March 9, 2025Hotelier. Interior designer. Curator. Entrepreneur. Gabriella Khalil seamlessly balances multiple roles. Based in New York, she’s the mastermind behind some of the most popular destinations among the cognoscenti of the fashion, design and art worlds. If you ask Khalil to describe her job, she keeps it simple: creative director. But with a portfolio like hers, that’s an understatement.
Her best-known project, Palm Heights, is more than a luxury hotel — it’s a cultural hub. Since opening its doors on Grand Cayman in 2019, the retreat, founded and run by Khalil and her family, has become a magnet for the creative set, a sun-soaked haven where aesthetics and multisensory activities are intertwined. She’s also involved with an office building in Manhattan’s Seaport neighborhood, a high-end health-food shop in Soho and a private club and nearby event space in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. These are operated by Kahlil’s Happier People Management, a hospitality group established in 2022. “It all falls under hospitality,” she explains. “Whether it’s an office, a hotel, a restaurant or an event space, my goal is the same: to foster connection in a meaningful way.”
That mission extends to her advocacy as well. This year, she’s serving as a juror for a FEMALE DESIGN COUNCIL X 1STDIBS GRANT that will be awarded to a woman of color working in interior design. Since its founding, in 2016, the Female Design Council has championed equity and representation in architecture, design and the applied arts. “It’s an honor to support such an important initiative,” says Khalil. “Community is at the heart of design — connecting, uplifting and creating opportunities for one another is essential.” In celebration of Women’s History Month, she has also curated a special collection of furniture, art, jewelry and fashion supporting female-identifying sellers on 1stDibs.
From an early age, Kahlil was captivated by the power of design. “I was always rearranging my bedroom, giving my mom tours and asking, ‘What do you think?’ ” she recalls. That interest led the Philadelphia native to earn an art-history degree from La Salle University and later a master’s in contemporary art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. After years immersed in the gallery world, sourcing works for collectors, and even longer advising friends on their interiors, Khalil realized that her true calling lay in merging these disciplines. “I love art and infusing spaces with it,” she says, “but I wanted to do more.”
Khalil excels at imagining rooms that feel lived in and alive. “Everything I do is centered on creating an experience,” she says. Envisioning Palm Heights as a 1970s glam Caribbean hideaway, she worked with designers Sarita Posada and Courtney Applebaum to craft interiors filled with furniture by MARCEL BREUER, MARIO BELLINI, VLADIMIR KAGAN, GABRIELLA CRESPI and PIERRE PAULIN; lighting from INGO MAURER; EILEEN GREY mirrors; and an ETTORE SOTTSASS rug hung as wall art. Outdoors they opted for GAE AULENTI Locus Solus pieces. Kahlil also collaborated with fashion designer Emily Bode to create the hotel’s uniforms and stocked the cellar with natural wines produced by ROSIE ASSOULIN, an early guest.
From the start, Khalil has prioritized hosting artist and chef residencies. She’s also organized events like ceramics workshops, as well as a supper club played by a rotating roster of musicians. It’s the kind of programming that helps animate a venue and spark conversation. “When I look at any space, I try to bring people in to make it feel unexpected and look at things through a different lens,” Khalil says.
The key to her approach is curation — of objects, experiences and people. It’s a process rooted in deep research and a reverence for history. Each project begins with a meticulous gathering of reference materials spanning vintage photography, archival films and music. GRACE JONES was an important muse for Palm Heights, her fearless energy woven into the property’s bold aesthetic.
Travel, too, is an inspiration. Khalil finds beauty everywhere — from the intricate textiles of Morocco to the understated elegance of a perfectly plated dish in Stockholm. Context exerts an influence, as well. “The structure and the story of a space dictate where the design will go,” she says.
At the WSA building, her latest endeavor in Lower Manhattan, art, culture and hospitality collide in a rather unlikely setting — a 1980s office tower. Thanks to Khalil, the address has drawn a coterie of like-minded creative tenants, from fashion labels like Bode and Luar to culinary innovator Ghetto Gastro and the editorial minds behind Office magazine.
It’s also attracted a number of high-profile events, including GQ magazine’s 2023 an 2024 Global Creativity Awards and model Emily Ratajkowski’s Met Gala afterparty last year. It was the site of the inaugural New York edition of the Collectible design fair in September, and arts organization Performa celebrated its 20th anniversary there in November.
Throughout the offices and common areas, mid-century and postmodern pieces — TOBIA SCARPA and JOE COLOMBO seating, ACHILLE CASTIGLIONI lighting and lacquered pieces from KAZUHIDE TAKAHAMA — lend the spaces an air of playful sophistication. “I’m attracted to a mixture of simplicity, movement, pattern and curvature in design,” Khalil says.
Every item she chooses reflects history, craftsmanship and artistic intent. Among the selections for her 1stDibs curation is a standout VIVAI DEL SUD TWO-SEAT SOFA draped in sumptuous gold silk moiré. It evokes the effortless glamour of the 1970s — an era that continues to inspire her. “A definite statement piece,” she says.
A sculptural MURANO GLASS VASE and a pair of HANDCRAFTED CERAMIC vessels in the collection express her affinity for dynamic, tactile elements. “I love a warm palette and gravitate toward materials with depth,” she says. “Lines are everything — whether organic or structured, movement is key.”
Whatever project Khalil takes on next, art and design will surely play a major part. “Good design infuses a space with personality,” she says. “Curating art and furniture and accessories is something that brings me joy.”
