AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 11

Interior Design
Just a few minutes into a catch up session in early 2021, the friend in question — noted
Memphis chef Kelly English — put his cards on the table. A recent Spanish-themed pop-up
at Iris, his Southern cuisine-focused flagship, had gone well — really well. So well in fact
that English was moving Iris to a new location, making room for the pop-up to evolve into a
full-time tapas bar, one he wanted David to design.
For English, the transition was to be the fulfillment of a dream. For six months while
he was in college, Kelly lived in Barcelona, a period he points to as the moment he realized
that he wanted to be a chef. For David, the reaction was somewhat different. “All I could
think was, ‘I’ve never designed a restaurant before,’ ” he recalls. “How would I even start the
process? And a whole building?” Having specialized in room-by-room residential projects
and even sworn off of commercial projects previously, it was a high hill to climb.
By the end of the conversation though, English had his man. Doubts had been allayed
and David was on board. Talk then turned to scheduling. As the pandemic was reaching new
heights and every industry was just beginning to feel the impact that global illness has on
supply chain logistics, schedule conflicts and previous engagements left the pair stranded
with just four weeks, the month of October, to effect this transformation.
To start the project, David was in need of inspiration. He decided to take a trip to
Puerto Rico. “Pantà’s interiors were to be inspired by both Spain and Memphis, a predominantly
African American city,” the designer says, “I wanted to visit an island rooted in both
African and Spanish culture to see how their mixed influences translated to design and architecture.”
Further inspiration was provided by English, his experiences in Spain and the mix of
visual and culinary experiences he sought to draw from them. The unique Catalan culture
of Barcelona is expressed in their buildings as well as their food, and English wanted to
share his experience through Pantà. “He shared with me his favorite architect, Antoni
Gaudí,” David remembers, “And [said that] he would like to see a bit of Gaudí reflected in
the design.”
Upon his return, David began assembling his team by reaching out to James Daniels —
Jr. & III — the father-son team behind The Pros, a Black-owned Memphis contracting firm.
From there the team expanded by several more, including David's sister and “second mom,”
as well as “Mr. Sam,” one of Memphis’ few remaining traditional wallpaper hangers the city
has to offer, who accepted the job just ahead of his planned retirement. Tasked with specific
roles from repurposing furniture to creating murals and painting walls, David’s dream
team made quick work of their assignments, and it was a good thing they did.
The weeks leading up to the grand opening of the newly minted and freshly redesigned
restaurant were a mixed bag of blessings, curses, near-misses, and heroic efforts. Wallpaper
ordered from Australia — an expected delay — actually arrived early. A computer error
filled dozens of paint cans with the wrong color. Masterful work was done as every piece of
furniture from the former restaurant was reupholstered and repurposed. And David took a
well-placed shot at muraling, while both Jameses applied colorful tiles to the space's pillars
for a beautifully architectural look. Meanwhile, artist Francis Berry created the centerpiece
for the restaurant’s private dining space — a swirling and intricately detailed painting of a
dragon on the room’s ceiling.
When opening day came the space was perfect. Gaudí’s love of shapes, textures and
colors (a perfect match for David), are fully on display in a space that still feels right for
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