Pivot Design Spotlight: Alyx Jones

Tell us about your experience with Pivot.

I have been with Pivot for just over two years after relocating from El Paso, Texas. As a Senior Ancillary Designer, my focus is on commercial projects in the LA and Orange County areas, working exclusively with ancillary furniture.

People often ask me what “ancillary furniture” means, and I like to say that if an office was a box and you turned it upside down, everything that falls out that isn’t a desk or a task chair, is ancillary furniture. As the workplace has grown increasingly more open and flexible, the walls are coming down, and furniture is playing a greater role in defining interior spaces.

How can you cohesively apply a fabric and finish palette to ancillary furniture on a multi-level project and manage testing requirements, lead times, COM’s, multiple vendors, pricing, and alternates without sacrificing design intent and meeting a move-in date? How can you curate furniture selection to align with the architectural vision and the client’s goal for their space? How can you marry function and aesthetic in a workplace to reflect the unique identity of a brand? This is what I’m working to solve for.

Tell us about your background.

I am Japanese-American and I was born in Ebina, Japan. We lived in and around Tokyo until I was 15. My parents were missionaries, so I grew up abroad, exploring places like Mexico and India. I finally moved to Texas around 22 and started college. I like to think of myself as a global citizen, but Texas holds my heart.

What inspired you to become a designer?

A book! I read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead in college, and I signed up for design and architecture classes the very next semester. It was as if something just clicked and I finally understood how my brain works. I am highly analytical and incredibly curious about how things work and why. Growing up, I remember reading every book in the house.

What big shifts have you been noticing lately in the design industry?

More and more companies are realizing in order to attract and retain top talent, they need to provide more progressive spaces for work. This means less desks and more amenity spaces. This is what our generation and the next generation of knowledge workers are demanding. Work used to be a place you’d go every day; now it’s what you do.

I see a significant increase in contract-based work interactions, the Gig economy. They say there’s an Uber for everything – other types of work will trend that direction. The work force is interested in more autonomy, independence and choice in how, when, and where they work.

Favorite piece of furniture?

Definitely my bed. I am not at all a morning person. And my task chair at the office is my other favorite! I absolutely have to sit on an Aeron Chair - if I had to work somewhere where I couldn’t sit on one, it would probably be a deal breaker.

Unique fact about yourself?

Alyx is not my real name -- I chose it when I was 13 because my legal name, Angela didn’t really feel like me. My family got used to it, but my sisters still yell “Ang!” when I'm in trouble!

Contemporary or traditional?

I’m more interested in timeless, progressive and functional designs.

Favorite project at Pivot so far?

I have had the privilege of working on so many great projects while working at Pivot, both big and small. A recent favorite is Concord Music, which is up for a REmmy Award!

In California: beach or mountains?

Beach. I enjoy being outdoors, but comfortably. I’m not going to camp in a tent. I’ll go hiking but I’m not going to sleep out there (laughing).

Concert or play?

Concerts for sure. I love discovering new artists before they really blow up. I’d rather catch a gig at a low-key, intimate venue versus a place like the Forum.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee, all the way!