Opinion
The Sofa Is Not the Personality
On why the object everyone notices should never be the object doing all the talking.
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Journal
BAD INFLUENCE.
InteriorsHospitalityRetailWellnessObjectsOpinionOn the RoadDesign Notes
Hospitality
Inside a 22-Seat Chef's Counter in Providence, Rhode Island
A restaurant that treats the dining room like a stage — and the kitchen like the leading role.
Wellness
A Salon in Birmingham, Alabama That Refuses to Look Like a Salon
Plaster walls, a single tulip, and thirteen chairs that pretend they aren't.
Wellness
The Tanning Studio in Scottsdale That Reads Like a Gallery
Cerused oak, warm sand, and lighting engineered so no one ever sees themselves badly.
Hospitality
A Bakery in Charleston, South Carolina, in Butter and Bone
How a 900-square-foot storefront became the neighborhood's most photographed corner.
Retail
The Boutique in Marfa, Texas That Sells Six Things
Restraint as merchandising strategy. And why the empty wall is the loudest fixture.
Hospitality
A Wine Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Half Volume
Banquettes the color of bordeaux, and a bar back that behaves like an altarpiece.
Wellness
The Pilates Studio in Boise, Idaho With No Mirrors
What happens when a wellness space stops asking clients to watch themselves.
Hospitality
A Neapolitan Pizzeria in Louisville, Kentucky
A dome oven, a marble counter, and a dining room that never once mentions Italy.
Wellness
The Blow-Dry Bar in Portland, Maine That Feels Like a Library
Green leather, brass fixtures, and shampoo bowls disguised as furniture.
Retail
A Bridal Boutique in Savannah, Georgia, Painted the Color of a Bruise
The dressing rooms are the largest rooms. That is on purpose.
Hospitality
An Oyster Bar in Portland, Oregon, in Nine Shades of Grey
Zinc, mohair, and a ceiling that behaves like weather.
Retail
The Menswear Storefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Where the cash wrap is a desk and the fitting room is a study.
Wellness
A Med Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Without a Single Rendering of the Body
Adobe, linen, and a treatment room that refuses to look clinical.
On the Road
Notes From a Coffee Roaster in Asheville, North Carolina
On patina, on hand-poured concrete, and on the tyranny of the industrial café.
Wellness
A Nail Salon in Detroit, Michigan, Rendered in Ox-Blood and Cream
A wellness space that behaves like a members' club.
Retail
The Children's Boutique in Park City, Utah
How to design for tiny customers without ever using the word whimsical.
Hospitality
A Speakeasy Beneath a Steakhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana
Twenty-two seats, one door, and zero signage.
Wellness
The Sauna and Cold-Plunge Studio in Denver, Colorado
Cedar, black slate, and a reception desk shaped like a monolith.
Retail
A Florist's Storefront in Kansas City, Missouri
Where the cooler is the architecture and the counter is the sculpture.
Interiors
Neutral Can Still Misbehave
Notes on greige, ecru, and the color no one can name.
Design Notes
What Makes a Room Feel Expensive
It is never the sofa. It is almost never the art. It is usually the ceiling.