SEE: sfjones.com
MARINA DEL REY, CALIF.--For nearly two decades Stephen Francis Jones of SFJones
Architects has stepped into the shoes of famous clients such as Wolfgang Puck to
help create places such Spago, Beverly Hills. Lucky Strike Lanes, MB Post in
Manhattan Beach, Nairobi Java House in Kenya, Redwood Grille and Del Frisco's
Grille in Santa Monica are among dozens of restaurants, shops and residences
that have transformed into showpieces --each strikingly different.
"I see my role as adapting to the style of each client, whether they are an
established group or starting a new concept," says Jones. Thus, for the Redwood
Grille, a new establishment featuring classic American cuisine and 8500 square
feet of seating space, he brought on a top graphic designer to help develop the
new endeavor's brand and image and incorporate it into the redesigned interior
space atop the third level of the Santa Monica Place Mall.
"The biggest challenge was to work with the bones of what was there and to create an engaging design," says Jones, who moved the bar to orient it toward the entry and created a stunning new 2500 square foot patio space that opens onto the Promenade.
"In every restaurant, I try to create multiple intimate spaces that relate to the whole. I like creating environments that are unique within the restaurant, but still connect.