Designed for living

Firm 817 makes a case for loving oneÂ’s home setting

Joseph Self is talking about architecture, but you’d never know it from his descriptive terms – lifestyle, trueness and authenticity.

WeÂ’re sitting in the living area of his Firm 817 offices, in a cozy space that doubles as his familyÂ’s home, although itÂ’s difficult to figure out which one – home? business? – is overtaking the other.

A few feet away, the kitchen table is occupied by a staffer crouching over a laptop. A few feet away, up a couple of steps, three others hover over computers. The scene might be called organized chaos – if only it were chaotic.

“We want people to have fun with design and to know it is OK to take a little bit of a chance, a little bit of risk, that it’s OK to be a little different from your neighbor,” Self says.

Self was born in Abilene but moved around, courtesy of his fatherÂ’s military service. As he discusses his craft, his business and his love of Fort Worth (817 is taken from the Area Code), it becomes clear that the terms Self uses, like lifestyle, trueness and authenticity, are all part of the Joe Self philosophy.

Firm 817 is a design-oriented architectural firm that approaches work with the mind-set of an artist. Judging from the laid-back atmosphere in the home/business, that attitude makes perfect sense.

Several years ago, Self had what one might call an epiphany – an understanding that the combined ideas of sculptors, painters, landscape architects and writers would add up to a broad set of influences, making architecture and design more interesting, more fun and more functional than the traditional brick-and-mortar orientation.

To Self, who studied at Rice University and taught architecture at Texas A&M and Texas Christian University before birthing Firm 817, it’s certainly possible to house people in a place that, though functional and practical, still fails to “delight” the occupants.

“Our goal,” Self says, “is to delight people while making [designs] functional and keeping within their budget. We want to make things that have a vision attached … To get people to dream of things they hadn’t seen before. To say it’s OK to be free from functional requirements.”

Along with designer, co-owner and SelfÂ’s wife of four years, Tracey Self, Firm 817 works as a full-service operation that not only develops high-end residential dwellings but can suggest the décor, the colors and the landscaping.

The firm is young but well-positioned in a marketplace where some homeowners are becoming more demanding as they are exposed to new styles. This awareness causes them to seek designs that are passionate and personalized, a specialty of firms such as SelfÂ’s. While itÂ’s always about what the client wants, the firm helps clients understand how lives can be transformed by the surroundings.

“The biggest difference between an architect and most other occupations is that, before we solve a problem, we seek out the correct problem, and then come up with the answers,” says Self. “We’re always asking: ‘Have you thought about this?’”

Joe and Tracey Self are always thinking about such questions. The interest in environment reflects in their living/working arrangement.

And they practice what they preach. The place they bought a few years ago sits on the eastern edge of the TCU area. The property isn’t huge – it went from 1,700 to 2,300 square feet – but it is practical. The Selfs took out walls and put in columns to open up the place, connected the front and back with a walkway, and raised the roof. Glass was installed in the ceiling of the master bedroom to allow for open views of the sky.

“We try and help our clients understand that you don’t have to build big,” Self says. “Build the right size, not the biggest size you can afford.”

Most of the firmÂ’s work is residential, although the Selfs are currently working on a restaurant and a chapel. Projects range from big to small, inside to out, from remodels to built-from-the-ground-up.

“What we bring to the table is a little bit different than most,” says Self, whose staff numbers a half-dozen. Tracey specializes in interiors: colors, moldings and trimmings.

“It’s a team approach that started with us, and we’re trying to extend to the people we’re hiring,” Self says. “What you’re hiring is a set of skills. With Tracey, for instance, her involvement is essential and huge for every project. Nothing goes out without her looking at it.”

This might explain why their home/offices (which also include a teenager, by the way) is spiced with bold and warm colors. TheyÂ’re not finished with it, but the place is already close to where they want to be.

“We walk through this place and enjoy being here,” says Self. “We want that for our clients.”

Contact Perkins at rfrancis@bizpress.net

For a copy of the complete HomeStyle publication, email mfranklin@bizpress.net