Boutique Design - April 2014 - 30

Tracy Borkum didn'T start out as a

2

3

2 A dropped, 9-ft.
maple-wood ceiling
lends warmth and
intimacy to CuCinA's
front dining area,
where wire-shade
lighting splays out
like tentacles from a
central location.

3 The restaurant's
retail area includes
wine displayed on
wood wall shelving.
in addition, several
long tables showcase
merchandise that can
be purchased on-site
or online.

30

boutiquedesign.com APRIL 2014

designer or restaurateur. "My education is
in theater and art history," says the London
native, who has made Southern California
her home for more than 20 years. "But
growing up in Europe and traveling a lot,
I've developed an eye for design." When
she opened her first restaurant in 1995-
Kensington Grill in San Diego, now called
Fish Public-she and her then-husband
designed and built it themselves. Next, in
1999, she opened Chive restaurant in San
Diego's Gaslamp District, followed in 2005
by her acquisition of another San Diego
restaurant, Laurel.
Fast-forward to 2009, when Borkum
decided to close Laurel, since the Bankers
Hill restaurant had lost its way during the
economic downturn. In its place she
opened CUCINA urbana, which offers
offers creative Italian fare and an intriguing
wine selection at equally inviting prices.
Inspired by her love for Italian food, it was
an idea Borkum had been mulling over for
years. In the recessionary climate, she
decided to just go for it.
The restaurant's wine shop proved to
be a a popular differentiator. Diners can
purchase a bottle at retail price and either
take it home or pay a corking fee to drink

it with their meal. The restaurant's retail
offer quickly expanded to include furniture and more. "People loved the restaurant's design," says Borkum, who operates
her business under the Urban Kitchen
Group banner. "They would say, 'I want
my house to look like this,' so it became
part of CUCINA's formula to offer fixtures
and furnishings for sale."
A second successful CUCINA location
opened in 2011 in Orange County, under
the name CUCINA enoteca. And when a
7,000-sq.-ft. restaurant space opened up
in Del Mar-a desirable location by the
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club that Borkum
had been eyeing for years-the restaurateur and her team went to work.
One of the things that drew Borkum
to the building-formerly a Mexican
restaurant-was a dramatic, reclaimed
sloped-wood ceiling. "We walked in and
said, 'That's CUCINA,'" Borkum recalls.
After peeling away the layers, a gut
renovation was required to make the space
work. Most of the second floor was
removed to open up the building and
emphasize the 30-foot-high wood ceiling.
Additionally, a small ground-floor patio
space was expanded, wrapped in glass and
topped with a 2,000-sq.-ft. dining garden.



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Boutique Design - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - April 2014

Boutique Design - April 2014
Contents
From the Editor
In This Issue
The Buzz
Sexy and Sustainable
Blasts From the Past
Takeaway Design
See-Worthy
Products: Lighting
Products: Green
Last Detail
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Intro
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Boutique Design - April 2014
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Cover2
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 1
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Contents
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 3
Boutique Design - April 2014 - From the Editor
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 5
Boutique Design - April 2014 - In This Issue
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 7
Boutique Design - April 2014 - The Buzz
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 9
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 10
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 11
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 12
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 13
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 14
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 15
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Sexy and Sustainable
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 17
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 18
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 19
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 20
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 21
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Blasts From the Past
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 23
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 24
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 25
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 26
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 27
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Takeaway Design
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 29
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 30
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 31
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 32
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 33
Boutique Design - April 2014 - See-Worthy
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 35
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 36
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 37
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 38
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 39
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Products: Lighting
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 41
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 42
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 43
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 44
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 45
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 46
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 47
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 48
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 49
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Products: Green
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 51
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 52
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 53
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 54
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 55
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 56
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 57
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 58
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 59
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 60
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 61
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 62
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 63
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 64
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 65
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 66
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 67
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 68
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 69
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 70
Boutique Design - April 2014 - 71
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Last Detail
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Cover3
Boutique Design - April 2014 - Cover4
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