Interior designer Janet Brooks has been an important force in Arizona’s design community. While she does take on hospitality, restaurant and retail projects, Brooks’ focus is single-family homes. To ensure each project is unique to the architecture and to the homeowners, she resists a signature style. As for new directions in design, she’s noticed a welcome retreat from a gray palette. “That trend has peaked and is on a downward slope,” Brooks says. “Look forward to more color and more warmth.” Recently, Brooks sat down with Luxe and shared some of her favorite spots around Scottsdale for both work and play.
6:30 a.m. I’m an early riser, so after a cup of coffee, I like to take off for a hike at Pinnacle Peak Trail in North Scottsdale, which is not only a great cardio workout, but is breathtakingly beautiful and full of wonderful Sonoran Desert flora and fauna. It’s a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail with views that seem to go on forever, and it usually makes me start thinking about breakfast.
8:30 a.m. On the way back home, I like to stop at my local AJ’s Fine Foods at Pinnacle Peak and Pima for a hearty breakfast. The wonderful staff at their bistro makes amazing breakfast burritos–with a different selection every morning.
10:00 a.m. I love to stop by the showrooms at the Scottsdale Design District at 68th Street and Thomas to research furniture and fabrics. They are only open to the trade, but anyone can access the plethora of furnishing and design resources, if accompanied by an interior designer. It’s a feast for the design soul.
1:00 p.m. Shopping makes me hungry! It’s time for a quick bite at Sauce at the Scottsdale Waterfront for a quinoa, beet and arugula salad. I love my table outside, where I can catch up on emails and enjoy the perfect Arizona weather.
2:30 p.m. While in downtown Scottsdale, I like to go over to Main Street to visit a couple of my favorite art galleries. I have a client who collects Max Hammond paintings and am looking forward to seeing what pieces Bonner David Galleries might have that would work on the family room wall. His intense abstract color really pops in an otherwise neutral environment.
3:00 p.m. At this point, I like to head to downtown Phoenix to visit Relics, a fabulous source on Camelback Road for architectural antiques and consignment pieces.
7:00 p.m. I always look forward to dinner at my favorite place in the Valley–Lon’s Last Drop at the Hermosa Inn, tucked away in a residential area of Paradise Valley. There, I indulge in Chef Jeremy Pacheco’s Tasting Menu. The food is always amazing at Lon’s, but as a designer, I’m particularly fond of the ambience, especially on the patio under huge mesquite trees with fires roaring.
