Earlier this year, CS Design joined HLB Lighting Design, establishing our new Montreal studio. This exciting expansion strengthens our presence in Canada and brings a team of passionate, award-winning designers to HLB. In this edition of Lunching with Luminaries, we’re delighted to introduce Conor Sampson, Principal of the Montreal studio, and Alicia Davila Monterrey, Senior Associate. From what sparks their creativity to the best-kept secrets of Montreal, join us in getting to know two of the newest voices shaping HLB’s future.
Conor: Traveling to new cities, painting, art exhibits, new product demos and trade shows, and using objects in unexpected ways.
Alicia: A new challenge—always something completely different.
Conor: Usually, it’s pretty frantic. My day starts with swimming about 2.5 kilometers. Then I spend some time on my phone—answering emails, scrolling LinkedIn, and reading news articles while waiting for my heart rate to drop. After that, it’s meetings, meetings, and more meetings. I often meddle in my project managers’ projects—looking at mockups, sketching, brainstorming, and troubleshooting at least one crisis per day. I also spend time reassuring clients that everything will be alright and planning around design, development, and construction schedules, since nothing can be taken for granted.
Alicia: In the summer, I like to start my day with a bike ride to the office. In the winter, I’ll need another way to exercise. Once I’m in, I check my emails to see what the priority of the day will be and decide if I need to delegate tasks or handle them myself. If I know it will take me some time to respond to a client, I make sure to acknowledge their email right away. My days are filled with calls, meetings, developing and reviewing documents, and collaborating with the team in the office. After that, I move into my “second job”—the nonstop one I enjoy the most: being a mom.
Conor: Elation, transformation, challenge.
Alicia: Ambience, accent, life.
Conor: Teaching and being taught. I work with students and professionals to understand trends, get plugged into new debates, materials, and aesthetics. I teach at a university as well as at professional orders, which helps me connect with colleagues and see what’s emerging—especially technologies not yet mainstream in practice but inspiring for the future.
Alicia: Being connected and participating in the Eastern Canada chapter of IALD. It’s a great way to stay engaged with the wider design community.
Conor: How easy it is to get out of the city. Montreal is amazing, but within 30 to 45 minutes you can be in the countryside, at the water, or hiking, biking, and skiing.
Alicia: The extreme temperature changes. It can be up to an 80-degree Celsius difference between winter and summer. Even in summer, Montreal can be hotter than Mexico—something I never expected!
Conor: Visiting the New York office again for LEDucation in April. Last time it was an awesome trip.
Alicia: Continuing to face challenges, keep learning, and improve.
Conor: Today we had a rather boring boxed lunch during a lunch-and-learn. But the most memorable recent lunch was burritos in the park with champagne—thanks to Beth Nilsen. It was part of a summer office outing where we weren’t allowed to talk about work, just enjoy the time together.
Alicia: Same lunch as Conor today. But tonight, I’ll be cooking rice and chicken at home.
