John Paul Valverde and Miguel E. Vicéns came together from radically different backgrounds to create their Dallas-based practice Coeval Studio. Despite their differing résumés, both share a passion for building memories with each new project. Here, the co-creative directors discuss branding, the thrill of opening night, and their experience-oriented approach.
Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
Miguel E. Vicéns: When I was younger I wanted to be an inventor. I was always coming up with ideas and building my own toys out of things. Later in high school I got very involved in art, especially painting and sculpture. When I went to college for art I found the architecture school and fell in love with it. My view of design and architecture was all about the creation of art that people can inhabit, so to me it was another level of design and creativity.
John Paul Valverde: I wanted to be an engineer but realized quickly that it did not seem exciting. Well, not my definition of exciting.
What are some of your first memories of design?
MV: I remember designing buildings and spaceships using Legos all the time. My parents would buy me a large box of Legos that contained the pieces to put together a truck. I never read the instructions, and designed and built some other things. I also remember designing some furniture for family before I started architecture school, and during architecture school I designed some façades for houses and offices. I was always looking to create something different that I had not seen.
JPV: The first and reoccurring memory is a restaurant opening. Seeing guests come in and interact with that first space was an adrenaline rush. The music playing in the background, waiters running to grab orders, the kitchen staff scrambling to figure out the flow of the line. It is a wonderful feeling to see a concept become a reality and see guests experience it with friends and loved ones. Memories happen every day in these environments.
Did where you grew up influence your career path?
MV: The path I took in my career was all about creating experiences with space. I remember a lot of my most memorable experiences from back home in Puerto Rico, and it had all to do with the environment I was in and the interaction between friends and family, and making new friends.
JPV: It did in an indirect form. I’ve always felt like we are behind in the States. Since I was younger I would think about it, and I still think about it daily. As I began to travel I realized how young our culture is and how we are still discovering a design or approach to design in our daily lives. I think growing up where I did made me yearn to bring some of my experiences from other countries.
Give us a bit of your background: college, first jobs, early lessons learned?
MV: I studied undergrad at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Architecture then got a masters of architecture from Arizona State University. I had a lot of different jobs starting from when I was a kid and delivering the paper around town to my years in the School of Architecture where I worked in several firms. I do remember learning that the professional life of a designer is completely different from what he learns in school; the success comes from how you adapt and apply what you learned in school in the real world and blend that skill with actual life experiences. I believe this kind of thinking helped me stay creative.
JPV: I started college in mechanical engineering. I quickly changed my mind and left to begin a real estate career around age 20. My first job was as an assistant for a broker who focused on developing affordable housing. At 21 I went out on my own in real estate. I continued with affordable housing until I was 24, transitioned into more boutique real estate, and then moved over to multifamily and commercial development. I learned that if you focus and on your career the possibilities are endless. If you have the drive, you can start from scratch again, build up your clients, and achieve even more than before.
Why and how did you start your own firm?
MV: After moving to Dallas in 2002 I worked with some architecture and design firms for seven years, working on residential and hotel design projects, and at the same time I felt like I needed to do more specially in the creative part. In 2007 we had a bad drop in the economy so all my hotel projects stopped and some weeks later I got laid off. That same week I joined forces with John Paul to develop a new restaurant. At that moment we believed there was a need for this service so we created Coeval Studio.
JPV: We started because we thought there was a need in the market. We were looking for properties for restaurant clients and some did not know what to do besides cook. I loved design, food, and environments. Miguel is an architect. In 2007 we were both looking at how to team up and create more opportunity within the quickly slowing economy. So, that is when we created Coeval Studio.
Is there a challenging project that you are especially proud of?
MV: We see all projects as different and they come with their own challenges and then we in the Studio challenge ourselves to come up with something special and new. I am very proud of [Dallas’] the Rustic and the Happiest Hour. They are larger scale restaurant projects that have different environments and we worked hard to make sure every guest has a good experience in any area of the restaurant.
JPV: I am proud of Happiest Hour. The space is 13,600 square feet and we had to focus on creating several environments within the concept. The building has two floors and three bars, but the main challenge was to bring something new to Dallas and to have the space feel cohesive throughout.
What are you looking forward to at your office?
MV: Looking forward to building up the team. Our team in the office is diverse and creative in different ways so we are pushing to get that creativity out. I am also looking forward to new challenges, maybe larger scale projects that are related to hospitality and guest experience.
JPV: Seeing our team daily, pushing all of us to do better. Becoming more progressive and thinking of our client’s bottom line, how we can create concepts that work.
What is the most important thing to remember when designing a restaurant—both in terms of branding and interiors??
MV: Especially in restaurants the brand and interiors need to work together. This is a big element of the design process to make sure the guest experience is memorable. This depends a lot on the type of concept, but making this happen creates an interconnection in the full project and creates a base for the operator to come in a make the experience memorable.
Something to keep in mind is that the brand is something that people see even before they ever go to the space and this creates a level of attraction and excitement that needs to be equal or more once they see the space.
JPV: Don’t think about yourself when you design. Step outside of yourself and think about what the guest would want to experience or feel. Maybe it’s not a color or specific texture but more about the feeling. When you make it too personal to you sometimes you forget about your potential guest. Make it about the concept so you can hit all ranges of the potential demographic. The brand is the same. A strong brand represents the restaurant when a guest has never seen the restaurant. The first visual of the brand could be online, social media, or print. This is your first impression on a guest, make it great!
Is there an architect or designer you most admire? Why?
MV: When I started architecture school I always admired Zaha Hadid. She developed a very distinguished style that started as art and became built space. I also admire Tadao Ando’s work—simplicity of volumes that creates thrilling spaces.
JPV: Architect Luis Barragán [for] his approach to adding bold colors to minimalist architecture.
What would be your dream project and why?
MV: I like challenging multidisciplinary projects, creating spaces that mix different activities and concepts. I also remember when I was in school I always wanted to design a hotel but not a traditional one, more of a retreat in a very special location so the excitement built up before the guest is even at the hotel.
JPV: Perhaps designing a restaurant for chef Enrique Olvera from Pujol in Mexico City. I respect his admiration for the culture and how he takes complex and simple ingredients and plays with them during the meal. I feel we can do that with a space.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
MV: I think I would plan a group dinner with some new and old friends.
JPV: It would be my father. He still is with us but I would like to take him somewhere far away and special. He is a simple man, but his presence and his love for me is amazing.
Where would you eat and what would you be having?
MV: I love all kind of food, but I would probably go back to my childhood to eat something my mother made.
JPV: I think I would like to eat at Olsen in Buenos Aires. They have a simple lox bagel dish that was memorable. The natural light in the space adds to the fresh and vibrant dish.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
MV: I really do not see myself doing anything not related to design. I guess I would be building something or creating art (paint and sculptures).
JPV: I think I would have liked to be some type of surgeon. Odd but true!
