Colmar Kitchen Studio
Margate, NJ

With her eye for art and design shaped by the beauty of the Jordanian desert where she grew up, Loris Halasa pursued a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art with a specialization in Graphic Design and Multimedia at the University of Jordan. But four years ago, she followed her heart to the United States and landed her dream job as a Design Assistant with family-owned Colmar Kitchen Studio, which has three showrooms in towns along the New Jersey shore. “I believe that in the journey of exploring your passion you must try different paths,” she says. “I majored in Graphic Design and Multimedia, but my enthusiasm for art and exploring new adventures led me to a new path that I had no idea that I would enjoy this much.”

Loris’ creativity, attention to detail and organizational talents allowed her to play a major role in numerous projects with an annual sales volume of more than $1 million. She was subsequently promoted to Designer and currently directs her own projects while also managing a training program at Colmar that she created to bring in and mentor new talent. The program has already graduated one assistant and currently has two new assistants enrolled.

“I believe that in the journey of exploring your passion you must try different paths. I majored in Graphic Design and Multimedia, but my enthusiasm for art and exploring new adventures led me to a new path that I had no idea that I would enjoy this much.”

While her personal design preference leans towards simplicity, clean lines, neutral colors and natural materials mostly inspired by the 20th century, Loris says her most memorable project wasn’t neutral at all. “One of the senior designers that I was assisting mixed together three different colors in an unexpected way and it turned out to be so astonishing,” she recalls. “That project inspires me to create designs that are unconventional.”

Loris, who says the word “adventurous” best describes her (she keeps fit by open-water swimming, kayaking and doing power yoga), credits her creativity to her childhood homeland. “Growing up surrounded by the ancient history of the Romans and Nabataeans has continued to be a great influence on me,” she says. Her room was also a place for personal expression. “It was filled with my art projects, and I turned the objects in the room into canvasses as well,” she adds. “I would draw on the walls and furniture!” Loris speaks both English and Arabic fluently and believes her mix of cultural backgrounds brings a unique perspective to her designs—which she intends to enhance by “traveling and learning new things.”