{"id":235838,"date":"2024-08-06T10:04:26","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T14:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=235838"},"modified":"2024-08-06T10:04:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T14:04:32","slug":"10-questions-with-jon-powell","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/10-questions-with-jon-powell\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Questions With\u2026 Jon Powell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Ron
Ron Dorff flagship store. Phogoraphy courtesy of Ron Dorff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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August 6, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Osman Can Yerebakan<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

10 Questions With\u2026 Jon Powell<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Jon Powell\u2019s particular approach to designing interiors for domestic or public use is hinted at in his small firm\u2019s workspace. \u201cWe work out of a loft in Bushwick, [Brooklyn] which I try to not make feel like an office,\u201d Powell tells Interior Design<\/em>. The longterm New York resident and St. Louis native started Jon Powell Architecture<\/a> in 2019 out of his apartment after spending 11 years at Maya Lin Studio<\/a>. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, his projects in and outside of New York reflect this confident ease. Interiors feature seamless juxtapositions of function and form, as well as a candid blend of wood and each structure’s exposed characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell’s studio reflects the same cozy familiarity through which he launched his venture. The living area at his office is filled with art gifted from clients and friends, while \u201cvintage furniture gives the space a more domestic, comfortable feeling,\u201d he adds. The conference table is the crown jewel: \u201cIt was in my childhood home in St. Louis, and it adds another level of homeyness to our collection.\u201d\u00a0Collaboration is key in the architect\u2019s process, whether with his team of colleagues or the clients who tap him for bright interiors with unbothered medleys of simplicity and nuanced accents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Jon
Jon Powell. Photography by Hanna Grankvist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jon Powell On Designing Seamless Interiors With A New York Edge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interior Design: What made you feel ready to start your own venture? Was there a specific moment or project to give you the confidence?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jon Powell: A close friend of mine, interior designer\u00a0Bachman Brown<\/a>, connected me with a great\u00a0project\u00a0in the West Village of New York City that I couldn\u2019t turn down. While that initial project got off the ground, I was still working with Maya Lin Studio to complete the new Neilson Library at Smith College. It was a smooth transition.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ID: What were the challenges of opening your own studio right before the pandemic?\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: It sounds crazy to say, but the timing worked out well, despite the global pandemic. I was lucky because I had great advisors, including friends and family. I\u2019ve also been in New York City for a long time, so I had a great network of contacts. They connected me with people looking for an architect, across a wide range of projects. When I first started, it was just me and I was working from home, so my overhead costs were fairly minimal. I think the most challenging part was delivering news to people about increased costs and delays that were out of everyone\u2019s control at the time. That was not an inspiring experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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West Village Loft. Photography by Eric Petschek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Jefferson Avenue. Photography by Hanna Grankvist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

