Eric Carlson from Carbondale found his niche as a luxury architect after his first rousing store design for Louis Vuitton. Still riding the wave of success, he exclusively tells Upscale Living magazine that 25 years on, he still feels like a kid in a candy store.
When and how did your journey as an Architect begin"

I have always loved to draw and ever since I can remember, I’ve been aware about how places and spaces feel, but it?s when I began to design in university I knew that the Architecture profession was for me.
The story of becoming a niche luxury Architect all started when I first began working with Louis Vuitton in 1997. The store designs were composed essentially of standardized display counters and to be honest, I was doubtful that good architecture could be achieved because of the commercial constrains and the long tradition of a decorative and thematic approach. However, with the LV?s timely product expansion into Ready-to-Wear, and the need for bigger stores and buildings combined with an inspired, open-minded President at the time, Yves Carcel, I found myself in a fertile environment for motivated individuals with ideas.  After designing the first “flagship store” in Osaka with a multi-level exterior façade and large interior volumes, the flood gates opened, and the thirst for architectural ideas allowed me to establish an internal Architecture studio of 30 people and a multitude of interesting projects every year. I felt like a ...