Red O - Restaurant Design

Living in Los Angeles, I see a different restaurant opening up almost every weekend.  This last weekend was no exception.  As I drove down Melrose Ave I spotted this amazing structure that immediately caught my eye.  It's called Red O and it boasts a mouth watering Mexican style menu created by Chef Rick Bayless (a recent Top Chef Masters finalist - one of my favorite TV shows!).  Although I find myself in the residential world of interior design, I can't help but get excited by commercial projects like this:

This shot was taken while construction was still underway. It looks much more dramatic in person - especially at night when the lights are angled just right.

The interior is even more exciting than the exterior:

Guests travel through this wonderful "Tequila Tunnel" that displays the restaurants wide array of various tequilas.

The main bar features leather swing-like chairs and bent Walnut circular shelves. As you can see, the space makes quite a transformation from day to night.

The Dining Atrium has a great open feel with 25' ceilings.

I love all the different seating areas available.  It would be a great place to hold a dinner party because of the separation of spaces.

I hope to follow-up with a full food report one of these days!!

Nursery for my Nephew!

As some of you know, I will be an Aunt in September!! My older sister is pregnant and she's having the family's first great grandchild. We are all a bit excited to say the least.  I am extra excited because it also means there is a nursery that needs to be designed :)  I have come up with the following design boards as a starting off point.  I will begin a floor plan and a 3D study on the space tonight.  It's like being back in school but sooooo much better!

A Blank Canvas

I've spent the last month searching for large pieces of artwork for our new walls that wouldn't break the bank.  Unfortunately, these two things don't go together.  Eventually I came up with the crazy idea of painting a canvas myself.  I hadn't painted in years and wasn't quite sure I still had any skill but I decided to go for it.  Aaron Brothers was having a sale on large canvas' and I scored a 48"x36" one for about $47 - much cheaper than any art you could buy at that size! Plus, I still had most of my acrylic paints saved from years past so it's really I needed to spend.

 
Having such a large blank canvas stare at you can be a little intimidating so I decided to get a little inspiration.  I found two different photos online that peaked my interest.  I printed them out and used them as a guide...

 

 

The finished product....