Han Paeman’s design firm just lost a bid to Marc Bertier’s firm. Gloating, Bertier pumps his fist. Yet, they sit together in the same restaurant, enjoying a meal.
Similarly, a table away, Ashley Hall says, “I might ask Ian a question before I would anyone in my own firm,” speaking of Ian Burgess, a competitor who happened to be sitting next to her. “Our firms have amazing people doing amazing things, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
They swap pictures of their kids on their smartphones.
It’s a rare occasion for Paeman and Bertier who are based in Paris, Hall who is based in North Carolina and Burgess, based in London to be in the same space at the same time.
These new friends, now exchanging family photos, met each other over the course of a year-long fellowship hosted by Steelcase and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).