PROJECT  1157 Bar + Kitchen

LOCATION  Baltimore, Maryland, 

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  12/7/2014

ARCHITECT  Rohrer Studio

ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT  

OWNER/CLIENT  Jane Ambrose & Jason Ambrose

CONTRACTOR  Hencken & Gaines, Tom Gaines

PHOTOGRAPHER  Jennifer Hughes

DESIGN TEAM  Dianne Rohrer, Jacqueline Scranton, Julianna von Zumbusch

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

The owner/chef’s goal was to create a small, low key setting that would allow him to focus on his passion for creating quality food and craft cocktails in a local neighborhood bar setting. He longed to return to making food himself while interacting with patrons and bartenders in a space small enough to be operated by just himself and a few staff. His desire was a warm, relaxed, informal atmosphere that played off of the urban neighborhood’s industrial history, while feeling like a best kept neighborhood secret. The neighborhood included a range of potential patrons– from young professionals stopping in for happy hour to older neighborhood residents enjoying a leisurely dinner. The design needed to provide a space that would make all patrons feel equally comfortable and would foster a sense of community between groups. The tight footprint of the former row house in an urban residential neighbor presented a challenge in accommodating the 28 minimum seats required for the business plan, along with required equipment and back of house functions. The narrow, small space is just 740 square feet and 12’-8” deep and required major infrastructure upgrades to accommodate kitchen & dish washing functions, toilets, egress, ADA accessibility and new HVAC. Given the projected income, being a small establishment, it was absolutely critical that the design fit out be as cost effective. Solutions A new rhythm of wood planks breaks the length of the space with minimal impact to the small footprint. The rough sawn wood adds warmth while the negative spaces between the planks define zones for tables, windows, lighting, signage and the back bar. The use of 2 person booths was critical in meeting the desired seating count. The booth table tops double as window sills to capture additional space. The integration of full-height vertical steel rods provides coat hooks and a sense of separation from the adjacent busy bar and standing zone. Lighting provides warmth to gathering spaces. Simple sconces graze the woods planks and custom black aluminum pipe shaft fixtures extend down to accentuate seating zones with an inner pop of red. They provide cost effective, simple and playful lighting that harkens to the industrial smoke stacks of the neighborhood. A large open pass-through window allows a view from the kitchen to the entire public space - encouraging the interaction between the chef and patrons that was a key client goal. The palette of natural raw materials - rough sawn white oak, metal pipes, rusted sheet metal, thick glass and exposed fasteners - create a strong yet restrained character while the amber toned liquor selection and beer taps are used as feature objects. On the south exterior, the new ADA entry ramp becomes the main entry and existing materials are embraced in keeping with the neighborhood. Existing Formstone remains on the upper residential level but was stripped from the first floor creating a datum of old rough worn brick at the new entry. The relocation of windows and new lighting provide fresh punctuation.

IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS

IMAGE 1  Exterior wall with wood accent panels & new windows. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 2  View towards Accent Wall & Community Table. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 3  Bar Edge with Drink Menu. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 4  Custom Lighting Detail. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 5  View of Custom Booth. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 6  Back Bar Detail. Jennifer Hughes Photography

IMAGE 7  Menu Board Detail. Jennifer Hughes Photography

Media For Download
Project PDF