Eli Hariton, the founder and principal of Damn Good Interiors in Denver, leads a team that designs everything from restaurants and wineries to whole home remodels across the country. Eli was trained in industrial design, has designed, managed and owned restaurants, built furniture, created original art pieces and brings all of those lenses into the work he does. In his current work as an interior designer, he applies a playful mix of styles ranging from transitional and modern farmhouse, to pop deco and lux-punk. “I love to play with space and create emotional connections to my environments, so you can expect to find all sorts of hidden treasures throughout my work. I’m always excited to push beyond the conventional and love partnering with people who feel the same.” Eli finds most of his balance and inspiration in the Rocky Mountains, exploring all that Colorado has to offer from skiing or biking down a mountain to wakeboarding and waterskiing in any of our lakes and reservoirs. When he’s not enjoying the great outdoors, he spends a ton of time in the kitchen with friends and family talking about the food they’re eating, what they ate yesterday and what they want to eat tomorrow. Through this love of food and beverage, which runs deep in his family, he has unique sense of ownership in how he designs restaurants and kitchens. Whether it’s a restaurant being a lasting moment on a special occasion or the kitchen being the heartbeat of the home, they are both focused on the concept of gathering and intimacy in a shared space. Eli will be teaching Construction Basics each Winter Term at HSID Denver and is “buzzing over how much fun” he has in the classroom sharing his knowledge and expertise with students.