Prix Fixe

Antonio Di Oronzo points to two key reasons that his Bluarch Architecture + Interiors is flourishing.

Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 3/1/2011 2:15:00 PM

"The past three years have been our most successful, with revenue growing by double digits each year." Very few U.S. architects can make that claim. But Antonio Di Oronzo points to two key reasons that his Bluarch Architecture + Interiors is flourishing.

As at many other firms, diversification has come to the rescue. "We provide all services in-house, from architecture, interiors, and lighting to branding, purchasing, and expediting," he notes. His second tactic is less widespread-and perhaps even more likely to win undying client loyalty: By planning to use only 85 percent of a given budget from the get-go, Bluarch is virtually guaranteed to have enough money to handle any last-minute complications.

The transformation of a 2,200-square-foot Greek restaurant in Astoria, New York, into the Dekko Café was fortunately free of unpleasant surprises. Open the glass doors, and the gritty neighborhood is washed away by a sea of frosted-acrylic fins suspended from a ceiling otherwise lined in rustic birch, like the walls. Pasta, burgers, and wraps are served at square tables paired with banquettes, upholstered in an earthy butternut color, and Hans Wegner-inspired chairs, in ethereal white.