Design Dialogue: Lori Reynolds

At AC Martin, we believe that our team's passion, creativity, and professionalism are what truly set us apart. To give you a closer look at the people behind our projects, we're excited to introduce Design Dialogues, a new blog series where we'll be interviewing members of our San Diego team. Through these interviews, you'll get to know the individuals who bring our vision to life—learning about their unique perspectives, professional journeys, and what inspires them every day. Join us as we dive into the stories behind the faces at AC Martin.

We introduce you to Lori Reynolds, an interior designer in our San Diego office. Lori is currently working on the interior design of a multifamily tower in Downtown San Diego, a Marriott Element in Chula Vista, Garden Grove Civic Center Revitalization Project, and SDSU's Imperial Valley Sciences and Engineering Laboratories in Brawley, CA.

What project has had a significant impact on you, either personally or professionally?

I’ve been doing this for many years, and through my interactions and connections with various people and clients over the years I’ve been able to reconnect with several since joining AC Martin. Once such project is a Marriott Element hotel in Chula Vista for Baldwin and Sons. As the interior designer on the project, I am working directly with the owner, architect, and contractor. It is currently in the Construction Administration phase and I’m really looking forward to site visits soon!

Is there an AC Martin-designed project in your neighborhood?

There are many AC Martin-designed projects in San Diego, including quite a few multifamily projects in my neighborhood of North Park / University Heights. 3090 Polk is a multifamily project in my neighborhood that I love! As someone who lives here, I bring neighborhood context, history, and nuance to these AC Martin projects that a resident may find intriguing and differentiated from other projects in the area.

3090 Polk Multifamily in North Park / University Heights

What is a common misconception about architecture that you wish more people understood?

I am an interior designer, there are many! I recently heard this question from someone related to interior design... “You went to school for that?”  It seems that interior design just happens but there is a tremendous amount of thought, code compliance, aesthetics, and much more that go into designing a special interior.

Lori's workspace

Something You couldn’t live without?

My dogs! I have two rescue dogs from Tijuana. Penelope is an American Cocker Spaniel, she’s almost 9 years old. She had surgery last year to remove a cancerous tumor on her nose and now she’s doing great and in remission. Lily is a tripod mut. She has unique features. Because of this I did a DNA test. She is made up of 13 different breeds. Before adopting her, she had been hit by a car and her leg never grew. She uses the leg when she wants to and she is the fastest dog at the dog park!

Penelope and Lily

Fun fact about you?

I love to travel! I have developed this habit of looking for cool, unique, different manhole covers and photographing them with my feet. Some cities have cool designs - Berlin, Dresden, Beijing, Seattle, Charlotte, and Bogota to name a few.

Manhole Covers from around the Globe

Sheldrick Wildlife Tr­­ust, ­­Nairobi, Kenya