MICHAEL KREISS

Michael Kreiss, who died March 5, left behind a body of work that will endure. His passing gives us pause to reflect on the man, the artist and the designer who led a San Diego-based, multi-generational business that became an international design and furnishings empire, with 15 showrooms throughout the U.S and Mexico.

Emerging as CEO of a family-owned operation, over decades he forged the "Kreiss Look," a contemporary style of high-end furnishings, interior design and architecture that possessed a casual yet elegant appeal.

Kreiss clients ranged from shopkeepers to superstars. Celebrity clients included Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen,