Mexico City

My recent trip to Mexico City wasn’t my first and won’t be my last. It’s an incredible place. A city drenched in history that is simultaneously pushing the envelope in every category of art and design. And all that before we even start talking about the food.  As the gray post-holiday winter months set in here in Midwestern America, I thought I’d take a moment to share some highlights from this warm, colorful, flavor-packed trip I took last spring.

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1. Hotel Condesa DF 

I’m a big fan of Groupo Habita’s hotels and have been lucky to stay at several.  The hotel Condesa DF is a perfect example of how a minimal monochromatic space doesn't have to feel cold and modern.  Mexico has mastered warm minimalism. Textures that can only be created by time certainly help and the freedom to build without regulations we have to face day to day can’t hurt either. I’m all for accessibility and public safety, but I can’t deny the beauty of a staircase with no handrail. 

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2. Casa Azul

The famous home of Frida Kahlo is inevitably a tourist destination for fans of Mexican art and culture from around the world.  What stood out to me though, was not the striking blue walls or famous self-portraits, but the communist symbolism and artwork prominently displayed throughout.  I knew a little bit about Kahlo’s communism ties, but seeing the abundance of art dedicated to Lenin and Marx with my own eyes and learning more about her relationship with crazy famous husband, Diego Rivera, did blow my mind a little.  Especially when every Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar across the US is adorned with colorful unibrowed portraits of this “feminist”. Perhaps we have Instagram to thank for America’s unconditional love of the flower crown?

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3. Cuadra San Cristobal

Luis Barragon is one of the most revered architects of all time for a reason.  His super photogenic, hot pink, modernist ranch is even more inspiring in real life than I imagined.  Built for the Egerstrom family in 1968, it holds up to any modern design today and will certainly stand the test of time for decades to come. Pure geometries, bold colors, genius integration of the land and natural light... I could go on forever but I’ll let you just take in these images.

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4. Pujol 

Best meal of my life. Pujol opened almost 20 years and has been praised as the twelfth best restaurant in the world (https://www.theworlds50best.com/). Enrique Olvera’s food is insane. It makes you appreciate simple native ingredients, especially corn, like you never have before. I could eat the mole every single day.  Second only to the cooking is the design, by local firm JSa. We were seated in a stunning glassed-in courtyard where the lighting changed dramatically as the sun shifted throughout the length of our meal.  Again, the mastery of minimal was on display. The design reminded me of everything I love about Japanese architecture but felt authentically Mexican at the same time. You can read more about the 2017 renovation of an old house into this modern restaurant on Dezeen here.

An Analog Approach to Design in Miami

We’re thrilled to be working on the renovation of a classic art deco hotel in South Beach with our friends at FOUND Hotels. It’s a hospitality designer’s dream project, an amazing location with all the deco details complete with original terrazzo floors and a swimming pool.

We recently completed the schematic design phase, which gave us a chance to revisit our own design process and how we go about exploring and expressing the key design ideas of the space. Often the presentation of this phase might consist of a combination of inspiration imagery, cad drawings, and computer-generated renderings.

With any design project, we always start with hand drawings, often literal napkin sketches over coffee or cocktails (depending on when inspiration strikes). Rarely though, do these preliminary doodles ever see the light of day from the client’s perspective.

With this project, we decided to take a non-digital approach and capture our ideas in hand-drawn vignettes brought to life with loosely-applied watercolor accents. By no means are we professional illustrators, but the end result was a hit with the client and succeeded at sharing our concept in a way that guided the conversation toward “big picture” design intent rather than allowing us to get caught up in the details one can’t avoid representing in a realistic rendering.

Looking to History for Restaurant Concept in San Francisco

Our client, FOUND Hotels, recently opened a new location in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, which will soon be followed by an original food and beverage concept attached to the lobby. We were tasked with developing the brand concept and collateral including logo and menu design.

One of the project challenges was coming up with a concept that would feel unique to San Francisco but could be used in other locations. This is definitely a design problem we find ourselves working to solve often in a world where aesthetically, no one wants a chain restaurant or hotel, but operationally it doesn’t make sense to start from scratch with every concept as a growing brand.

