By Nicole Carlino
Patricia McClintock, founder and principal of Montreal-based Patricia McClintock & Associés Inc., didn’t always know she wanted to be a designer, but she has always loved art. « My father thought I should do something serious, » she recalled and, after a stint in the Faculté de Droit, a law school in Paris, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and political science from American University of Washington, DC.
A world traveler-McClintock has lived in the Far East, Europe, Mexico, the United States and Canada-she developed an interest in textiles and interiors while working for the Jim Thompson Textile Company in Thailand. « I was familiar with the company and familiar with the silks. I’ve always loved textiles-the feelings, the motifs, designs and colors. I went back home and went back to school. » She subsequently earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a major in interior design from George Washington University.
« I moved to Mexico, » she continued, « where I was attracted by colors, textures… Mexico has a lot of art. People are artists without realizing it. » After completing two Internships, she moved to Montreal in 1980 and worked for a local design firm. »They were doing a project in San Francisco, a 750 room Le Meridien, » she explained, adding that she took on the project not quite realizing how big of a job it would really turn out to be. « It took a good two years of my life, but fascinating years because I was in the thick of it. You either sink or swim-and I guess I swam. »
McClintock’s favourite part of the hotel project was the art. « When you built a large project in San Francisco back then, 1% of the overall cost had to go to art, and the art had to come from studios in the Bay area,” she explained. “For two months, we went from one studio to another and spent close to a million dollars ».
Art is a common theme in McClintock’s work. « I’ve always tried to put good art in guestrooms,” she explained. “Because budgets are often
an issue, we try to buy the originals from artists and the originals stay in the hotel as an asset for the property. Then we get lithos made that we can put in the rooms. » McClintock noted that at one time, people could learn about history and local culture from architecture, but these days, designs are slicker. « If you can see good art, at least you can learn something.”
After designing the San Francisco hotel, travelling back and forth between California and Montreal for Canada-based projects, McClintock needed a break. She decided to go into the importing business, specifically hand-painted tiles, but a call from the Hyatt Hotel in Montreal changed all of that. « They said we absolutely need you,” she remembered. « They convinced me to get back into it, and before I knew it, I was back in and I never stopped. » She founded Patricia McClintock & Associés Inc. in 1984.
Today the Montreal-based firm has satellite offices in Florida and Mexico. When it comes to design style, McClintock offered that the firm has no specific style since it’s all about the client’s wants. « I equate being a designer with being an orchestra conductor,” she explained. « You need to surround yourself with the best people in the trade who can understand your client.”
However, she did note that all of her designs have a classical quality. « It follows the trends, it follows fashion, but it still stays elegant.” McClintock attributes that to her European background. « We inherit a past and we like to keep that past. It’s part of our DNA. »
When asked what she likes best about being a designer, McClintock answered, « every day is a new challenge, a learning process. » She also enjoys the emotional component of design. « Emotions don’t come from brick or cement, but how people feel when they enter spaces. » And, she added, « I like the fact that as an old lady, I can still continue being a designer-I couldn’t be a ballet dancer.”
McClintock believes it’s an exciting time for hotel design. « We’re going back to what hotels used to be”, she noted, adding that hotels were places to see and be seen. « But it was only at certain level of society. Now, it’s filtering all the way down. »
Another trend she loves is the use of color. « We’ve gone from the drab, muted tones to pops of color” she said. « Canada is a beautiful country, but after six months of gray, you realize color is important, » she laughed.
