you ever made? Palm Heights launched less than five months before COVID hit. At the time, it seemed like opening it was the worst mistake ever. We put all of our focus on the restaurant programming and experience at the hotel. It was a lesson in quick thinking. How do you unplug? I go to a spa or do spa-like things at home . . . baths, face masks, chill music. Is there a book you recommend to everyone? Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible. What’s the advice you’re glad you ignored? I moved to London, where I lived for years. A lot of people thought I was crazy, and I was nervous to do it, but the experience changed me. It’s where I studied art and learned to love design. What advice would you give your younger self? To stop wastingtime with self-doubt or self-limiting beliefs. Have you ever faced a career fork in the road? I studied contemporary art and thought that I wanted to work solely within the art world. It wasn’t until I dabbled in interiors and design that I realized how much I loved it. I made a decision to follow the design and creative route, which led to creative direction within the hospitality world. Do you have a work uniform or wardrobe staple? Baggy jeans and a bodysuit.Who is your style icon? Tracee Ellis Ross. Do you have a favorite object in your office? My 1980s Tobia Scarpa office chair. What is your biggest indulgence? Massages and infrared saunas. How do you exercise? Reformer Pilates at Forma Pilates. Do you have a favorite podcast? Monocle on Design. It features creative personalities, from designers to architects to curators. Do you have a mantra? At Palm Heights, our motto is “continuous improvement.” What is your go-to food for fast fuel? A green smoothie. What’s your “get pumped” song? “Flawless” by Beyoncé. What is the meeting you never miss? Morning tea with my daughter. What are your favorite Instagram accounts? @samyoukilis: Beautiful clips of Europe. @lewissmag: He is a fashion historian, and his collection reviews are unparalleled. @chriscorsini: I never miss his monthly horoscope readings. @80s_deco: I reference the ’70s and ’80s in most of my creative work. This is a great resource.
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Gabriella Khalil founded Cayman Islands hotel palm Heights in 2019, just a few months before COVID-19 closed borders. Instead of shutting down, Khalil turned the space into an artists’ retreat. This year, she transformed the former AIG headquarters in New York’s Financial District into WSA, a hub for artistic businesses, including publications and galleries—with a long waitlist.
What’s your best habit, and what’s your worst? My best is being curious about new and different things. My worst is procrastination.
What do you do when you’re creatively stuck? Quiet walks, sleep, and downtime.
Is there a businessperson you admire? Martha Stewart.
Is there a trend you never want to hear of again? Tradwife culture.
What’s the best mistake you ever made? Palm Heights launched less than five months before COVID hit. At the time, it seemed like opening it was the worst mistake ever. We put all of our focus on the restaurant programming and experience at the hotel. It was a lesson in quick thinking.
How do you unplug? I go to a spa or do spa-like things at home . . . baths, face masks, chill music.
Is there a book you recommend to everyone? Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible.
What’s the advice you’re glad you ignored? I moved to London, where I lived for years. A lot of people thought I was crazy, and I was nervous to do it, but the experience changed me. It’s where I studied art and learned to love design.
What advice would you give your younger self? To stop wasting
time with self-doubt or self-limiting beliefs.
Have you ever faced a career fork in the road? I studied contemporary art and thought that I wanted to work solely within the art world. It wasn’t until I dabbled in interiors and design that I realized how much I loved it. I made a decision to follow the design and creative route, which led to creative direction within the hospitality world.
Do you have a work uniform or wardrobe staple? Baggy jeans and a bodysuit.
Who is your style icon? Tracee Ellis Ross.
Do you have a favorite object in your office? My 1980s Tobia Scarpa office chair.
What is your biggest indulgence? Massages and infrared saunas.
How do you exercise? Reformer Pilates at Forma Pilates.
Do you have a favorite podcast? Monocle on Design. It features creative personalities, from designers to architects to curators.
Do you have a mantra? At Palm Heights, our motto is “continuous improvement.”
What is your go-to food for fast fuel? A green smoothie.
What’s your “get pumped” song? “Flawless” by Beyoncé.
What is the meeting you never miss? Morning tea with my daughter.
What are your favorite Instagram accounts? @samyoukilis: Beautiful clips of Europe. @lewissmag: He is a fashion historian, and his collection reviews are unparalleled. @chriscorsini: I never miss his monthly horoscope readings. @80s_deco: I reference the ’70s and ’80s in most of my creative work. This is a great resource.
