Identical twins Gary and Glenn Lepore recall one of their first projects as a startup architecture firm was a small soup stall called Chowderheads in The Arcade in downtown Providence.
That was 11 years ago, when the brothers decided to ditch their jobs at major firms in Boston and Providence to open LDL Studio Inc.
As they built the firm’s portfolio on 10- to 12-seat restaurants and coffee shops, they landed bigger projects. One of the first was the interior renovation of Azul, a Latin restaurant in West Hartford, Conn. Another was the interior renovation of Camille’s on Federal Hill.
Since then, LDL Studio has completed more than 50 hospitality projects in New England, including Providence’s Citron, XO Steakhouse, Big Fish, the Providence Oyster Bar and Providence Prime.
Annual sales have quadrupled since 2001. And Glenn Lepore said he believes sales will continue to rise as the firm breaks into burgeoning markets such as the medical spa/hotel market.
LDL Studio recently completed the architectural design and interior design of a 40,000-square-foot medispa/hotel in San Antonio. Cosmetic surgery alone is a $6 billion industry, Glenn Lepore said. He expects more medical spa resorts to crop up, especially in the South, where they are more popular than in northern cities.
“This is a huge growth segment for us,” he said.
The spa business in general comprises 40 percent of the firm’s business. Restaurants comprise 40 percent. And hotels and nightclubs comprise 20 percent. But hotels, particularly environmentally friendly hotels, could become another big market for LDL Studio.
A developer in New York City recently hired the firm to design the interior of a 100-percent “green”-certified hotel that he can brand, package and open in four other cities.
Projects like these are helping Gary and Glenn Lepore reach their goal of increasing sales to $6 million in three years.
But it doesn’t mean the firm will stop accepting smaller jobs, such as a 500-square-foot yogurt café or seafood store, Gary Lepore said, because each project has its own specific problems and challenges that the firm’s designers can learn from.
And they never know what kind of referral can come from designing a small café in a small town somewhere.
The firm gets a lot of repeat business, which is a testament to LDL Studio’s service, said Glenn Lepore. The brothers strive to get projects done on time and on budget and to exceed their customers’ expectations by incorporating the latest trends in color, texture and lighting. And they try to introduce new concepts, such as communal dining where singles, couples and small groups can sit at large tables together to eat.
In addition, they try to incorporate original artwork into every project. Gary and Glenn Lepore are Rhode Island natives and Rhode Island School of Design graduates, so they have a network of local and national artists to tap into.
“It adds a quality to our product that’s exciting,” Gary Lepore said.
Being a licensed architect adds value to each project, because Lepore knows how to incorporate building code and fire code requirements into design, he said. It often saves clients money to hire a licensed architect up front, instead of a designer whose design might be really beautiful but not pass building permit approval.
On the creative side, the firm uses student interns from Roger Williams University, RISD, Johnson & Wales University and Bryant University who contribute ideas to the design process, Lepore said. It is a huge asset to the firm, as is the firm’s studio approach to design.
“Everyone has input into the process,” he said. “We want to keep it as creative an environment as possible.”
LDL Studio’s also has a full-time graphic designer and lighting designer on staff to help the firm address branding issues. Developing brands for local restaurant chains has been big business, especially in the last three years, Glenn Lepore said.
Branding a restaurant chain includes developing a color scheme, graphics, uniform and layout that can attribute to a signature look that lets customers know they are entering a specific restaurant.
For example, Panera Bread restaurants’ Tuscan color scheme and baking ovens located near the entrance are crucial parts of its brand identity.
“We are now doing that with hotels,” Gary Lepore said. “That’s where they see us as being a value.”
Company profile: LDL Studio Inc.
Owners: Gary and Glenn Lepore
Type of business: Architecture firm specializing in hospitality design
Location: 106 Putnam St., Providence
Employees: 10
Year established: 1996
Annual sales: $1.4 million
