Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Darlow and MJ Verde.
Peter and MJ, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
You could say Darlow Christ Architects had an involuntary start. In the economic downturn of the early 90s, Catherine Christ and I found ourselves lacking for work, as so many in the design profession did during that deep recession. We had spent the prior year working for a Back Bay firm on a very intensive set of design deadlines for a Vermont resort and found that we professionally clicked very well together. With little in the way of obvious job prospects we decided to give it a go on our own. We were very fortunate to have experience in hospitality, and more specifically restaurant design, that matched up well with the burgeoning restaurant scene that began to thrive as the economy regained its footing during the mid-90s. Our early years were all about restaurant design, creating a visual buzz, and establishing the brand, where we worked on developing exciting concepts for new restaurant ventures such as Brew Moon, stand-alone restaurants such as Douzo, and well established restaurants such as Legal Seafoods. In time we were able to parlay the success of these experiences into a more diversified client and project mix including work on corporate headquarter offices for firms such as Hill Holliday, retail space for Century Bank and WGBH, unique classroom spaces for Emerson College and Harvard University, consular spaces for the Swiss Government, and large indoor amusement spaces such as the Legoland Discovery Center at Assembly Row..
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Given we have been in business for 25 years, we have likely dealt with many of the common challenges out there. Several that come to mind are navigating the feast or famine of the work flow, finding and retaining great talent, absorbing the increasing costs of operating when clients are pushing for lower fees, and keeping up with and learning on the run to take advantage of the ongoing technology advances for designing, drawing and detailing projects..
As much as a recession was a catalyst for forming Darlow Christ Architects, the more challenging phases of operating our firm have been surviving the two significant economic downturns, the Dot Com bust of the early 2000’s and the more recent Great Recession of 2008. Each of these periods saw a dramatic drop off in requests for design work, which led to much belt tightening and ultimately very difficult choices for staff retention.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Darlow Christ Architects – what should we know?
DCA is a small 6 person design firm that focuses on contemporary interior architecture for hospitality, retail, corporate, and higher education clients. Our work is characterized by thoughtful attention to function and context where we view each project as an opportunity to express our client’s distinctive qualities in architecture that is equally distinctive.
Though our client base has diversified over the years, we are probably best known for our restaurant work as these spaces are open to all and allow many the opportunity to enjoy a great meal, a relaxing drink, a celebration or perhaps a brief escape from their otherwise busy lives. Without intention, our firm has become synonymous with Asian restaurant concepts…..Bamboo, Feng Shui, Daikanyama, Douzo, The Wok, Lotus Blossom, Beijing….to name several. That said, there have been and continue to be many great restaurant types and concepts with which we have been privileged to collaborate and help develop ….Brew Moon, Legal Seafoods, The Wrap, Upper Crust, and most recently the Newsfeed Cafe at the Boston Public Library.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Generally speaking, Darlow Christ Architects has been blessed by a mix of great clients, challenging yet interesting projects, and a staff that are creative, hardworking, and committed to their craft.
Our success comes from the quality of our partnership and our loyal staff whose abilities to successfully listen to, problem solve, and collaborate with our clients has led to memorable designs which in turn has helped DCA to continue to thrive. 2017 represents our 25th year. We have been very fortunate to enjoy a strong partnership and to have collaborated with several staff and colleagues for most all of these years, including Mary Jo Verde, our senior associate and interior designer, who has consistently been there for us having assisted with most all of our high profile clients and design challenges. We have likewise been fortunate to have worked with several clients for most all of these years, including Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Emerson College, and the Chen family with their many restaurant ventures.
In an ever changing market, success can be the result of staying the course through challenging periods, providing consistently fresh design solutions that offer clients useful and comfortable spaces for work, play, and learning to adapt with new technologies, products, and social causes as these develop and become priorities of the moment. DCA as a company has benefitted from all three.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2326 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140 - Website: www.darlowchrist.com
- Phone: 617 497-9191
- Email: design@darlowchrist.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/darlowchristarchitects
- Other: www.linkedin.com/company/darlow-christ-architects
This image may not be used without a license and express written permission from Damianos Photograph.
Image Credit:
Lynne Damianos, Bruce Martin
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