Hospitality Design - March/April 2018 - 110

special feature designing duos

Barbara Parker and Miriam Torres
Co-owners and principals
Parker-Torres Design, Sudbury, Massachusetts
How did you come to start your own firm?
Barbara Parker: We worked in Boston for different design firms for

almost 20 years and never met. Eventually, a mutual friend introduced
us and we ended up collaborating on the Bentley, a luxury hotel project
in London. Miriam worked directly for the owner and I worked for a
consulting design firm.
Miriam Torres: After talking for the entire six-hour flight [back
from London] and a few glasses of champagne, we realized we shared
the same vision and values. We each thought this talented woman
could be my better half in business. In 2004, I got a call from Barbara,
which changed our careers for good. She wanted to open a design firm
as partners in Boston. Without hesitation, I said yes. We waited two
months, so I could finish the Waldorf Astoria New York, and in that
year, we opened Parker-Torres Design and haven't looked back.

Big break?
MT: The Willard InterContinental [in Washington, DC] opened the

doors for incredible opportunities. We were relatively unknown at the
time, and it was directly a result of our work for the Willard that led to
our designing the incredible Fairmont Copley Plaza [in Boston].

Tell us about your design process.
MT: Our desks are next to each other and open to the rest of the office.
On the right, Barbara's desk is perfection. Papers are neatly organized,
labeled, and filed. On the left, my desk is overflowing with fabric and
carpet samples, with designs flying everywhere. Barbara designs in
black and white, I design in color. She cuts through the chaos, and I
thrive in it. Our yin and yang come together to work seamlessly, and it
is truly what sets our firm apart.

What are each other's strengths and weaknesses?
MT: My Puerto Rican upbringing means I am always on the lookout

for social events. I love working with my clients and often see them as
friends.
BP: I am the logical, calm one. The more chaotic things get, the more
still I get. I am happy overseeing the business management and
keeping things running at the office.

A favorite project in your portfolio?
MT: We took the lobby of the Phoenician Resort and Spa [in Scottsdale]
that was stuck in the past and could have been anywhere in the world
and transformed it completely. We eliminated the enormous central
fountain and made the lobby bar the centerpiece with amazing views
of Paradise Valley. The interiors are truly indigenous. You'll never
mistake where you are even if you turn your back to the view.
BP: We expanded the subterranean spa space to three levels, including
a rooftop pooldeck planned for social events. Also, it had a pie-shaped
footprint and competing entrances-a 35,000-square-foot spaceplanning challenge if there ever was one. At some point over almost
three years, just about everyone in the office has worked on this project.

110

March/April 2018 hospitalitydesign.com

The gray and blue palette in Le Méridien San Francisco's
Bar 333 highlights the city's proximity to the Pacific Ocean

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Hospitality Design - March/April 2018

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