Elizabeth O. Lowrey

Elizabeth Lowrey has been responsible for Elkus Manfredi’s interior architecture studio since the firm’s founding in 1988, and a part of the firm’s leadership since being named a principal in 2002. Today she is on the vanguard of workplace design as employers plan for a post-pandemic return to the office, coining the phrase, “The workplace is no longer a mandate, it must be a magnet.”

Admired for her sophisticated design eye, business acumen, and skillful management, she attributes her success to her collaborative approach with clients. Her projects range from corporate, hospitality, residential, retail/entertainment, to higher education environments with clients including Walt Disney Imagineering, Publicis Groupe, Boston Consulting Group, New Balance, and Harvard University. She is widely recognized as a pioneer for a combined approach of workplace strategy and design for office environments to enhance organizational performance and firm culture. Recently she has been working closely with companies to evaluate their existing workplaces and redesign them for the expected hybrid world of remote/onsite working.

The Boston Real Estate Times included Elizabeth on its 2021 list of 10 Outstanding Women in Commercial Real Estate and Boston Magazine has again named her among the 100 Most Influential Bostonians in 2021 in part for her influence in shaping workplaces of the post-pandemic future. Boutique Design calls her a “maverick” and “silo buster,” and Interior Design includes her on a list of “20 Inspiring Women who make up the new face of the design industry.” Elizabeth is a frequent speaker at design and architecture forums including delivering the 2019 Commencement Address at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). Her insights have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, and Metropolis.

Elizabeth received the CoreNet Service Provider Leadership Award based upon recommendations from clients. She has also received the REFA’s Annual Distinguished Service Award based on her contributions to the real estate industry. She is a member of Auburn University’s Interior Architecture Advisory Council, a board member of Boston’s Real Estate Finance Association and the Design Museum Foundation, a board member of Heading Home, on the foundation board of directors at MassArt and a member of the Design Council for The Winter Show at the Park Avenue Armory. She holds a Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Auburn University and an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.