Tom Wall, Mitchell Wall Architecture And Design - Time With The Boss

Tom Wall
MITCHELL WALL ARCHITECTURE
AND DESIGN

Website: www.mitchellwall.com
Industry: architecture and design

Education: BA from Cornell University, Master of Architecture from the University of Kansas

Family: wife, Megan, and two sons, Fletcher, 2, and Henry, 5

What is your mission?
To design exemplary houses for clients that are both indicative of their personalities and my own design aesthetic. For me, it’s to combine function and form in a perfect symbiotic relationship — giving the client not only a beautiful home but a beautiful experience within the home.

What was your first job?
At 15 I sold clothes at Banana Republic.

What was your worst job?
As a DJ in Los Angeles, I took a gig without looking closely at the details and wound up working in someone’s living room for their 12-year-old’s birthday party.

What led you to architecture?
My father was an architect. I grew up around it. He never pressured me to enter the business, but it’s in my blood.

What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
Staying ahead of the curve on technology. We use 3-D virtual reality walk-throughs and 3-D scanners to get precise measurements of existing homes. Anytime we invest in tech, we see a leap forward in customer satisfaction and productivity.

Who is your industry role model?
Bjarke Ingals of BIG Architecture. His philosophy on design is spot-on, and he’s grown his business exponentially in a short time.

How do you differentiate from others in your industry?
We are not going to give you something that has been done before. Every client is different. This limits us, but when a client wants something exceptional, thoughtful and designed specifically to suit their needs, that’s when we shine.

What’s the hottest trend in your
industry?
With computer-aided design, we see more complicated projects being developed — buildings that are the result of algorithms, complicated structural systems that don’t appear to be possible. We believe that good architecture is something developed from the mind and soul. While computers do some incredible things, we still use old-fashioned methods.

What’s the hardest part of your job?
The time it takes to develop exceptional design and educating the clients on the intricacies, struggles and efforts associated with it.

The best part?
When you really nail the project. After weeks developing a concept, to have that work appreciated by the person you are working for and seeing those efforts come to fruition.

What best advice would you share with new entrepreneurs?
Find your goal, set your sights on it and pursue it relentlessly until it is achieved. Then look for the next one.

What’s your favorite place in St. Louis?
Forest Park and Grand Center’s entertainment district.

What do you like to do in your free time?
We take my boys to the park, ride bikes around Creve Coeur Lake. We love music, and it’s not uncommon to find us at concerts around town. It doesn’t matter what we are doing as long as we are together. n