CharterSills is thrilled to announce the promotion of Erin Held to Design Principal. With a background in interior architecture and design, Erin has demonstrated a keen understanding of the design process and a dependable ability to communicate effectively within the design team. At CharterSills, she has guided the design direction on a range of exciting projects, including the Fourth Presbyterian Church, Poetry Foundation, and National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, as well as the Kohler Creative Communications Center in Wisconsin.
Erin served as Lead Designer on the Chicago Union Station Great Hall restoration, earning recognition as LIT 2020 Lighting Designer of the Year in Interior Architectural Illumination.
Warren Charter has been particularly impressed with Erin’s leadership capabilities: “Erin Held is a client favorite because she brings a high level of collaborative lighting creativity to every project while maintaining budgets and hitting tight deadlines. During the challenges of 2020, Erin’s strengths were critical to our success as she coordinated our design staff, all working remotely from their home offices. I believe Erin’s best work is yet to come.”
Erin joined CharterSills in 2005 as a Lighting Designer, after completing internships with Hugh Lighting Design and the Gettys Group. She became a Project Lighting Designer and eventually Design Director, working alongside Warren Charter on some of CharterSills’ most complex projects. She has successfully led projects that include corporate, institutional, educational, and hospitality environments.
Erin is particularly proud of her work on the Poetry Foundation in Chicago, one of the world’s largest, independent non-profit literary organizations. Designed with the goal of encouraging accessibility and visibility of poetry to the public, this straightforward and unobtrusive lighting program features a perforated zinc exterior and expansive glass that provide transparency, along with walls and ceilings bathed in 3500k fluorescent to visually expand the space and provide a welcoming night-time glow.
Poetry Foundation
At the helm of the lighting design for the recent restoration of the Chicago Union Station Great Hall, Erin led a 42-month project that included repairs and improvements around the soaring 1925 skylight and original color scheme. Erin’s design plays a supportive role that enhances the architectural presence of this landmark feature and restores its original beauty.
Chicago Union Station Great Hall skylight restoration
CharterSills Lighting Designer Kelly Catalano appreciates Erin’s strengths as a designer and rapport with clients: “What I appreciate most about Erin is how good she is at what she does. She knows what to do in any design situation and always works hard to ensure an end result that the client will love and we as a firm can be proud of. Erin is the main reason clients want to come back and work with CharterSills again and again.”
At CharterSills, we believe that when lighting is designed correctly, it can add dimension to the simplest of spaces. Lighting can turn an ordinary space into a work of art. Whatever design challenges clients present, CharterSills responds with a solution that exceeds their expectations. Contact us today at (312) 759-5909 or by email at info@chartersills.com.