Meet the Hamptons Judges
Michael Ellison
A native Texan, Michael Ellison relocated to New York City in 2001 to begin a successful acting and modeling career. Years later, he took his creative passion and love for design and transitioned to the interior design world.
He gained experience at top design firms, including Philip Gorrivan Design, Eric Cohler Design, Thom Filicia, and David Kleinberg, where he honed his skills in interior design and worked on numerous residential, hospitality, and commercial projects, including Grace Bay Club and Resorts and Sea Oaks, among others.
As his career progressed, Michael joined WorkshopAPD and quickly rose to a leadership role as the Design Director of the Interiors Department and was promoted to Associate, bringing in his projects and managing a team of 15 to handle 15-20 projects simultaneously, gaining valuable experience in ground- up construction and renovations in New York City and abroad.
In March 2022, Michael founded his firm, Studio Michael Ellison, in Midtown Manhattan. Michael and his team have designed a luxury portfolio in NYC, Nantucket, Texas, Palm Beach, and Turks and Caicos.
Stacilyn Feldman, ASLA
Stacilyn Feldman’s depth of professional experience includes exuberant planting design, timeless botanic gardens, tailored high-end residential and inspired commercial design.
She is managing multiple landmark projects throughout the mid-Atlantic corridor. She is currently advancing the collaborative outfit of an expansive amenity pool terrace at Broad & Washington in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The private resident garden space includes expansive overhead planted canopies and innovative experiential planting. She is also overseeing the implementation of the firm’s restoration work at the Federal Reserve campus in Washington, DC. Originally installed in the 1970s by OvS founders Jim van Sweden and Wolfgang Oehme, Mrs. Feldman and her team are managing the fountain, planting and security design of a cherished Washington landmark.
Mrs. Feldman is actively involved in the new construction of a library and practice spaces at Tippet Rise, the celebrated classical music and sculpture venue in Fishtail, Montana. She is also closing out construction on two roof terraces on Broadway in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan.
She has served as the lead designer and project manager for the innovative planning and design work at the DC Water Headquarters building adjacent to the Anacostia River, which has received numerous accolades including an Honorable Mention in the Fast Company Innovation by Design awards. In Washington, DC’s Chinatown neighborhood, Mrs. Feldman was an integral part of the design team working to develop the new interior and exterior spaces at the American Society of Landscape Architects Center for Landscape Architecture, a renovation of the existing headquarters building that meets LEED Platinum and WELL Building Standards.
Mrs. Feldman was a key design team member for Kleinman Family Cove at the Chicago Botanic Garden, managing the site and planting design for the 1/2 acre site in Glencoe, Illinois. The project encompasses several distinctive garden spaces that feature rare native aquatic and terrestrial plantings. She oversaw the construction documents and bid process for the comprehensive project which includes five waterfront docks, an amphitheater, and an aquatic wading area for children.
At SPIRE, part of the American Psychological Association’s headquarters, Mrs. Feldman oversaw the development and implementation of two new green roof terraces. The terraces offer flexible meeting space and include intensive green roof plantings with large shrubs, trees, and plants that offer year-round interest. She designs and supervises the installation of seasonal rotations of annual plantings for the roof terraces and related streetscapes.
Mrs. Feldman is a registered landscape architect in four states and the District of Columbia, as well as a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction. She is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and has volunteered with the Potomac Chapter. She has served nationally on the ASLA Government Affairs LARE Prep Subcommittee, working to develop resources and materials in support of those preparing to take the licensure exam.
She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University where she earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture in 2006. In 2005, she studied in Rome, Italy through Penn State’s Sede di Roma program.
David Frazier
David Frazier is an architectural and interior designer with a design aesthetic formed in his beloved South and honed in his adopted home of New York City, where he now operates his eponymous firm.
After earning a degree in Architecture from Auburn University and receiving the 2013 Arch Daily Building of the Year award while attending the internationally acclaimed Rural Studio, David began his design career at Meyer Davis in New York. While there, he worked on many award-winning projects of various scales around the world before becoming studio director at a residential interior design firm.
With a discerning eye for detail and a firm belief in the importance of place-based architecture, David creates interiors that are reflective of his clients and their lifestyles. While specializing in the creation of curated environments with an emphasis on warm modernism, David and his team have designed and completed a broad mix of projects in New York City, the Hamptons, Connecticut, Denver, Vail Valley, California’s Napa Valley, Chicago, Mexico, and throughout the South.
His work, including his Kips Bay Palm Beach 2023 showhouse space, has been featured by Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Veranda, Town & Country, Milieu, Frederic, House Beautiful, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Traditional Home, Luxe, Rue, Domino, and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. David has been honored as part of Frederic magazine’s inaugural “It List,” House Beautiful’s Next Wave, Traditional Homemagazine’s “New Trad” designer list, and is a recipient of a 2023 Nashville Design Award.
Emily Evans Eerdmans
Emily Evans Eerdmans is a design historian and founder of Eerdmans, a fine and decorative arts gallery and consultancy in New York City. She is the author of several books including the newly published Mario Buatta: Anatomy of a Decorator as well as monographs on Madeleine Castaing and Henri Samuel. A close friend of Buatta, Eerdmans oversaw the dispersal of his estate, including the blockbuster auctions at Sotheby’’s and Stair Galleries.
Clay Rokicki
CLAY ROKICKI, R.A. first shared his artistic and architectural talents with Historical Concepts in 2005 as a participant in the firm’s summer internship program. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in architecture and a concentration in furniture design, he rejoined Historical Concepts’ team of traditionalists in Atlanta. Promoted to Principal in 2019, Clay now leads an Atlanta-based design studio currently engaged in the creation of family retreats, sporting compounds, and private communities up and down the East Coast: an array of projects with a common denominator. All are properties which require purposeful planning, well-developed programs for multiple structures, and the design of buildings that carry on the architectural and cultural traditions of the genius loci. Clay also serves as the firm’s Director of Design Enrichment, developing creative learning opportunities to increase team collaboration and enrich the individual skills of Historical Concepts’ design team members. In 2010, Clay was awarded the J. Neel Reid Fellowship from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, enabling him to sketch his way through southern England, a field study experience he credits for refining his understanding of composition, materials, and the harmonious arrangement of buildings to landscape. He is actively involved with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art teaching various subjects at the chapter and national level.