A Breadth of Experience

LEADERSHIP

Ealain is a studio of professional collaboration which brings 22 years of experience working with the most innovative specialists in the design industry. Our design is bound by a world of collaborative perspectives that integrate thoughtful and elegant design with operational knowledge to create an unforgettable luxurious brand experience in an age that is constantly evolving and connecting through a spectrum of cultures and identities.

JACQUELINE MCGEE

PRINCIPAL - DESIGN DIRECTOR
JANET D’APRIX

PRINCIPAL - STUDIO DIRECTOR
WILLIAM MCGEE

PRINCIPAL - ARCHITECT

Jackie was born and educated in London, England and has a BA Hons Degree from the Central School of Art and Design. Her first experience out of college, working as an assistant on Phantom of the Opera. She continued in this capacity for other mega-hits before setting out on her own, designing for various Repertory Theaters around the U.K.
Jackie then became an Art director at the BBC. Jackie moved to the United States, living first in San Francisco and Philadelphia, where she used her BBC and Set Design talents to get involved with Art Design for several major American films, including Oprah Winfrey’s Beloved, Denzel Washington’s Fallen, and Julia Roberts' Runaway Bride.
Jackie took an interior design position with Hugh Stubbins’s office, which had just begun the second phase of work for the Venetian Hotel, the Venezia. This experience constituted three years of total immersion in hospitality and very high end residential design. Besides the Venezia, Jackie was afforded the opportunity to work on the private residence of an internet billionaire, whose design and execution spanned eight years of investigation and refinement. Jackie spent 13 years developing the Interiors practice for Hospitality and High End Residential Interiors at a Boston Architectural and interior design firm becoming a Principal. Her portfolio grew to include created many branded and non-branded hotels, throughout the US, winning many major awards.
Jackie then joined Perkins Will’s Boston office as a Principal and head of the Hospitality Interiors practice and continued to grow the hospitality Practice with new and exciting hotel projects around the US.
Principal and Design director at Ealain Studio, she is exhilarated by the opportunity to focus on design excellence and innovative solutions with the Ealain Team. Develop new relationships with new owners and nurture the great relationships already established.

Janet D’Aprix has over 20 years of experience in Hospitality Design. She was born and Raised in Orlando, FL and has traveled extensively throughout the US, always interested in learning about different cultures and identities. She has practiced design in Boston, New Orleans, Florida, California and is pleased to lead the Award Winning Ealain Studio in Portland Maine with Partner Jacqueline McGee.
Janet holds a Bachelor of Art from University of Central Florida and a Master’s in Interior Design from Boston Architectural Center. She is a Certified Interior Designer in the State of California and has designed for many notable clients including the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Heartland Brewery, Walt Disney World, FL and Legoland, FL.
Janet specializes in restaurant design and chose this area of practice to combine her artistic talents and passion for the restaurant industry. Recent restaurant projects with Jacqueline McGee include Headwater’s at the Heathman (Portland, OR) for Iron Chef Vitaly Paley, and the Matadora with COJE Group (Woburn, MA). Designing Hospitality spaces provides an opportunity to create communal spaces that a variety of people can enjoy. Hotel and Restaurant design requires a high level of functionality and flow which appeals to her sense of order and detail. Janet’s experience in Project Management through the years has helped her develop strong business acumen and gain broad industry knowledge. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated designer and finds joy and fulfillment in her work. She enjoys mentoring Ealain Studio’s team of young designers, teaching the craft of design and documentation.

William McGee has practiced architecture for over forty years, after first graduating with a BArch from the University of Minnesota in 1976. After two years, working with Ralph Rapson and the Hodne Stageberg Partnership, Bill was accepted into Harvard’s Urban Design program where he pursued his life-long fascination with the evolution of City Design. Graduating Harvard in 1979 with a Masters in Urban Design, Mr. McGee began his long association with the office of Hugh Stubbins and Associates in Boston. At this juncture Stubbins had just completed the Citicorp Center in New York City, an internationally acclaimed project, which brought the office major urban commissions.
This association was interrupted in 1981, when Mr. McGee participated in and won the two-stage competition for the Rotch Travelling Scholarship. Bill fulfilled the obligatory year of foreign travel, circumnavigating the globe, and focusing on the works of Edwin Lutyens in New Delhi, India. Upon his return to the United States, Mr. McGee immersed himself in the planning and design of Urban Centers and large-scale hospitality and retail projects. During this period Bill led the design on many Urban projects--notably the redesign of the Prudential Center in Boston, and several City Revitalization efforts overseas in Taiwan, Japan, China and Russia. In 1995 Bill was named the lead designer for The Stubbins Associates for the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and later the 1000 room Venezia, as well as the master planning for the second phase, 3000 room, Palazzo hotel. This work led, ultimately, to Bill’s involvement on a series of hospitality projects in the United States, China and Russia.