by kevin, on December 1st, 2009
Image courtesy of The Parlor web site
One reason I was looking forward to this year’s Grrenbuild Expo was location – Phoenix AZ. Since I graduated from architecture school I’ve had friends living in the valley and working for some of the most exciting architecture firms – Michael Johnson, Will Bruder, Eddie Jones, Wendell Burnette, and others. For a long time I’ve been a fan of their desert organic modernism, stark simplicity, minimal materials, and interconnectedness with natural surroundings. I had been visiting the city periodically for years to see new projects completed by each. Even though I’ve worked for a company headquartered in Phoenix for most of the past five years and have spent a great deal of time there, I’ve hardly been able to check out any new buildings during that time. I was pretty excited to spend a few extra days after Greenbuild to explore.
Although I had dinner with two good friends currently with Eddie Jones, and took a look at the new St. Francis restaurant by Wendell Burnette, by far the most fascinating find was a small pizza joint called The Parlor. It’s an excellent example of new design inspired by and infused with the building’s history without being restricted by it or forced to pay homage to an arbitrary time period. According to an article by Greg Peterson in Edible Phoenix, the building was once one of the oldest hair salons in the city. It was a landmark establishment with a storied past. The new owners tapped into that rich history not only conceptually, but as a resource for building materials.
Image courtesy of The Parlor web site
Much of the new construction features components reused, reclaimed, or repurposed to serve a new function. Throughout the restaurant there are indications – old wood used to build the hostess desk, old roofing wood used for table tops, old wood used as ceiling and wall finish, and more. Parts of the existing sprinkler system that had to be torn out and updated are used to support bookshelves, as decorative features, to support a wine display, as door pulls, as handrails, and as part of the patio fireplace. A former hair drying chair can be found hiding in the hallway to the bathrooms. Sitting adjacent to it is a section of wall board with a sample of the salon’s crazy risque 1960s wall covering. In one section of the dining area is a recovered wall section with female silhouettes painted on drywall that look as if they plucked from the opening sequence of a vintage Bond film.
Skylights and a full front wall of perforated concrete block flood the space with so much natural light that supplemental artificial lighting is hardly necessary on most days. Existing CMU walls were uncovered and exposed. The existing concrete floor was uncovered and stained. A restaurant across the street being demolished at the same time The Parlor was under construction became a valuable resource for salvaged kitchen equipment and other useful components.
Image courtesy of The Parlor web site
Maybe the owners were lucky to have inherited or found a building with a rich past life to work with. And it’s hard to argue that everywhere they turned something seemed to be eliciting a cool mid century vibe. No doubt they appear to have discovered a building with good bones and a lot of history to mine. However, I would argue that owner and designer applied thriftiness, frugality, and ingenuity as part of a core design methodology which easily enabled them to harvest the best of what they found. Isn’t that something we should all strive to accomplish? Not just because it’s a sustainable strategy, but because it’s just good design. What’s really surprising about the space is how fresh it feels. It doesn’t seem dated, or retro, or too tied to its past life. It’s a clean modernist approach that borrows the right amount and applies it in the right places.
The best part about the restaurant is, even if you don’t notice any of the design elements, you can still enjoy some of the best pizza in town. To enter the building, patrons walk through an entry garden lined with herbs, spices, eggplant, tomato, and pepper plants – all used in the menu items. All around, this is a place with a great deal to like. You should try it at least once. One last thing, it’s my obsession to check the bathroom of every restaurant I visit. If they drop the ball there you know the rest will be sub-par. In this regard, The Parlor does not disappoint. Like the best designs, using the restroom is an extension of the fully branded experience. In particular, check out the room signage, it’s quite ingenious.
The Parlor is owned by Aric Mei and is located at 1916 East Camelback Road in Phoenix AZ. If you’ve been there, let us know what you think.
Click the icon below for more tour photos.