ID: Could you talk about your experience at Maya Lin\u2019s studio? How influential was it to work with an architect who is also an artist?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jon Powell: When I wasn\u2019t working on buildings, I was focused on the architectural aspects of artworks, like large-scale sculptures that required plumbing or other mechanical features. For me now,\u00a0it\u2019s extremely useful to understand architecture as sculpture and vice-versa. My brain got wired a bit differently, having had the opportunity to work on sculpture and architecture in tandem. I don\u2019t have many preconceived notions about what may or may not be possible, which comes from experiencing the art production process and exposure to boundary-pushing approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ID: What was the most inspiring project you worked on during your time with Lin? Was it a sculptural or a traditionally architectural project?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: There are so many. The bell tower that she completed at Shantou University in China was both sculpture and architecture. For that project, I was once on the ground in Taiwan for six hours to approve a bronze bell before I had a meeting in Hong Kong with the project team. Many of the projects I had the privilege of working on had a similar sort of energy. There was rarely a moment when I didn\u2019t have something interesting to do or somewhere to go\u2014China, Boston, Northampton, or Switzerland. It was a special time in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hill House. Photography by Mark Roskams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ID: New York City, especially Brooklyn, seems to be a particular focus among your projects. Could you talk about this idea of locality?\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: Doing work in New York City is inherently local because you\u2019re always dealing with uniquely New York things\u2014the Department of Buildings, zoning, co-op boards, and really old buildings that have been in continuous use, with who-knows-what going on behind the walls. Once you have the skill set to navigate these different groups and situations, you\u2019re able to accomplish a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At my studio, we love historic preservation, and we love modernism. New York encompasses both like no other place on Earth. If we preserve, we\u2019re preserving; if we\u2019re doing something new, we like to be experimental. One side definitely influences the other, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ID: Your mission statement underlines a diversity in projects that range from high-end to affordable housing. What is the binding vision in your broad palette of undertakings?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: I\u2019m attracted to the project, not just the category. I think that\u2019s what keeps our practice vibrant. One day we\u2019re up in Newburgh, New York, trying to resuscitate a condemned building, another day we\u2019re in the Hamptons talking about slatted walls and green roofs, and the next day we\u2019re in Brooklyn debating whether we should sister joists or install beams. We\u2019ve been lucky to attract clients with a wide variety of design interests, programs, and budgets. The greater the diversity of projects the more opportunity we have to engage in things like sustainability, or affordable housing, or pure aesthetic experimentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ron
Ron Dorff flagship store. Phogoraphy courtesy of Ron Dorff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ID: There is a sense of effortless or blas\u00e9 sexiness in your interiors, especially in commercial projects such as the Ron Dorff flagship store. How was your approach, for example, to the brief (no pun intended) of designing a men\u2019s underwear brand?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: \u201cEffortless or blas\u00e9 sexiness\u201d\u2014I love that categorization. That particular project was a fun new challenge because our clients gave us a kit of parts to fill the space with, and the space is massive. Our approach was almost improvisational, not only because it was our first retail project, but because we had to create something site specific from something prescribed. It was a great creative challenge, especially finding a vibe that felt both unique to the space but also recognizably the brand\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of our clients once told me that it was nice working with an architect who didn\u2019t have an ego, which I liked hearing. I\u2019d like to be known for being responsible and fun. Like a pair of underwear!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ID: Working mainly in New York also means projects often involve renovation and restoration. What fascinates you about discovering and emphasizing an interior\u2019s past characteristics?\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: From the very beginning, we\u2019ve worked in the realms of historic restoration and preservation. They continue to be core elements of my practice. Restoration and renovation are straightforward on their own, but it can get funky when you have to do both at the same time. For example, we have a project right now in Brooklyn Heights, a 19th-century townhouse, and the outhouse is still standing. We were like, huh? Why is it still there? Should we keep it? This is an extreme example, but it poses a lot of the questions we try to answer when we work between these two modalities of designing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it may be true that \u201cthey don\u2019t build \u2019em like they used to,\u201d many structures in New York City were built quickly and cheaply. People naturally ascribe value to something old, even if it wasn\u2019t distinctive or expensive when it was built. I like the challenge of advising on what to do in these cases. There\u2019s certainly value in something that has survived a long time in New York City. But there\u2019s also value in doing something unexpected with these spaces while honoring their histories. It sheds light how we value\u2014or devalue\u2014the everyday structures we come into contact with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Carroll Gardens ground floor unit kitchen. Photography by Mark Roskams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Carroll Gardens ground floor unit shower. Photography by Mark Roskams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

ID: Private residences are about molding into the residents\u2019 lifestyles and habits. What kind of dialogues do you cultivate with your clients before envisioning their new habitats?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: We end up spending a lot of time together, so we get to know our clients well. In fact, almost half our current projects came from repeat clients. Sometimes I wonder if we should have better boundaries, but we gain so much from going in deep\u2014and from caring about designing spaces that fully capture the spirit of our clients. We also try not to repeat ourselves. Our residential portfolio benefits from our interpretations of the needs of our clients, versus repurposing a previous approach. I\u2019m also an empathetic person, so I can sense things and go with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ID: In relation to the previous question, as an architect who works with queer clients, how do you approach domesticity and function from a queer perspective?\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

JP: Many LGBTQIA people have had to pay close attention to their environments, for better or worse. But out of this can come a perceptiveness about space and living. My queer clients often bring this perceptiveness to the table. We can harness it\u2014together\u2014to design domestic spaces that embrace their lives. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n