“I like to create awe and delight. I always enjoy an element of surprise in the design that the client doesn’t realize until they occupy the space.”
Erik is licensed in Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Hawaii, Utah, Oklahoma, Nevada, Montana, Louisiana and California. He also has attained his NCARB certification giving reciprocity for any state license.
President of PHX Architecture, Erik B. Peterson grew up in Chicago and received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Iowa State University and his Master’s degree at Arizona State University. His career in the Southwest began at the famed Taliesin Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm in Arizona, where he gained knowledge of organic architecture principals. Now as President of the award-winning PHX Architecture, he presides over the 30-person firm headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ with a second office in Beverly Hills, CA. Erik specializes in lifestyle design including luxury, bespoke residential, golf clubhouses, boutique resorts and distinctive dining; Erik’s designs have won numerous industry awards including multiple Gold Nuggets, Best in American Living and Luxe Magazine Red Awards. He has also been honored as “Master of the Southwest” by Phoenix Home & Garden, a “New Trad” by Traditional Homes Magazine and an ”Icon of Beverly Hills” by Modern Luxury. His designs located throughout the Country have been featured in many top-tier publications such as Architectural Digest, INTERIORS Magazine, Luxe Magazine, Wall Street Journal and California Homes, as well as many regional publications throughout the West. Erik has designs located throughout Arizona, California, Hawaii, Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Colorado, Utah, New York, Massachusetts, Nevada and even internationally in Calgary, Canada and Cabo, Mexico.
Dedicated to bettering the industry and local communities – Erik is a member or affiliated with the following organizations and networks, both regionally and nationally:
- AIA
- Arizona Opera – Board of Directors
- DLN (Design Leadership Network)
- Pella Design Council
- Scottsdale Public Arts – Board of Directors
- Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce
- Taliesin Fellows (Honorary Member)
- ASU President’s Circle
- ASU Architecture Partners Program
- Luke Air Force Base Honorary Commander 56CES
- Scottsdale Chamber Partner Council 100
- ICAA – Institute of Classic Architecture & Art of So. California
- SIA Member (Saving Iconic Architecture)
“I love the look in a clients’ eyes when we present the concept and then they see it in realized form.”
Erik’s projects have been featured in publications including Interiors Magazine, California Homes, Architectural Digest, Wall Street Journal, Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine, Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine, Modern Luxury, the Phoenix Business Journal and the Arizona Republic. The firm was rebranded in 2010 to PHX Architecture and broadened its diversity of projects and staff.
Erik’s mentors lead him to his later successes. His first was in London working for Sir Terry Farrell Architects. He then moved to Arizona, where he was accepted the highly valued internship with Taliesin Architects, where he worked on original Frank Lloyd Wright designs including The Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin. He left Taliesin to work with Bing Hu AIA, who he became licensed under and eventually principal of the firm H&S International, winning numerous awards for design excellence.
Erik is married and has two children. He enjoys travel, classical music, and opera. His ultimate goal is to design opera sets for the great opera houses of the world.