Name: Douglas Horst
Title: President - Creative Director
Company: Horst Design International Inc. (now enjoying it's 27th year in business)
Location: At the BARN, 8 Saw Mill Ln., Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 11724
Place of birth: Manhasset, N.Y. ( Long Island )
Family: Married 25 years, Wife - Palma Posillico - management consultant & amazing life partner; son - Zachary 23, Graduate of Villanova - computer science; son - Benjamin 20, architecture student - Roger Williams University; daughter - Julia 15, student; mother - Lili Maglione - artist; and father - Bernhart Rumphorst - architectural interior designer.
College: Graduate of the Architecture program at NYIT Old Westbury Campus
First job unrelated to your current field: My first employment as a teenager was at the famous landmark estate - Old Westbury Gardens. I had the most fortunate opportunity to work mainly in the outdoors amidst the amazing Botanical Gardens and occasionally within the truly magnificent mansion/museum. It was very hard work - but the educational experience it provided to me, certainly helped to develop my passion of both gardening (landscape design) and architecture. Which were initially instilled in me by my parents, who share those same passions.
First job in your current field: My first summer internship (while attending architecture school) was with Hambrecht Terrell International (HTI) on Union Sq. in Manhattan. Within a few weeks after starting the job, they handed me an entire floor of a new Sak's Fifth Ave. store in Texas - to develop, draft and coordinate. At the time, being so young I was bit overwhelmed - but it became a wonderful learning experience and I was surrounded by such talented people. It definitely solidified my desires to grow within the store/restaurant design field. It was a very exciting time to be starting out.
What your firm does now and its plans for the future? HDI is an award winning retail and restaurant design team that creates dramatic & practical solutions for each client's specific needs. We make each project fun and bring out it's maximum potential for success. We enjoy learning about our client's businesses and their specific nuances that make them special. It is that process that keeps us fresh, logical and interested in what we do everyday. A constant hunger for learning makes each 'tomorrow' interesting & hopeful. Our next project is always the most exciting project.
Hobbies: I love to do almost any activity if I am with my children, family or friends (especially my kid's). I enjoy most anything - but a few things I like are: to sketch, sculpt, garden, hike, bicycle ride, swim, run, surf, travel, cook, go to the museums / movies and play with my dogs.
Favorite novel: I don't really have "favorites" in any categories. My wife (Palma) is always asking me which particular item was my favorite (in a variety of categories)? And I just can never answer one thing, because I feel it may diminish the joy I receive from so many other things. So I can't really answer which is my singular favorite book. But, I just finished a great book entitled "Proof of Heaven" by Eben Alexander MD. It is a factual book about the author's personal experience in the world beyond. I found it to be wonderfully uplifting and reinforces my belief in our future. It is very optimistic and I like that.
Favorite movie: Once again I can't pick a favorite here. But this past year I saw many great films that were interesting, inspiring and historically educational (as we all know from seeing the Academy Awards just over a week ago). But the other day I saw a film that sticks with me at the moment. It was "Quartet." It depicted artistically creative characters that showed they could maintain their gifted abilities very late in life. And also, that love/romance can be nurtured at any age. It left me feeling very upbeat about the arts, the future and life in general.
Keys to success: The concept of success should be pretty simple. You MUST do what you love and be with who you love. If you are doing that - then everything will be successful. For me the definition of success is simply "happiness." And I have been very fortunate in my life to have been able to find it.
Person you admire most (outside of the family): Wow, that is like one of those "favorite"questions again. I can't really pick any one person. There are so many many people in my life, others prominent in the world and historical figures - that have shaped my mind, my work and my being. So I would have to define my "most admired" person(s) are those people with whom I share my daily life. Since they shape me more than any other. My wife, my children, my parents and all my close family and friends are what makes me who I am. So I collectively admire that group and thank them for being who they are.
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