FAB 5: Siobhan Barry
photo by Elizaveta Kozlova
What’s more dynamic than a reflective ceiling? For Siobhan Barry, not much. The Gensler principal and design director admits a fondness for the feature as her guilty design pleasure. They’re “slightly indulgent, but they make everything feel more alive,” she says. That instinct—unexpected design moments that catch you off guard and heighten experience—runs through her work.
Grounded in that sense of discovery, Siobhan approaches interiors with a rigorously client-centric lens, shaping global, award-winning projects that feel both expressive and deeply intentional. An AIA-accredited architect working in the interior design world, she sees each project as an exercise that must reflect the brand and the people who inhabit it. Her solutions resist the mundane; her designs are often described as “revolutionary.” She says she’s influenced by her husband, James Thomas—“a fearless artist and fashion designer,” as she describes him—who encourages creative risk-taking.
That point of view traces back to her upbringing in a family of creatives. “Growing up with no TV meant my siblings and I learned to ‘draw’ what we wanted to be surrounded by," she says. "I’ve unconsciously kept doing that ever since, just at a different scale.”
Today, that scale is expansive: from the spectacular Delta One Lounge at JFK Airport to the massive Columbia University Irving Medical Center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Across hospitality, retail, and beyond, Siobhan’s work is defined by a clear narrative logic and a tactile material sensibility paired with a deep commitment to the team she’s built at Gensler. “The work is the driver,” she says, “but the most meaningful part is seeing designers come into their own.”
Here, Siobhan reflects on the mindset and motivation behind her notable work.