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    Smith Hanes Studio brings “a sense of calm” to Carmel restaurant in Atlanta

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    Atlanta-based Smith Hanes Studio has used a palette of natural colours and materials to help diners at this restaurant imagine they’re beside a beach.

    A laid-back, coastal vibe was the goal for the Carmel restaurant, located on a cobblestone street in Atlanta’s Buckhead Village.
    The U-shaped bar at the entrance to Carmel is wrapped in rattanFounder Tal Baum of Oliva Restaurant Group wanted to create a space that would transport guests to the casual seaside ambience, so she tasked Smith Hanes Studio with designing an environment that draws upon a variety of beachside communities.
    “[Baum] wanted us to bring a sense of calm and expansiveness to Carmel, like you’d experience on the Mediterranean coast,” said studio founder Smith Hanes. “Our interior designer Janine MacKenzie accomplished that with a beautiful warm palette of naturals that coax us to remember the balmy indoor-outdoor breezes of Tulum or Puerto Escondido beach.”
    Lime plaster covers the walls to evoke a coastal aestheticA variety of local artists and craftspeople were brought on to achieve the desired effect. Lime plaster was hand-applied to surfaces by Super Delicious Walls and custom fibre installations by Sonya Yong James were added as accents.

    Meanwhile, upholstery and millwork were crafted by fabricators Hancock Surface Studio, Onemost Studio and Bjork Studio.
    In the dining room, woven pendant lights emit a warm sunset-like glowUpon entering the establishment, a U-shaped bar is wrapped in rattan, matching a light fixture suspended above that follows the same shape.
    Folding back a large wooden window opens the bar area to the street, where additional seating is built into the facade to serve cafe tables.
    Contributions from local artisans include custom fibre installations by Sonya Yong JamesThe back bar is set against a wall of textured, square white tiles, and framed by an arch with curved pillars covered in similar but smaller reddish tiles.
    “The rattan-wrapped bar, amber-tiled barback, glowing drink rail and sculptural lighting evokes a world of cabanas and parts of the Mediterranean where handwoven basketry is commonplace,” said the restaurant team.

    Floral installations decorate Atrium bar in Atlanta by Smith Hanes Studio

    Past the bar area, a deep arched opening leads into the 1,600-square-foot (149-square-metre) dining room.
    Mossy green banquettes, wooden four-top tables and chairs, and sheer curtains are all washed in a warm glow, “as if the sun is setting low on the ocean’s horizon” according to the team.
    Booth seating is set into niches carved from the wallsThe pendant lamps above the tables are woven from elephant grass and feature matte porcelain bulbs.
    More tilework, this time in sage green, clads the area around the kitchen passover window, which is flanked by niches for booth seating on either side.
    A large window opens to additional seating along the restaurant’s exteriorHanes founded his eponymous studio in 2004, and also opened an office in New York in 2020.
    Focusing on hospitality interiors, the team has previously completed a bar and restaurant in Atlanta that’s decorated with floral installations, and the ground-floor eateries within a renovated hotel in Portland, Oregon.
    The photography is by Tim Lenz.

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      Floral installations decorate Atrium bar in Atlanta by Smith Hanes Studio

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      Handmade fluted ceramic tiles, pink blown-glass lighting and tropical patterned fabrics all feature in this Atlanta bar and restaurant by local architecture firm Smith Hanes Studio.

      Atrium opened earlier this year inside Ponce City Market, located in the city’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood northeast of Downtown.
      Atrium is split into two main sections, one of which is called The ParlorThe mixed-use development contains a variety of restaurants and retailers, and occupies a converted, historic Sears building.
      Atrium’s interiors by Smith Hanes Studio combine rich tones of green, pink and gold to create spaces that feel simultaneously moody, whimsical and tropical.
      The Parlor features a long bar fronted with handmade ceramic tiles”The design was inspired by colorful French cafes and Art Deco buildings,” said studio founder Smith Hanes. “The lines, colours, shapes and patterns are fascinating, unafraid and daring.”

      The establishment is split over two main rooms: The Parlor and The Bistro.
      A mural of tropical ibis birds accompanies pink seating and a floral installation in the fireplaceThe Parlor accommodates a 1,200-square-foot (110-square-metre) cocktail lounge, where the front of the bar counter and a large column behind are clad in emerald green ceramic tiles handmade by local artisan Charlotte Smith.
      “Similar to the name Atrium, the tiles were inspired by Roman columns and architecture,” she said. “A translucent glaze was applied to accentuate dimension with the pooling of rich colour.”
      A casual lounge area separates The Parlor from The BistroLiquor is displayed in open cabinets with decorative rounded tops, also painted green to contrast the pink shade that covers the remaining walls, ceiling, ductwork and pipes.
      The terrazzo bar countertop, also flecked with pink, curves around to a seating area where banquettes tuck into each corner on either side of a fireplace that has a floral installation.
      The Bistro dining room also features a green and pink colour schemeA hand-painted wall mural by Savannah-based artist Kipper Millsap depicts a flock of ibis birds in flight and is lit by fringed sconces imported from Spain.
      “When I heard that Kipper was painting murals of these glossy ibis from South Africa, I designed a mossy landscape at the fireplace to abstractly house these cool birds,” said floral designer Skye Lind.
      Curtains patterned with tropical plants cover an entire wallFrom The Parlor, arched openings lead through to a bright lounge that is populated by soft, casual seating atop green and white floor tiles.
      More arches on the other side provide access into The Bistro — a dining area with mottled green walls and a striped diagonal pattern applied over its wood flooring.
      Pink banquettes sit atop wooden floors painted with diagonal stripesDusty-pink banquettes and deep-teal love seats surround dark wooden tables, which are also paired with matching chairs for smaller parties.
      Hand-blown pink glass sconces supported by brass arms cantilever over the tables, giving off a warm glow. Further lighting is provided by green cloche-shaped pendants with bronze undersides.

