The Morris Nathanson Design Collection
By: Christopher Muller
What is unique about being a designer and also an artist is that you are always composing and designing. It’s like breathing. It’s inherent. It’s like musicians who are always humming when they walk down the street and don’t even know they are doing it.-Morris Nathanson
For more than a half century, Morris Nathanson has been at the forefront of creative interior design for the hospitality industry. Along with his own artistry, his influence on many of today’s top hospitality designers is a testament to his lasting vision.
Originally trained in theatrical and stage design, Nathanson worked early in his career for the Paramount Restaurant Supply Company in his native Rhode Island, where he helped create iconic concept designs for companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts
With an entrepreneur’s drive and an artist’s eye, he was a pioneer in the field of restaurant and hospitality design when he opened his own firm in 1967, Morris Nathanson Design. Since then Morris has nurtured, trained, and mentored scores of designers and project managers, while helping to launch the concept and brand development for dozens of landmark restaurant companies.
Nathanson has been designated as a ‘Thought Leader’ by the American Society of Interior Designers and his firm has received numerous accolades. He is also a recognized fine artist and an exhibiting member of the Providence Art Club, which was founded in 1880 and is one of the oldest in the country
The images that follow are a small sample of the more than 400 hand-drawn renderings of restaurant, hotel, and resort projects that have been donated to Boston University. They are part of the Morris Nathanson Design Collection in the renowned Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.
All images from the Morris Nathanson Design Collection in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, reproduced by permission.
