Boutique Design - June 2016 - 48

James Beard award-winning chef Alon Shaya didn't

just challenge Curtis Herring Interior Design to serve up
something different. He threw down the gauntlet: Bring an
Israeli feel to a dining destination in the Big Easy. "The
restaurant was inspired by chef Shaya's upbringing in Israel,
and he wanted the space to be as Israeli-like as possible,"
says Herring, owner and lead designer of his eponymous
design firm.
Due to time and budget restraints, that needed to take
place within a site whose FF&E was already mostly in
place. "The space housing Shaya was previously home to
another restaurant that had closed after only about a year
in operation," says Herring. "That meant all the fixtures and
furnishings were in pretty good shape, and could be
retained-which was a blessing, as there was a very quick
turnaround to open Shaya. We had about a month!"
He needed that time to address some serious layout and
acoustical issues within the space, which consists of a main
dining room, two private dining rooms (one in front, the
other in back) and a courtyard. "The main entry was walled
off from the dining room, and that space was virtually all
white, with no focal point," says Herring. "In addition, the
acoustics were poor, so the space was very noisy."
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To fix those problems, Herring began by removing the
partition at the front entry. "That opened up the sightlines
throughout the space, and offered a clear vista to the pita
oven that chef Shay and I created to serve as the main focal
point at the back of the room," he says. "We covered that
oven in Israeli blue glass tiles, and used that color in several
other touches within the space, including some decorative
lanterns on the front façade."
Then, to help take down the noise level within the space,
he installed an upholstered wall bearing Middle Eastern
motifs. And to mix in some further visual seasoning, Herring
added white oak shelving populated with more lanterns, as
well as votive candles and an abundance of cut flowers.
The result is a space that helped nab chef Shaya a Beard
Award in another category-it was recently named the
foundation's Restaurant of the Year. All for a space that one
reviewer described as "austere."
Herring, for one, takes that as a compliment. "Austere, by
definition, means restrained, plain, lacking ornamentation,"
he notes. "Not everyone likes or understands an edited interior. But a restaurant is a package deal. The design, location,
food and service all work jointly to create an atmosphere
and a culture."

PROJECT
PARTICIPANTS
OWNERS

Alon Shaya and John Besh
DESIGN FIRM/PURCHASING

Curtis Herring Interior Design:
Curtis Herring, owner/lead designer;
Carleton Young, associate designer;
Michelle Moulis, office manager
ARCHITECT

Steve Finegan Architects
GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Spartan Construction
ACOUSTIC PANELS

Sound Management Group
BLINDS/CURTAINS

Budget Blinds
Peyroux's Custom Curtains
DECORATIVE TILE

Stafford Tile & Stone
FURNITURE

David C. Rockhold
Dop Antiques
G&A Seating
LIGHTING

Armstrong Supply
Julie Neill Designs
SIGNAGE/GRAPHICS

OPA Signs & Graphics
WALLCOVERINGS

Eykon

S T E P H E N YO U N G P H O T O G R A P H Y

SHAYA | new OrleAnS

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - June 2016

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