When I spoke with Gerrick last year, his number 1 hospitality design hack was this: Great design is ultimately about helping to make his clients' businesses ... work.

And this lesson stuck with me because it is exactly what every great entrepreneur in history did. They obssessed about the success of their customers.

Gerrick Numan, founder of Millé - Hospitality Obsessed Designers, understands this firsthand. Before he was an interior designer, he was a hospitality business owner. He’s been in the trenches, navigating the challenges of running a venue, and that experience shaped how he designs today. Which is to create spaces that don’t just look good but actually help businesses succeed.

And that’s exactly what he did with Kasuri, a new Indian restaurant in Silverdale. He knew that the space had to do more than just impress—it had to support smooth operations, enhance customer experience, and be built to last.

And we got to be a part of his vision when he chose Critical. Cleanstone. The beautiful translucent counter is made from 100% recycled soft plastics. Diverting thousands of pieces of soft plastics from landfill while avoiding over 1000 times the carbon emissions.

For Gerrick, every design decision starts with empathy—understanding what hospitality owners actually need to thrive. It’s why his designs simply help hopsitality brands to grow. It's also what any good founder would do! The brands that succeed are the brands that care about the success of their customers.

If you’re a hospitality brand owner or designer looking to build a space that works as hard as you do, you should definitely check out Gerrick's mahi: https://mille.co.nz/

And if your looking for materials made to last a lifetime, I'd love to kōrero. Jump on criticaldesign.nz - we're here to help.

What’s one decision you’ve made that helped to change the lives of those your serve, your customers? Drop a comment.