The new home for this acclaimed two-star (now three star!) Michelin restaurant is the historic California Electric Light Company Building in the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco. The Chef’s directive was clear: a floor plan that went beyond the typical “open layout” but one in which there was complete transparency between the kitchen and the dining room allowing for unrestricted access between the diners and the staff. 

 

At one end of the 35 foot tall space is the Kitchen and Dining Room and at the other end the Bar and Salon. To give scale to the room, a datum is set at 10-feet for the suspended lighting and another, at 8-feet, for architectural elements such as the wood storage entry wall, host coat-closet and wine side-board. In lieu of waiter stations there are a series of moveable consoles made of wood and steel. These elements not only store silverware and napkins, but can slide over the table tops to create multiple seating options and privacy between groups of diners.

 

In keeping with the restaurants dedication to local and sustainable sources for their ingredients, the design strove to match those practices by recycling materials and maintaining fabrication in the Bay Area.

 

In collaboration with Michael Gibson

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Kitchen Designer: Tim Harrison

Photography: Bruce Damonte