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      These are suspended from the 12-foot (3.7-metre) ceiling among an installation of vines and hanging plants, also by Lind, who founded local florist Pinker Times.
      “Thousands of pieces of florals and foliage are suspended in the air,” Lind said. “Composed like a piece of music, the art installation moves harmoniously around the room to celebrate the culinary experience at Atrium.”
      Tables are illuminated by the glow of pink blown-glass lightsThe verdant theme is also continued in patterns across floor-to-ceiling curtains that drape across the entire back wall.
      “The dining experience at Atrium is reminiscent of a garden party where you’re free to enjoy yourself among the unique natural beauty of each petal and branch,” said the team.
      Atrium is located in Ponce City Market, northeast of Downtown AtlantaSmith Hanes Studio was founded in Atlanta in 2004, then opened a New York office in 2020. Best known for its hospitality projects, the firm also collaborated with R&A on the Woodlark Hotel in Portland.
      Atlanta’s culinary scene has been on the rise for some time. In 2019, we rounded up five bars and restaurants with impressive interiors in the city, including a snug club by Workstead and a cocktail lounge by Tom Dixon.
      The photography is by Tim Lenz.

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      Trahan Architects creates curving wooden balconies for Atlanta theatre

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      US firm Trahan Architects has renovated the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, using steam-bent timber to form an undulating auditorium.Constructed in 1968, the 650-seat Alliance Theater is part of the Woodruff Arts Center campus in the state capital of Georgia.

      The 1960s theatre was gutted and refurbished
      For the renovation, Trahan Architects stripped the interiors of the lobby, theatre and backstage areas back to the original concrete walls.
      New York-based, steam-bent furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig collaborated on the design of the wooden elements, which were made by fabrication specialists CW Keller Associates.

      Steam-bent timber curves around the seating. Photo by Trahan Architecture

      Pliessnig created a 1:1 scale mock-up of the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater and shared his expertise in steam bending wood, a process that involves heating wood to make it pliable and bending it by hand.

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      “The result is a series of beautiful steam-bent millwork guardrails and balconies that merge handcraft with mass production,” said Trahan Architects.
      “The synthesis of acoustic performance, hand-driven artistry, and sophisticated laser positioning are all carefully choreographed to execute the complex steam-bent millwork without the need for wasteful CNC moulds.”

      All of the seating zones are connected in the theatre
      The seating is now 10 feet (three metres) closer to the stage than before, and the seating of the stalls abuts the orchestra pit.
      Seating stacked around and above the stalls in the balconies are defined by curving wooden elements but are not separated.
      The architects said this design decision was a symbolic one to draw on Atlanta’s history. The city was America’s most racially segregated after 1865 when slaved were freed in the US, right up until the 1960s.
      During this period, black people were barred from eating at certain restaurants or attending certain cinemas reserved for white patrons or were forced to sit in separate seating.

      Trahan Architects worked with a sculptor on the wooden design
      “The design team felt a responsibility to remove the separation between balcony and orchestra – challenging historic notions of segregation and discrimination,” said Trahan Architects.
      “All seating zones can be accessed from every entrance within the chamber.”

      Steam-bending timber created less waste than CNC cutting the wood
      Based in New Orleans and New York, Trahan Architects was founded in 1992 by Trey Trahan. Previous work by the practice includes a visitor centre for an 18th-century plantation in Louisiana.
      The Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater is shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the civic and cultural interior category, along with a museum in Pittsburgh built in a ligtening-struck library and a museum of architecture models in China.
      Photography is by Leonid Furmansky unless otherwise stated.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Trahan ArchitectsDesign team: Trey Trahan, Leigh Breslau, Brad McWhirter, Robbie Eleazer, James Babin, Scott Melançon, Conway Pedron, Ayesha Husain, Sarah Hussaini, Wenyun Qian, Andrew FuArtist collaboration: Matthias PliessnigMillwork fabrication: CW Keller AssociatesTheatre consultants: Theatre Projects ConsultantsAcoustics: Talaske GroupStructural engineer: Uzun + CaseMEP: DLB Associates Consulting EngineersLighting designer: Fisher Marantz StoneGraphic design: ThirstLife safety: Jensen HughesProject and cost management: Cost+ Plus VerticalTransportation: Lerch Bates

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