While you may have thought that every hotel lobby, restaurant, and spa begins with a floor plan or a fabric swatch, it doesn’t. Instead, it begins with a question: what story does this space have to tell? That question is the heart of the Conceptual Phase, the beginning window of time early on in a project that defines the vision for the project and shapes every subsequent decision ahead. By the end of the conceptual phase, the design team and client should be aligned on the emotional tone, the narrative, and the aesthetic themes of the space. That shared foundation is what makes the next phases of schematic design, material selection, and construction documents feel coherent.
Beginning Inspiration
To define a project’s vision, you don’t have to go far but you do have to go deep. We’ve found that the ultimate source for inspiration is the physical area immediately surrounding the project. That’s why we always begin by walking the neighborhood to absorb the architecture, the culture, and rhythm of daily life on the street. For example, a hotel in a historic theater should echo stories of its ancestry, even if the new version is entirely contemporary, which was our vision for the Renaissance Harlem.
For renovation projects, we dig even deeper. The existing structure is often the richest source of narrative. We go right to the (architectural) bones – exposed brick, original tile patterns, crown moldings, and door arches. We even research what stood on the site before, who used it, and what it meant to the community.
Client As Collaborator
Alongside our own research, the most important step is to listen. Deeply. The client is always the primary source of direction, even when they don’t have the design vocabulary to explain what they want. That’s why we ask lots of questions, early and often. Probing helps us to determine a narrative for the design, which ultimately becomes our Bible, shaping the entire process.
Asking a lot of questions up front helps create clarity and precision. It’s far better to spend an extra hour in the early conversations than to present three rounds of concepts that all miss the mark. Essential questions include: Who is your guest? What do you want them to feel the moment they walk through the door? What does success look like for this space in five years? The answers define everything.
Concepting in Action
After we’ve established a context and discovered some possible emotional threads about the space, Pinterest and social media steer us towards imagery. They help us identify what resonates, even as we push past what’s been done. We also scour design and hospitality magazines to give us a sense of the current conversation in the field. Vendor showrooms and emerging material suppliers introduce us to finishes and textures we couldn’t have imagined without touching them. Having a multitude of sources help us build the most meaningful and descriptive language for what we’re trying to create.
Client feedback is incorporated throughout the process. We share early directions, watch reactions, listen for where enthusiasm builds or flattens, and adjust accordingly. The goal is to arrive at the right one together. That collaboration, done well in the first two weeks, is what makes every subsequent phase of the project feel continuous rather than disjointed.
A Vision of Possibility
When done well, what the client and designer see at the end of this pivotal phase is a shared vision, anchored in a narrative with key themes. It’s a presentation of sorts, centered on beautiful imagery. In this “show and tell” moment, the fewer words, the better. “Entwining fluid lines and organic cadence” to evoke feelings of walking the High Line in NYC; “dynamic writer’s sanctuary where untamed ideas ignite” suggests a creative and inspiring space for NYU students. Specific word choice can help shape a project before a single image is seen.
The Conceptual Phase is one of the most rewarding parts of the project, second of course to seeing the final result. Rush it, and you spend months correcting course and wasting money. Invest in it through time and attention, and the design seems to find itself.