Stephen Francis Jones, founder of Marina del Rey-based SFJones
Architects, is known for his design work at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and
Lucky Strike Lanes, as well as a host of recent and upcoming projects in
the area, across the U.S., and internationally. Here, Jones, who
started the firm in 1996, discusses his early life as an architect, the
importance of developing strong restaurant concepts, and the possibility
of working in Cuba.
Did you always know you wanted to be a designer?
I knew I wanted to make things, and early on I focused on architecture
as a career that I though would be a good balance between technical and
creative design.
What are some of your first memories of design?
My father was a silkscreen printer and I remember going to his shop and
creating designs for stickers that I would have him help me print and
sell in the back of the bus on my way to school—that was third and
fourth grade.
Did where you grew up influence your career path?
It did, but not necessarily in a good way. I grew up in Orlando, the
Walt Disney World of make believe. So my point of reference to the real
world was a bit tainted. It wasn’t until I visited Boston that I found
myself comparing Charles Street to Main Street in Disney World. It was
then that I knew I had to leave Florida and move to a place that had a
real urban fabric. I left after undergrad at University of Florida (UF)
and never returned.
Give us a bit of your background: college, first jobs, early lessons learned?
I took as many drafting classes and architecture classes that my high
school offered, and during my senior year of high school I enrolled in
an executive internship program that allowed me to work for an architect
for a semester instead of taking classes. With that experience I was
able to work at an architecture firm while going to community college.
It gave me real life experience that gave me the leg up when I started
college. Since I attended a community college before I went to UF I had
all my required classes and so I only had a partial class load. That
allowed me to get a job for an architect in Gainesville, Florida and
support myself throughout my four years at UF.
Why and how did you start your own firm?
I had a unique opportunity while working for Wolfgang Puck Food Company
in the early ’90s. I took the job as a filler job until my wife and I
were thinking of moving to the Bay Area. I quickly realized the
opportunity to fulfill my dream of starting my own office when Puck
announced that he was moving Spago from Hollywood to Beverly Hills.
Since I was an employee of the food company I wasn’t technically able to
work on the privately funded Spago, so I quit my job to make myself
available to do Spago (before they actually hired me). It was a risk but
it paid off.
Can you discuss some of your recent projects?
Currently, I have been involved with the development of new concept in
Kenya and a rebranding of a restaurant concept in Japan. We have been
focusing on not just the architecture, but also the branding. I am also
working on a new concept in South San Francisco that is an amenity
facility to a large office development. We are not only designing it,
but creating the program, overseeing construction, and managing the
program after it opens to keep the facility dynamic to the end users
needs.
Is there a challenging project that you’re especially proud of?
They all have their particular challenge—either short deadlines or low
budgets. I’m particularly proud of being able to continue to do the
quality of work we do with the constraints of time and money. Not always
easy, but we have been able to hold to both when the clients are
realistic about what can be achieved with such constraints.
What are you looking forward to at your office?
I am starting to look beyond the traditional scope of building design
look at a bigger picture. I would like to brand SFJones into other
directions such as product and fabric designs, real estate, and creating
lifestyle concepts that can be designed, implemented, and managed.
What do you find are the most challenging and exciting aspects of your job?
The most challenging aspect of my job is to keep all my ideas together
and cohesive. I have so many ideas and I want to do them all, but there
is only one of me so it is exciting to surround myself with like-minded
associates and consultants to develop the ideas into realities.
What is the most important thing to remember when designing a restaurant—both in terms of branding and interiors?
The most important thing for a successful restaurant is to start with a
strong concept. I have been fortunate to have an incredible group of
clients. A weak concept never really translates into a strong design. My
job as an architect and designer is to take a great concept and see it
though to its full potential.
Is there an architect or designer you most admire? Why?
I don’t have a single architect who I admire outright. Other than the
two Franks (Lloyd Wright and Geary), who I think have inspired many
architects, I am more inspired by what I see or experience. I may not
necessarily know who the designer was, but have had many spaces that I
admire.
What would be your dream project and why?
I would love to design an SFJones branded resort community in Cuba.
Being from Florida and half Colombian, I feel connected to the Latin
community. Cuba is probably one of the few places on earth that is still
relatively undeveloped and I would love to be able to be part of its
development.
If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Barak Obama. I think that he has been one of the most influential
presidents that we have had in a long time. He seems to make sense and
understand the realities that we live in. Unfortunately, he is still a
politician and needs to do and say things that don’t make everyone
happy, but if you look at where he started and what he has done, it is
quite impressive.
Where would you eat and what would you be having?
Of course, I would be at a local restaurant I designed in Manhattan
Beach called MB Post and I would be eating the bacon cheddar buttermilk
biscuits, which are probably not the healthiest item, but sure do taste
good.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
I would probably be doing something where I could make things—maybe a carpenter, an artist, or a chef.
