Parker remarks, whenever possible, her firm will source stone materials from local quarries or purchase products and artifacts from nearby stores and antique shops that reflect the region. However, with larger properties, sourcing locally isn’t always possible, but it doesn’t need to be a deterrent if approached thoughtfully.
“Doing hotel work, because we’re working in large quantities, it’s often the case we’re not sourcing any of the major elements locally,” Parker remarks. “But we have to take care to make sure it looks like it’s sourced locally.” For instance, in specifying rough-hewn, weathered wood planking for projects in Denver and Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Parker says neither project featured locally sourced wood. “They were sourced from someplace else, but they looked appropriate for the location.”
Ultimately, buildings and interiors that reflect the communities they are in are a win-win because they help instill a sense of local pride.
“We work with small companies, as well as large companies, and certainly
the smaller owners are very proud of the properties they own and they want that reflected through the design,” Parker notes. “We really feel if you do it thoughtfully and well, then it’s very successful.”
Life Imitates Art
Perhaps one of the most obvious and effective ways to incorporate local flavor into a building project is to work with local artists whose work can be a powerful reflection of the community. Further, bringing artists into the design process early on can result in novel approaches that wouldn’t be considered otherwise.
“Design teams can bring local craftspeople and artists in the fold as soon as possible to collaborate, share ideas and develop the design together,” says Giana DiLeonardo, partner at design firm DiLeonardo International, Providence, R.I. “Oftentimes, their knowledge of process and material is invaluable and can lead to unique solutions that are surprisingly cost-effective and high-impact.”
Barbara Parker, owner of Parker-Torres Design Inc., Sudbury, Mass., says her team typically brings on an art consultant early in the design process for a project and partners with local artists who “have a feeling for the color, the patterning and the graphic design of the area.”
For example, in the recently completed San Antonio River Center Marriott, the general manager had recommended a local glassmaker to the Parker- Torres Design team, who commissioned the artist to complete a blown-glass art installation behind the front desk in the lobby. “That really brought local flavor in and anyone who comes into the hotel will be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so-and-so’s glass,” Parker states.
Likewise, DPR Construction saw an opportunity to add local art into the front entrance of its Austin, Texas, office. The team had local artists build a set of ornate, decorative wood doors that draw the attention of guests but also serve as a nod to the local community, which features many of these bespoke doors.
Noting the popularity of murals in the city, an employee at DPR Construction painted an entire wall in the office inspired by a mural in a local coffee shop where someone spray painted “I love you so much.” The office mural adapts the phrase to read, “I love to build so much.”
“She took the idea from the coffee shop on the wall and made it more about us, but at the same time it’s an iconic Austin thing that people know and see,” explains Bryan Kent, business unit leader for DPR Construction, based in the Austin office. “So, when you walk in, you immediately are able to attach those two things together.”