Although it was his first time at Las Vegas Market, Erik Peterson, President of PHX Architecture, seemed right at home. Erik discussed his firm, his inspiration, and the trends he’s seeing in today’s architectural landscape in a conversation with acclaimed interior designer Christopher Grubb at the Phillips Collection showroom.

PHX Architecture has offices in Scottsdale, AZ and Beverly Hills, CA. The brand focuses on “Living Architecture,” which takes into account the location of each space during the design process. Erik’s projects are varied and include residential and commercial spaces such as boutique resorts, restaurants, and golf clubhouses– or what he refers to as “lifestyle projects.”

Christopher wondered where Erik gets his design inspiration, considering he’s from Chicago – arguably the center point of US architecture.

According to Erik, the influences of architectural powerhouses like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright certainly guided his style and way of working. From them, he’s learned to focus on designing organic indoor-outdoor spaces and use the site he’s working on to influence the end-product.

Using the location as the influence ensures that the designs PHX Architecture create are each unique and exceptional.

“Some architects [create] one specific style, but we do homeowner-specific styles that depend on the location of the house,” Erik elaborated.

Because every site is different and every client is different, each look is customized.

Concerning trends in architecture, Christopher and Erik both noted an emerging focus on health and wellness.

“We went through a period of sustainability, but now we’re seeing trends centered on health and wellness. We’re looking at things like light quality, water quality, air quality, and how those all influence how we’re living every day,” explained Erik.

Christopher added that incorporating health and wellness isn’t necessarily expensive. It’s something that almost everyone can bring into their living space.

As they closed out the conversation, Erik mentioned the importance of simplifying living spaces.

“People want to fill every corner and space, and it ends up making everything seem busy,” he said. “The more you can learn to simplify, the better you’ll feel.

Tipster TV has released the full video coverage from our special interview, be sure to check it out below.