 Over the past 24 years our firm has grown and developed a reputation for creative and successful design. There are certain threads in our work that appear consistently. If we have a signature, it is in creating comfort for the people who live in and use our spaces. This is the basis of our approach, which informs all of the firm's work. It is not incidental that much of our work is in hospitality, which is inherently about generosity and sharing; along with our clients, we give tremendous thought to making people comfortable. While we understand the excitement of "going out" and acknowledge the inherent theatricality that a restaurant or hotel interior can provide, our work is not gratuitously theatrical. It gives equally high priorities to style, comfort and function. It can be characterized by the use of rich, warm materials and colors and frequent surprises. We tend to rely on ingenuity as much, if not more than, large budgets for finding some special element to give a project its own identity. It's important to us that the identity of a space be authentic and appropriate. For this reason we believe in using real materials: environmentally sound woods, natural-fiber textiles, metals for warmth or accent. As often as possible, we try to use existing elements of a room or building. They are well lit, acoustically mellow; they depend upon textiles for color and warmth and unusual furnishings for interest and humor. In an industry of short-term, high-turnover upstarts, the restaurants we have designed have unusual longevity - we honestly think it is not an accident that these businesses work well for their owners because they work well for the customers. Similarly, our residential, office interior and retail clients find a timeless quality and sensitivity to their needs in our design solutions. The interiors don't depend on trendiness or gimmicks; they are genuine and honest. If our work also happens to be surprising or funny or clever as well, then that's a delightful extra - often it is all of those things. The office is staffed with nine architects and designers and three administrative staff. Teams are set for each project, with Larry determining the overall design direction of every job and Warren overseeing administration and detailing of each. It's clear when one walks into our office that we genuinely like each other and enjoy what we do; our firm's warmth and humor is reflected in spaces we design. |
| Larry Bogdanow, Warren Ashworth |
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