2 Who's There? 2 The weightless look of LAVA's vision for Hainan Ocean Flower Resort in China (due to open in 2020) blends organic shapes and living greenery. Chris Bosse L AVA John sofio BuiLt inC. CaleB Mulvena MAPOS LLC 28 boutiquedesign.com september 2016 3 Painted figures and geometric seating play with dimension in LAVA's design for Sydney eatery KYO-TO. 3 P e T e r B e N N e T T ( B o s s e ) ; e L I Z A B e T h DA N I e L s ( s o F I o ) ; C o U r T e s Y o F L AVA ( 2 ) ; M A L C o L M B r o W N ( M U LV e N A ) ; A N D r e W W o r s s A M P h o T o G r A P h Y ( 3 ) Even after 20 years of running his own design/build firm and completing hundreds of projects-including several with enough star power to light up Wonderwall-Built Inc.'s Sofio still has imaginary friends. And, they're the ones-along with his real-life team at his Los Angeles-based firm, of course-that he listens to when it's time to turn a snappy one-liner concept from a client into a space that's as unforgettable for its vibe as for its looks. "I always ask myself who the person is who 'owns' the venue," says Sofio. "That's what guides my design process. Who they are dictates what goes in the space. Would they be drawn to a 1972 political poster or more out-there (and potentially controversial) pieces like stuffed gazelles?" He's a fan of bypassing the vision board for a good book to get inside the spirit of a place or an era. Given that inside-out approach to inspiration, it's no surprise that Sofio's take on the practical aspects of his work is equally unconventional. Instead of taking the final style as the main building block, he looks at projects like an architect, starting with crafting the perfect traffic flow. At the Ivory on Sunset restaurant at The Mondrian in Los Angeles, the client mandate was "Old Hollywood on the Sunset Strip." Not so easy to deliver in a long, narrow low space that had already been home to two other restaurants. Flipping the entry from one end of the lobby to a patio fixed the circulation problem without knocking out walls. It also highlights the self-described builder's love of problemsolving. Sofio was bent on crafting four columns for an upcoming bar that evoke Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Wax building. But he couldn't use poured concrete in an extant space and drywall was out (dancing is too tough on the material). Moreover, hishttp://www.boutiquedesign.com