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Growing Up

About two years ago a friend added on to a building he owns and opened Cafe Mochi.  I was intensly involved in this project from beginning to end.  We used every inch of space his property line allowed but he needs more seating, so the decision was made to expand into the original building that sits at a higher elevation.





  Naturally this involves breaking through the wall and adding a set of stairs.



This is the wall that will be opened for the staircase.  This wall bench and sconce will be moved to the top of the stairs in the new space.

This is the view from the opposite side.  The blue tarp covers the area that will connect the lower level to the new upper level.  The door opens to a bathroom which will remain. (More on that in a later post.)

The wall bench from the lower level will be placed on the insulated wall and will benefit from the natural light of the large window.


So that the bench will cover the entire width of this wall, we are adding a two foot section in the center of the split bench.



Luckily we saved a remnant of this incredible Designer Guild fabric that we can now use on the filler piece.


This wall had a window in an awkward location.  A few solutions were discussed but eliminating it by covering it from the inside was deemed the best choice.  As you can see, we had already eliminated a doorway when this shot was taken.


Now that this window has been hidden, another wall bench will be made to fit this wall.


This embossed leather look from Maxwell will be used to upholster the back of the 48" high bench.  A solid matte black vinyl will be used for the seat and sides of the bench.

A longer bench in the same upholstery will span this wall.


The floor tiles are 12x12 porcelain in the colors of the two samples on the right.  It will be laid out in a grid with approximately 1/4 of the tiles in plum and rest in the speckled gray.  The fabrics on the left will be used on the chairs with the seats in the black vinyl checkerboard pattern from Fabricut and the backs in the Designer Guild fabric called Brescia.

Somewhere I hope to use this canvas I picked up at Home Goods.

The colors in the painting incorporate every color being used in the space.  I walked past it a few times before I actually "saw" it.  My mind was on mirrors which is the other element that will have a strong presence in this space.

There are still plenty of decisions to be made.  The lighting in the original restaurant is a collection of colorful chandeliers.  But because of much lower ceilings this space, we will use recessed and snake tracks.

A waiter's station will cover this wall.  The final design for that will be discussed in the next post.

Right now the biggest debate is over having/not having a TV in the restaurant.  I am very clear on my opinion and I will do my best to keep it out.  But, ultimately it is not my decision only my decorating dilemma.  I would love to hear your thoughts about televisions in restaurants.

Comments

  1. Exciting! Love the color palette. Restaurants do not need TVs. We're supposed to talk to each other.

    ReplyDelete

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