Hospitality Design - June 2015 - 97

3. A towering wine
display and cascading
capiz shell chandeliers
contrast an exposed
ceiling in Sea Salt St.
Pete in Florida.

1. The design of
Founding Farmers
Tysons was inspired
by a classic Virginia
farmhouse, complete
with farm scene
vignettes.
2. At Bonchon, the
restaurant brand's first
location in Washington,
DC, a curved ceiling
structure made of red
arches and suspended
wood panels softens the
hard lines of the original
concrete space.

2
Photo by AMBER FREDERIKSEN

I went to Williams College, a small liberal
arts school in northwestern Massachusetts.
I double majored in studio art and physics,
and by the end of my junior year I still had
no idea what I wanted to do. One day, beer in
hand, I was asked what I wanted to do when I
grew up and I replied I didn't know. She said,
'I thought you were an architect' and walked
on. I realized design and architecture were
for me.
I thought I could be a ski bum for a year
and appease my mom by telling her I tried
but didn't get into graduate school. To my
surprise, the University of Pennsylvania
accepted me but refused to defer my
acceptance. Two weeks after graduation,
I moved to Philadelphia and started
architecture graduate school. I fell in love
with it.
I know enough about building the things we
design to make myself dangerous. I know
how to weld, I did a short apprenticeship
with an electrician, I've installed plumbing
and framed small additions, I pour concrete
and resin, and I lay tile. On the weekends, I
build furniture and repair all of the broken

I moved to DC in 1999 with plans of catching
the girl I was chasing and taking her to live
in a small ski town (the first part worked). I
got a job with a small firm that specialized
in restaurant design. As I was working my
way up the ladder, 9/11 happened and many
of the firm's projects went on hold. I was
able to weather a few downsizings and came
out with more experience than I otherwise
would have had.
We've all had the thought that we can do it
better. I received a phone call from a guy
who asked me if I ever had thought about
starting my own firm. I said, 'Yes' and he
said, 'Meet me in 20 minutes in a vacant
building across town.' I met him and he
hired me to design his restaurant. I quit my
other job that afternoon.

We approach many of our designs with
a sniper style rather than the shotgun
approach. When doing shotgun design,
you spread your money equally throughout
the project. You have a nice space but
nothing stands out. As snipers, we pick a
few key elements and target most of our
design dollars on them. People walk away
remembering the amazing things and not
the untouched concrete floor.
In a restaurant in Naples, Florida, we added
1,400 plaster ceiling medallions to the
ceilings and walls and then painted them
bright green. Every day I got a separate call
from the owner and the builder asking me
if I was sure we should do this. I pushed
them to install anyway, and it's become one
of our most iconic projects. You have to work
against the fear of stepping outside of the
box and push harder every time.
Sources of inspiration: my wife, my kids,
the guys who jump off cliffs in squirrel
suits, astronauts, coconut salesmen, the guy
on a tightrope between the Twin Towers
[Philippe Petit], and those who take risks,
both physical and mental.
I love the creative process, and success
is creating a space that people enjoy. We
have chosen to turn down some of the
'moneymakers' in favor of working with
inspired clients on inspired design.

4

Photo by ERIC LAIGNEL

3

stuff around the house. It's important to
know how to build what we design because
there's always going to be bumps and
challenges. My advice to people starting out
is to get your hands dirty. Take a motor apart
and put it back together, learn how to swing
a hammer, get shocked by the black wire,
and buy a power tool or two.

4. At Farmers Fishers
Bakers, rolling pins are
mounted on the walls of
an intimate dining area
dubbed the Bakers Table
with OshKosh B'gosh
overalls hardware.

Recently Completed Projects:
Bonchon, Washington, DC
Sea Salt St. Pete, Florida
Founding Farmers Tysons, McLean, Virginia
Legal Sea Foods, Reagan National Airport,
Arlington, Virginia
Urbana at Hotel Palomar Washington, DC
Farmers Fishers Bakers, Washington, DC
Projects on the Boards:
Freehand, Washington, DC
Hotel Helix, Washington, DC (F&B)
Hoa Tuc, Washington, DC
An Irish pub and restaurant, McLean, Virginia

Photo by AMBER FREDERIKSEN

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