Stephen Francis Jones’s path to architecture began when he discovered his talent for drafting. “I just kept taking drafting classes, because they were easy A's,” he told me. One thing led to another, and Jones now owns his own architecture firm in Marina Del Rey, near the California coast.
Before heading to the office, Jones spends an hour sculling at the UCLA Aquatic Center. Once he arrives at SF Jones Architects, Jones oversees a twelve-person firm. He is directly involved in all of the contracts his firm handles, a total of twelve to fifteen projects per year in the hotel, restaurant and spa industries.
Jones’s interest in designing for the hospitality industry came from his desire to work closely with his clients and complete his projects in a manageable period of time. He started his career at a Boston based firm called Jung / Brannen Associates, where he designed high-rises. But the time it took to see the projects completed, and the number of other people involved in the design and implementation left Jones wanting more.
An opportunity to work for Wolfgang Puck gave Jones more control over his projects. After witnessing the design of Spago from start to finish, Jones realized how rewarding small-scale projects could be.
By working on intimate spaces for specific clients, Jones gets to focus on the design element of architecture, rather than on the mechanics of building a space. Design, he tells me, is one of the most value-adding elements of architecture today.
Jones’s favorite clients are the ones who have concepts for their space, which he then implements. Every restaurant has a different appeal and a unique aesthetic. Jones’s job is to raise the client’s expectations from the moment they step into the space. He wants them to feel sexy, comfortable and cool: from the threshold to the bathroom. Integrating the front and back of the house and the cuisine type with its environment are two pivotal elements in Jones’s work.
Wherever he goes, Jones’s eyes are open, scouring the world for inspiration. Jones keeps a personal notebook that includes sketches of everything that pleases him aesthetically, whether or not it fits into a current project. He’s collected a small library in his notebook, with drawings of everything he likes: from pebbles he’s picked up on the beach to steps he’s walked in Rome.
To find out more about Jones’s inspirations and his thoughts about architectural design, read his findingDulcinea interview.
Isabel Cowles
Writer
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