For over a decade,  B2 Architecture & Design CEO Allison Brooks has led her team to becoming the premier multi-family interior designer in North Texas. She and her firm have designed over 70 multi-family properties across the nation, picking up distinctions along the way such as being honored at the BisNow’s Women Leading Real Estate summit and achieving Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places To Work.

Since their founding 17 years ago, B2 has gone beyond the general interior designer duties from choosing color palettes with clients to coordinating construction schedules with contractors. Recently, Allison sat down with TLM to discuss how she and B2 leverage storytelling to design engaging environments, how to create a winning team, and how to find inspiration.

What is your philosophy on design? How do you really get to know what a client wants?

As a firm that focuses on creating environments where people live, gather, and travel, we are most interested in telling the story of a place. Frankly, that is what designers do – tell stories.  Where B2 stands out is our ability to tell these stories in new and different ways.  No project looks alike because each one has a unique story and expression. We look for ways to express the story through scent, texture, lighting, and accessories to name a few. We are drawn to spaces that reflect locale and appeal to different sensibilities depending on occasion and aspiration.

You were named by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work in 2023. How did you accomplish this?

This designation is important to B2 Architecture + Design. It is an expression of the type of employer and business we want to be. The B2 leadership team has worked tirelessly to understand what our team wants as individuals for their personal growth, professional growth, and overall success. We strive to create an environment where our employees can begin and end their careers with the care, support, and empowerment that makes B2 one of the best places to work – in DFW and beyond.

 How do you define a team, and what do you look for when forming one?

At B2 Architecture + Design, we start with our definition of “Right People”. For us, that means does this person possess GRIT, prioritize taking ACTION, and do they BELIEVE in themselves, our goals, our projects, and our clients. Whether we are hiring an entry level or senior director or external consultant, these are requirements for success at B2 Architecture + Design.

How do you find inspiration?

Our team is incredibly curious and adventurous.  To uncover the next idea, new approaches, and potential innovations, our people go out of their way to be active adventurers in their cities and through and travel. We constantly bring these ideas back to inspire the next design.

What’s next for B2 Architecture + Design?

B2 is in growth mode. We have an excellent reputation for the work we do in housing and are working to expand that reputation in hospitality, especially with the addition of a Miami office and the growth of our Chicago base. Our growth is geographic to better serve our clients, provide opportunities for our employees, and welcome new B2 members to expand our talent. This is always in response to our clients and employees, and we know there are other opportunities ahead to increase our service offerings. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cover Photo Alexan Waterloo

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.