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I'm a design leader with 20+ years shaping branded hospitality and retail environments at scale. I’ve crafted experiences across luxury hospitality, lifestyle and boutique hotels, and global retail and food-service brands. I led the design studio at Curioso for seven years, then spent five years at Starbucks shaping store concepts and prototypes that informed a global rollout. I’m currently running an independent design practice in Chicago and am bilingual in English and Spanish; I also hold LEED AP certification.…I'm a design leader with 20+ years shaping branded hospitality and retail environments at scale. I’ve crafted experiences across luxury hospitality, lifestyle and boutique hotels, and global retail and food-service brands. I led the design studio at Curioso for seven years, then spent five years at Starbucks shaping store concepts and prototypes that informed a global rollout. I’m currently running an independent design practice in Chicago and am bilingual in English and Spanish; I also hold LEED AP certification.

Carlos Herrera

Designer, Brand Designer, Creative Director, +4

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I'm a design leader with 20+ years shaping branded hospitality and retail environments at scale. I’ve crafted experiences across luxury hospitality, lifestyle and boutique hotels, and global retail and food-service brands. I led the design studio at Curioso for seven years, then spent five years at Starbucks shaping store concepts and prototypes that informed a global rollout. I’m currently running an independent design practice in Chicago and am bilingual in English and Spanish; I also hold LEED AP certification.…I'm a design leader with 20+ years shaping branded hospitality and retail environments at scale. I’ve crafted experiences across luxury hospitality, lifestyle and boutique hotels, and global retail and food-service brands. I led the design studio at Curioso for seven years, then spent five years at Starbucks shaping store concepts and prototypes that informed a global rollout. I’m currently running an independent design practice in Chicago and am bilingual in English and Spanish; I also hold LEED AP certification.

Available to hire

I’m a design leader with 20+ years shaping branded hospitality and retail environments at scale. I’ve crafted experiences across luxury hospitality, lifestyle and boutique hotels, and global retail and food-service brands.

I led the design studio at Curioso for seven years, then spent five years at Starbucks shaping store concepts and prototypes that informed a global rollout. I’m currently running an independent design practice in Chicago and am bilingual in English and Spanish; I also hold LEED AP certification.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Language

English

Fluent

Spanish; Castilian

Fluent

Work Experience

Independent Design Director, Hospitality & Retail at Carlos Herrera Design

January 1, 2026 - Present

Concept design, creative direction, and design advisory for hospitality and retail brands and design-build partners — bringing studio-level creative leadership to projects on an engagement basis.

Studio Design Leader at Curioso

January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2026

Built and led the design studio — hiring, mentorship, creative direction, and the design quality bar across hospitality and retail projects in the U.S. and Mexico. Drove concept-through-delivery for boutique hotel programs, flagship retail, and mixed-use environments — including custom furniture, lighting, and FF&E. Partnered directly with owners, operators, and brand teams to translate brand strategy into space that performed under construction, budget, and operator realities. Set studio-wide standards for design documentation, presentation craft, and cross-functional client communication.

Senior Store Concepts Designer at Starbucks

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2019

Developed next-generation store concepts for one of the world's most recognized brand-experience companies, with direct influence on designs rolled out across thousands of stores globally. Translated customer research, brand strategy, and operational requirements into prototype designs across multiple store formats — cafés, drive-thru, Reserve, and kiosk programs. Worked cross-functionally with brand, operations, real estate, and store-development teams to align design with business performance and brand consistency at multi-site scale. Tested concepts at single-store level and refined them for system-wide rollout.

Senior Designer at Curioso

January 1, 2016 - January 1, 2017

Led project teams through concept and design development for hospitality interiors, focused on custom furniture, casegoods, and lighting that gave each property its distinct identity.

Store Designer at Starbucks

January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2016

Managed retail design projects from concept through installation, coordinating with architects, GCs, and store-development partners to deliver on brand, on budget, and on schedule.