We started, as we often do, by researching the history of the building and location. In this case, we discovered the story of “The Tenderloin”, which goes something like this:

“San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood takes its name from a particularly crime-ridden district of post-Civil War New York City. Legend has it that Captain, Alexander S. Williams, an NYPD inspector with a reputation for corruption, was transferred to this precinct in 1876. In response to his new assignment and the hush money he was likely to earn from gambling operators and madams in the area, he infamously remarked, "I have had chuck for a long time, and now I'm going to eat tenderloin.”

We immediately imagined a little hand-drawn policeman with money flying from his uniform pockets. The restaurant concept followed; a diner that would be open day and night, serving up both martinis and milkshakes to all the local characters. Quintessential old-time Americana that works in any city, but with a logo adapted to reflect each city’s infamously sketchy character.

Brand Design for New Development in Daytona

The Space Square logo was designed using bold, clean geometry with variations that feel consistent but provide the flexibility to work well in many contexts and scales. The square references the name while providing a “frame” that allows the logo to play a secondary role to important visual information. Latests plans for this exciting development project include a logo graphic on the roof of the building that will be visible from space.

Space Square is a former shopping complex currently being redeveloped into the new home of some of the most innovative companies and institutions in the space industry. Early in the process, we were brought on board to help create a brand concept to build recognition and enthusiasm for the project for investors and potential tenants in the space community.

Boutique Hotel Design in DC

The Dupont Circle Embassy Inn by Found is a boutique hotel in one of Washington D.C.’s most hip and historic neighborhoods. This was our first project for Hawkins Way Capital and their recently launched hotel brand, FOUND. The project was a unique challenge in that the renovation timeline was extremely ambitious. In only 8 short weeks from project kick-off we were able to open the first fully renovated floor to guests.

The design of the Embassy Inn aimed to make the historic building relevant to savvy modern travelers by playing up today’s trends without losing the existing charm. New exterior signage was thoughtful integrated into the the beautiful existing iron and glass canopy. Vintage materials like brass and velvet that could have been authentic to the original building were used in applications and colors that speak to today’s trends.

The Carriage House: Luxury Rental in OTR

The Carriage House was the first property to be owned and operated by GW. We purchased the building in June of 2018 and spent several months transforming it into a luxury rental property in the heart of Over-The-Rhine. Initially intended to be a side project, we accomplished the renovation over many flights back and forth between Los Angeles and Cincinnati with the help of an amazing local team.

Once the carriage house to an adjacent building, the property had most recently been used as a very small office building prior to sitting vacant for over five years. We viewed the interior as a blank slate with historic charm, and set out to design a luxury rental that would provide a private hospitality experience to guests and breath life back into a building that had been underutilized for so long.

The first floor was converted into an open-plan living area with spacious kitchen. Custom blue cabinets with vintage hardware and playful wallpaper add color to an otherwise crisp white palette. Upstairs, what was formerly two offices became a large master bedroom and bath with Moroccan tile and a clawfoot tub. New Italian herringbone floors throughout connected the spaces and helped blend modern and historic details.

The Carriage House opened in March 2019 and has since hosted many wonderful guests, been the setting of beautiful private events, and received over 50 five-star reviews. In October it was featured in Cincinnati Refined, which referred to it as “Pendleton’s Prettiest Airbnb”.

Our First Property in Cincinnati

The decision to buy a building was a big one, but not difficult. We wanted to own something, we wanted an inspiring project to work on in a place where it would matter, and we knew that with our combined experience and skill sets we could take a building and make into something great. But which building? We didn’t expect finding the perfect place to be easy.

When we fell in love with 306 Grear Alley its address did not yet exist. Listed as 1210 B Sycamore, it was a historic two-story brick building from 1875 that had always been considered part of the larger complex with which it shares a wall. Its location, at the intersection of two cobblestone alleys, was a big part of the draw for us.

It’s hidden yet accessible. Off the beaten path, yet right in the heart of bustling Over-The-Rhine. Mostly, it reminded us of travels to Italy where every street corner overflows with European charm, history, and perfect espresso. Was it really a hard decision to settle on 306 Grear Alley as the home of our first project? Nope, not really.

Later, on one of our first visits to the property after closing, we would find out that neighbors have long referred to it as “The Carriage House”, which explains the unique location as well as the amazing oversized doors. The 1400 square foot interior had original exposed brick walls, an abundance of windows, and skylights to let the sunshine in. To us, it was already a gem long before it became The Carriage House as we know it now.