Interior Design: Restaurant and Bar Design

Hotels, Lodgings & Restaurants: Bar Agricole in San Francisco

I recently dropped by San Francisco's new (and feverishly anticipated) Bar Agricole, camera in hand. Located on an industrial block in SoMa, this venture of Thad Vogler (a Yale-educated, self-described bartender who has worked in Paris, Tokyo, Ireland, Guatemala, Belize, and at several high-profile San Francisco restaurants, including the Slanted Door) celebrates the tradition of farmhouse distilling and is already being called "the Chez Panisse of cocktails." Vogler has planted a 500-square-foot biodynamic garden with citrus fruit trees and herbs like hyssop and savory he'll be using in his concoctions, and the drinks list—featuring artisanal, sustainable, biodynamic ingredients—is centered around AgricoleRhum, a spirit made in small batches from sugar cane in the French Caribbean.

The locavore spirit carries over to the design of Bar Agricole's interior, with walls of reclaimed white oak from old whiskey barrels and elements by local craftspeople. The building itself is San Francisco's first LEED Gold certified structure; in the 1900s it housed the Jackson Brewery; the structure was recently overhauled by Aidlin Darling Design andMatarozzi/Pelsinger Builders and recognized by the AIA/COTE as one of the top ten green projects of 2010. Still to come: a cedar-paneled outdoor courtyard with seating for plein air imbibing.

Above: The urbanscape mural above the bar is by SF photographer Thomas Winz.

Above: Thad Vogler's favorite silver-plated Hercule French cocktail shakers.

Above: A luminous, undulating glass sculpture by Nikolas Weinstein reflects light from the skylights above (photo via Flickr).

Above: The distinctive seating and tables are by SF furniture designer Sebastian Parker.

Above: The custom concrete booths were fabricated by Concreteworks in Oakland.

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Restaurant Design: Hotels, Lodging & Restaurants: Five Leaves in Brooklyn

Restaurant Design: Hotels, Lodging &; Restaurants: Five Leaves in Brooklyn

Designed by John and Kevin McCormick (of Freeman's and Beatrice Inn fame), Five Leaves in Greenpoint features a nautically themed interior and counts the late Heath Ledger among its investors. "The McCormicks are not exactly decorators or contractors, while they do both," according to a profile in the New York Observer.  "Rather, they are professional distressors: helping build restaurants and bars where each dust particle, creaky door hinge, dent, and scratch is applied with expert precision. Johnny rusts, oxidizes, and ages surfaces. Sometimes he uses chemicals to create aged-green copper; other times he attacks light fixtures, bar tops, and doors with nails, keys, or whatever else might be lying around. Kevin, meanwhile, is the wall and ceiling expert: applying layer upon layer of paint and plaster as well as candle wax, or motor oil if necessary, to get a weathered look."

Go to  Five Leaves for more information; photographs by Will Femia.

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Interior Design: Restaurant Design

Restaurants: Abattoir in Atlanta

"Smart, simple, and sustainable" is the design mandate of Atlanta-based Square Feet Studio, which recently designed the interiors for Abattoir restaurant in the city's westside neighborhood, most notable for its contemporary galleries and warehouses. Housed in an old meat-packing plant, Abattoir is a modern-day chop house based on "whole animal cuisine"; we particularly like the used of reclaimed wood on the walls and the whitewashed brick surfaces.

 Mile End Delicatessen in Brooklyn

in Boerum Hill, a newish deli owned by Rachel and Noah Cohen that already has a cult following among the food cogniscenti of New York. Housed in what was once a vacant garage, the interior space was designed in collaboration with William Mowat ofAssociated Fabrication. The counter, tables, and benches are made from salvaged wood from a bowling alley, and the stools are from a 1929 Woolworth counter. 

Best Japanese Restaurant ‘Cave’ By Koichi Takada Architect

Koichi Takada Architects has been finished The Cave Restaurant in Sydney, Australia. Koichi Takada Architects seeks to develop unique and innovative designs that attract inspiration from the processes of nature.

We intend to turn the way we eat and blather in a restaurant. The acoustic quality of the restaurant assist to the cozy and enjoy the dining experience.

We have experimented with noise levels in connection to the pleasant of dining and the ambience a cave like environment can make. The timber profiles awaken a sound studio atmosphere, and a comfort ‘noise’ of dining conversation, proposing a more familiar experience as well as a visually interesting and complex surrounding.

The series of acoustic curvatures were tested and expanded with computer modelling and each ‘timber grain’ profile has been translated and cut from computer-generated 3-D data, applying Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology. [Via]

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