Tulipan Foundation
*A Blossoming

The Tulipán Foundation set out to build a home for Hungarian culture in New York City—a non-profit cultural hub, grant-maker, and future headquarters in a restored 1890s townhouse at 1065 Madison Avenue. The brand strategy had to resolve the tension of staying authentic enough to be a true home for the Hungarian diaspora, while building a bridge inviting enough to draw in NYC's culture-seekers, foodies, and shoppers—all within one of the most competitive cultural districts on earth (100+ institutions within ten blocks). 

The strategic insight was that Hungary is paradoxically familiar yet unknown—long assumed, minimized, and tokenized, so it feels everywhere and nowhere—which gave Tulipán the chance to finally tell Hungary's true story to a city that expects dynamism delivered with perfection. That resolved into a single, elegant brand idea: the tulip as hidden beauty in plain sight, and Tulipán as "A Blossoming"—a revealing, in layers, of Hungarian culture old and new. 

I later returned to translate that strategy into the physical and operational experience: a comprehensive interior design, curation, and go-to-market launch strategy. The spatial concept extended the brand idea into architecture as "a Vertical Blossoming"—rooted in the contemporary with stems into yesterday and tomorrow, using a living glass facade, balcony beacons, portal displays, and "windows to more" moments to draw visitors in and then up through the townhouse ("look in, then up"), punctuated by curated surprises like a recurring hidden fox. Retail was curated as "MoMA Store meets Hungarian marketplace," and programming was organized around two modes—Tulipán as Home (always on) and Tulipán as Host (programming)—spanning eight cultural pillars across three venues: onsite at 1065, offsite, and online. The GTM launch strategy sequenced the rollout from Pre-Opening (awareness) to Opening (attraction) to a defined "New Normal" (retention), giving the foundation a coherent, blossoming experience designed to leave New York eager to return.

Creative Partner—BASE

[Brand Strategy, Engagement Strategy, Naming, Brand Architecture, Spatial Strategy/Design, Programming, GTM Launch]