With more than 85 hospitality projects, JAI is a leader in the hospitality design industry. Jacki Arena leads a well-rounded team of individuals that offer decades of experience in specialized areas of design, such as architectural design, furniture procurement, and artistry. She also believes in a mentorship business model that allows her team to influence up-and-coming interior designers. JAI is committed to designing spaces that make an impact in the lives of all who experience them. She feels that telling a human story through the design of a space is essential to creating Design that Makes a Difference.
Jacki Arena is a Florida Licensed Interior Designer and the founder of Jacki Arena Interiors, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has been an influential member of the hospitality industry since 1992. While working at the Boca Raton Resort and Club during art school, she discovered her desire to design luxury experiences in the hospitality industry. She began researching the connection between hospitality spaces and human emotions. She studied people as much as she studied design. Working as in-house designer for Extended Stay America developing prototypes and then as a designer for Sandals Resorts provided her with well-rounded experience ranging from business hotels to luxury resorts which were building blocks in the foundation of her design principles.
Pattern Inspiration
Born and raised in Wisconsin, I was truly impacted when I saw my first palm tree in person. I loved how it made me feel and I wanted to live where I could be surrounded by palms. I have always believed nature is the purest form of beauty and a great design includes the perfect balance of organic and geometric elements. Here I combined the palm leaf I love so much with a classic chevron pattern and threw in a bit of camo, because after all, who doesn’t love camo! To “flourish like a palm tree” means to stand tall and to live long.
