At Unisource Solutions, creativity is the starting point of our process. As Director of Creative Design and Platform, Laura Atilano leads both our broader creative vision and Platform, our in-house custom furniture brand, giving clients and design partners a true collaborator when the right solution doesn't already exist on a showroom floor. With 18 years of experience spanning luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial design, Laura brings a rare, layered perspective on how spaces should look, function, and feel. We sat down with Laura to talk about her path to Unisource, what makes Platform different, and why she believes we're not in the furniture business; we're in the people business.
Q: What does it mean to lead both creative strategy and our custom furniture brand, Platform, at the same time?
A: It gives me the opportunity to approach design from two complementary perspectives. On the creative side, I'm helping shape the broader design vision for Unisource and how that translates across our projects, spaces, and client experiences. With Platform, I'm building a resource that gives our teams, clients, and design partners the freedom to take that creativity further and to solve a challenge, explore an idea, or bring a vision to life when the right solution doesn't already exist.
Q: How do these two sides of your role — creative direction and Platform — work together rather than existing separately?
A: They work together because both start with understanding the bigger vision. Creative direction allows us to step back and ask what we're trying to achieve, like how a space should function, feel, and ultimately support the people using it. Platform expands the ways we can respond to that vision. Rather than being limited by what's already available, we can identify opportunities to customize, create, or rethink a solution entirely. That connection allows us to move from simply specifying products to thinking more holistically about what a project could become.
Q: You've spent 18 years across luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial design. How did that path lead you to Unisource?
A: Each part of my career has shaped how I approach design today. Luxury residential taught me the importance of detail and how deeply personal a space can be. Hospitality taught me to think about experience and how a space makes someone feel. Commercial design taught me how to balance those ideas with performance and functionality. When I found Unisource, I was immediately drawn to the culture and the people, but also to the opportunity to bring all of those experiences together in a role where I could help shape a larger creative vision.
Q: What is it about your background in high-end residential and hospitality that shapes how you approach workplace design?
A: High-end residential taught me that design is deeply personal. A home should feel lived in, not overly perfect or precious, but every detail should still have intention and purpose. The best residential spaces balance beauty, comfort, function, and authenticity in a way that feels effortless. Hospitality expanded that thinking to the overall experience, including how someone arrives, moves through a space, and how the environment makes them feel. I bring both perspectives into workplace design, creating spaces that not only perform well, but also feel warm, layered, thoughtful, and human.
Q: You've said the best spaces balance beauty, functionality, and a strong sense of place. What does that balance look like in practice?
A: For me, beauty and function have to support one another. A space can be visually beautiful, but if it doesn't work for the people using it, it hasn't fully succeeded. At the same time, function alone can feel sterile. The best spaces have a sense of ease to them. They feel considered, but not overly designed, and refined, but still comfortable and lived in. Everything should have a purpose, while still leaving room for personality, movement, and real life. That's when a space feels authentic to the people and culture it represents.
Q: What makes Platform different from simply sourcing standard product furniture?
A: Platform creates space for collaboration and exploration. A client or designer can come to us with an idea, a sketch, an inspiration image, or simply a challenge, and we can develop it together. That process allows us to refine the design, test possibilities, and bring a vision to life in a way that feels specific to the project. It's really about giving people the freedom to imagine something beyond what already exists.
Q: Walk us through how a custom piece comes to life, from a client's first idea to the finished product.
A: It starts with a conversation. Sometimes a client or designer comes to us with a very specific idea; other times, they simply have a need they haven't found the right solution for. From there, we work collaboratively through concept development, materials, engineering, pricing, and prototyping when needed. We stay closely involved through production and installation, so there's continuity from that first conversation all the way through the finished piece.
Q: How do you decide when a space calls for a custom Platform solution versus one of our other manufacturer partners?
A: It always starts with finding the right solution for the project. We have incredible manufacturer partners, and if the right product already exists, that may absolutely be the best direction. Platform comes into play when we identify a gap, whether it's a specific dimension, aesthetic, function, budget, timeline, or something the client wants to make uniquely their own. It gives us another tool in our toolbox and ultimately expands what we're able to offer. Ultimately, Platform gives us another way to say yes when a project calls for something different.
Q: What role does the A&D community play in shaping Platform's direction?
A: The A&D community is central to how I see Platform evolving. I want designers to view us as an extension of their creative process and as a partner they can bring an idea, a sketch, or a challenge to and know we'll explore it with them. Those collaborations push us to think differently, uncover gaps in the market, and create solutions that might not otherwise exist. My goal is for Platform to grow through that exchange, shaped by the design community as much as it supports it.
Q: What part of this work energizes you the most?
A: The people, without question. I've always believed that we're not in the furniture business; we're in the people business. I'm energized by collaboration, building relationships, and bringing ideas to life. Seeing something we've created together have a real impact on the people it was designed for is incredibly rewarding.
Q: How do you like to spend time when you're not designing?
A: Running, traveling, and being outdoors are some of my favorite ways to reset, but I'm also always creating something. I love working with my hands and experimenting with color, textiles, ribbon, texture, and all the little details that make something feel special. I collect design books and imagery, notice architectural details everywhere I travel, and I'm constantly styling or rearranging something at home. I even love plants, although keeping them alive isn't necessarily one of my strengths. Creativity is just naturally part of how I move through the world.
Q: Where do you see Platform heading in the next few years?
A: I see Platform becoming a recognized creative resource for clients and the design community. It will become a place people come to not only when they need something custom, but when they want to explore what's possible. I want us to continue building strong partnerships, expanding our capabilities, and creating opportunities for designers to bring us ideas that we can develop together. Ultimately, I want Platform to be known for the way we collaborate, think creatively, and turn great ideas into something tangible.
Q: What's one thing you want clients and design partners to understand about how Unisource approaches creative work?
A: That creativity at Unisource is collaborative. We don't approach a project assuming we already know the answer. We listen, ask questions, and bring together different perspectives to understand what the project really needs. From design and product to custom capabilities and execution, we have so many resources under one roof. The goal is to bring the right ones together to create the best possible outcome for each client.
Laura's approach to creative direction reflects what Unisource stands for. Whether you're an end-user client or a design partner with an idea to explore, contact us to learn how our creative team can help bring your next project to life.