24 March 1999
Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle, Washington
ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING

Snapshot of Degen & Degen


By Sam Bennett
Journal Staff Reporter


Name: Jeff and Anita Degen
Firm: Degen & Degen
Offices: 1402 Third Ave.
Year Founded: 1994
Staff size: Three architects, a structural engineer, five interior designers and one administrative assistant

Q: What is your specialty?
Jeff: We're hospitality design specialists. We do hotels all over the U.S. and Canada. We also do special projects, such as renovating the Elysian Brewery building, and we do showrooms for companies like Kohler, the plumbing manufacturer.

Q: What attracts you to hotel work?
Jeff: There's really few building types quite as diversified as hotel projects. The have every element: a public component, - the lobby and reception areas; commercial component ? meeting rooms and office administration areas; and industrial component ? laundry rooms and commercial kitchens.
Anita: There's a lot of creative freedom in hotels. It's about creating an environment that people wouldn't necessarily have at home, so their visit to a hotel is a little bit of an adventure. It's about escapism.

Q: What is your favorite hotel?
Jeff: Two completely different hotels come to mind. Both are special because of how they relate to their locations. The first is the Istanbul Kempinski. This hotel is an old palace from the Ottomon era. It is very luxurious. The design responds to the setting and the whole experience of being in a converted palace. My other choice is small huts in Africa that overlook Mt. Kilimanjaro, outside of Arusha, Tanzania. This complex of cottages, with thatched roofs and African motifs just captures the Africa experience so wonderfully.

Q: How do you fit the design to the client?
Jeff: We get to know our clients well before we even start. That's one reason our designs don't get rejected. We know that some hotel chains want consistency and predictability; some want the "wow" in hotels; and others want each to be different, very unique, with a story behind the concept.

Q: Do you favor high-profile or modest design?
Jeff: Architects by nature are individualistic and egotistical. We think good design does not have to be about us. We're not forcing our design aesthetic on anybody.
Anita: We approach every project with a clear mind. Because there's so much variety in hotel design, you have to start without any preconception of what it's going to be. We've done very traditional work and very contemporary.

Q: Are there any local buildings you find attractive?
Anita: The Frye Art Museum is a very nice piece of architecture. It doesn't shout. It's quietly sophisticated. So many architects, especially young architects, think that a design, to have impact, has to hit you in the face. Good design passes the test if it isn't shouting. The Frye is one of those buildings. Once you get to know it, you don't tire of it.