Description:
This project was the insertion of a restaurant into an existing, vacant portion of a Cincinnati brewery. In direct contrast to the current gargantuan and deliberately unfinished beer hall already on site, the restaurant was envisioned as a polished, intimate and serene space that would incorporate and enhance the existing architectural elements of the building.
New windows open the space to the street for the first time in decades; existing, obscured windows along an alley were retained and repaired. Existing brick walls were repaired and left exposed. A concrete and plaster vaulted ceiling system was exposed and highlighted with lighting.
The hard surfaces of the floors, walls and ceilings are counterbalanced by selectively located soffits, which distribute heating and cooling, but, more importantly are faced with sound absorbing fabric-clad panels. These soffits are additionally punctuated by plaster domes which hold low wattage light bulbs, allowing for an even, soft lighting.
A playfully operable glass wall between the casual and formal sides of the space takes its cues from the glazing of the existing windows, but with attenuated proportions. Additional elements and finishes such as a wood panel wainscot, a rubbed brass back-bar, leather banquettes with brass detailing, and walls of mottled venetian plaster continue the contrast between old and new, raw and finished.
Highly ornamental, salvaged fixtures were used whenever possible and include the bar, pocket doors, pendant lights and several pieces of furniture. The space is a cohesive, comfortable setting for food and conversation that also delineates the differences between old and new, hard and soft, industrial and polished.
