Hospitality Design - October 2014 - 52

perspectives

sketchbook

sopra

stock was afforded to the lucky
visitor," Mulvena explains. For
that reason, the polished-butrustic space is more exclusive
than Amali, acting instead as a
small pied-à-terre for a chef who loves
to entertain.
The aesthetic is intentionally masculine
with a dark palette of solid oak softened
by warm gray tones. Special pools of light
from pendants hanging from a custom
steel beam that traverses Sopra add to the
exclusivity of the chef's table experience.
They are "the star of the entire space,"
Mulvena says. Yet the focal point: two huge
solid oak sliding barn doors that can divide
the restaurant into two private dining areas.
"These doors are so big that even when
they are open they are dominant features
that add a beautiful texture to the space,"
Mulvena says.

the painted pin

> Between its garish lights and well-worn sofas, the classic bowling
alley hews more toward kitschy dive than upscale design showcase.
Then Justin Amick opened the Painted Pin-an entertainment center
complete with vintage Skee-Ball machines and handmade Skittles
tables-in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood.
"Traditional bowling alleys are cavernous, and often lack energy
and ambiance. We wanted to break up the monotony of lane after lane
by changing around the typical setup and flow," he says. Housed in an

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October 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

industrial warehouse, the Painted Pin was transformed from several
carved up spaces into a single flowing one by architect Jay George of
Atlanta firm WJG Design.
To help outfit the interiors, Amick turned to his father, Bob, the
man behind locally based Concentrics Restaurants. "It's a bowling
alley, but it doesn't feel like one. It starts with the custom steel door at
the point of arrival, and continues through the space with pockets of
surprises, wrapped in colors, fabrics, seating, and lighting that make
you feel like you are relaxing in someone's living room," Bob explains.
A walnut and leather
tufted bar in the middle of the
venue leads into an indoor
courtyard gaming area that
divides 20 bowling lanes via
masonry walls lined with
topiaries and gas lanterns. For
the "modern English" vibe, as
Justin describes it, timeless
furniture like Chesterfield
couches and club chairs were
combined with splashes of
vibrant red in a theatrical
curtain wall backsplash and
oversized drums for "some sex
appeal and flair."

Photos by MALCOLM BROWN and OLEG MARCH

> Having already worked on New York
Mediterranean restaurant Amali, Caleb
Mulvena, principal at locally based MAPOS,
was eager for another opportunity to partner
with the restaurant's owner, James Mallios.
It came about two years later when the
apartment above the restaurant was
vacated and Sopra-which means "above"
in Italian-was born.
The 700-square-foot, 52-seat project is
an intimate, communal dining experience
where a small kitchen allows diners to
not only try new things but also "converse
directly with the head chef," Mulvena
says. Mallios also wanted the space to be
big enough to work cohesively for large
events but have the flexibility to be divided
for separate private parties.
Sopra is imagined as the patriarch's
study, "a place where one needs to be
invited by a member of the family after a
long meal where access to the very special
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