Boutique Design - March 2015 - 4

WHETTING YOUR APPETITE
FOR MEMORABLE DESIGN
THOMAS SCHOOS is highly articulate and very

passionate about the attention-grabbing hospitality venues created by his firm. Both those traits
come through loud and clear in our Q+A with the
L.A.-based designer that starts on page 48. Given
that, I'm doubly thrilled that Schoos has agreed
to lead a design tour of three restaurants his firm
created in recent years in San Diego. That event
will take place April 7, the day before our third
annual BDwest trade fair and conference begins at
the San Diego Convention Center. Here's Schoos'
first-person drill-down on the design DNA for each
of those eateries:
* Searsucker reflects the personality of the
building it's in and the history of San Diego, a
place where the Wild West meets the sea. To
evoke that, I used loops of coarse rope hanging
from rustic steel fixtures to create the chandeliers, suggesting either cowboy lassos or ship
rigging. These chandeliers have become a trademark of all the restaurants I've done for celebrity
chef Brian Malarkey. Everything in this restaurant celebrates American culture in some way,
from the neon signs spelling "Eat"-an homage
to diner culture-to the light fixtures featuring
different kinds of gas lamps as a tribute to San
Diego's Gaslamp District.
* Puesto takes referencing a building's heritage to
a different level. This restaurant is set in an old jail
and police headquarters. The other restaurants
and venues that went into the same development
did everything they could to clean up the space
and conceal the building's original purpose. I said,
No! What's special about this place is the texture,
the ambiance created by history. So we clearcoated the walls and floors and left all the signs of
aging and decay intact: chipped paint, broken light
switches, glue spots and all. There's even a staircase
hanging from the ceiling in one room that goes

boutiquedesign.com MARCH 2015

nowhere. Into this shell, we put lots of modern
design and color, so the contrast creates drama,
and that's what draws people in. We were very
honored that it recently won a Gold Key Award
(see Boutique Design, December 2014, page 71).
* The ﬁrst two restaurants celebrate their sense
of place and the history of their neighborhood.
Bottega Americano is a little different because it's
in a brand new building that houses a law school.
So, we had to create a sense of place. The image I
had in mind was those outdoor marketplaces that
pop up in the plazas of European villages, with
foodstuffs on display and dishes being prepared
all around, creating energy and excitement. That's
what we did inside Bottega Americano, where
you're surrounded by food bars that are preparing
different dishes and ingredients that become
part of the show. We kept the industrial feel of
this large space, but then we warmed it up with
natural textures, such as the stacks of firewood
that surround the support columns and the light
fixtures that resemble baskets. So, like the food,
the décor combines old world influences with
modern techniques and efficiency.
Intrigued by what Schoos and his team have
created? I know I am, and can't wait to take the
tour with him. Meantime, for more on BDwest
and its extensive offerings, please turn to the
preview on page 56. Hope to see you in San Diego
for both events!

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