How Designer Kellie Sirna and Studio 11 Are Redefining Experiential Design

Kellie Sirna has spent the last decade and a half designing some of the hospitality industry’s most visually arresting spaces, from luxury resorts and boutique hotels to restaurants, music venues, residences, and immersive lifestyle concepts that blur the line between interiors, branding, art, and experience.

As founder and principal of Dallas-based Studio 11 Design, Sirna has built a nationally recognized firm known for richly layered environments that feel cinematic and deeply connected to place. The studio’s work spans hospitality, residential, branding, art curation, and styling, allowing the team to shape nearly every aspect of a project’s identity from concept through final installation.

“We don’t necessarily have one aesthetic,” Sirna said during a recent interview. “What matters more is creating spaces that feel specific to the client, the location, and the story behind them.”

That philosophy has made Studio 11 a sought-after name in hospitality design. The firm’s client roster includes Marriott International, Hyatt, Thompson Hotels, and IHG Hotels & Resorts, alongside a growing portfolio of restaurants and lifestyle-driven spaces. Current work spans a motor court in St. Petersburg, Florida, and luxury developments in Barbados to the cigar bar inside Bob’s Steak & Chop House. No matter the setting, Studio 11 approaches each project through the lens of narrative, atmosphere, and experience.

“The best spaces feel emotional, memorable, and personal.” said Sirna. “All six senses should be engaged.”

That sense of layered storytelling is also what makes Sirna and her firm a natural fit for Texas Counter Fitters’ upcoming “No Longer a Wallflower” panel discussion on June 17. While the event explores wallpaper’s growing resurgence in interiors, Sirna sees wallcoverings as something far more enduring.

“We use wallcovering on almost every project,” said Studio 11 designer Haley Prince. “It becomes an artistic layer that reinforces the overall story we’re trying to tell.”

Patterned ceilings and richly layered surfaces turn unexpected architectural moments into focal points that feel immersive rather than simply decorative.

The firm is currently developing a custom wallcovering line that expands on Sirna’s existing Wild Runway rug collection — a fashion-inspired series known for its graphic patterns and animal motifs. Together, they reflect Studio 11’s emphasis on expressive, highly individualized interiors.

New headquarters near the Dallas Farmers Market offers another glimpse into the firm’s layered approach to design. The dramatically renovated 1904 building once served as the city’s first hospital for African Americans and has become one of Sirna’s most meaningful projects to date, blending history, preservation, architecture, and storytelling under one roof.

“I have a really special place in my heart for historical renovations,” Sirna said. “You walk into these spaces and immediately start imagining the stories that happened there.”

That same point of view shaped Studio 11’s recent vignette for Dwell with Dignity’s annual The Studio fundraiser. Inspired by Positano and Amalfi Coast living, the space layered saturated blues, striped cabana references, sculptural accessories, statement wallcoverings, and Mediterranean-inspired details into one of the event’s standout installations.

For Sirna, that balance of creativity, emotion, and storytelling continues to shape the company’s evolution as both a design firm and creative collective: “We are creators driven by curiosity, designing work that challenges convention and defines what’s next.”

Dallas design enthusiasts can hear more from Sirna and Studio 11 during CandysDirt.com’s “No Longer a Wallflower” panel discussion June 17 at Texas Counter Fitters. Moderated by Candy Evans, the event will spotlight wallpaper’s evolution from accent detail to defining design element, along with the growing use of pattern and texture throughout today’s interiors. Admission is free; reservations are encouraged.