takumi

I recently shot my most recent restaurant project for arQitecture, Takumi.  It is located in Independence Mall on Concord Pike in Wilmington, Delaware.  The owners had taken over the previous Japanese establishment that had occupied the location for over 20 years and renamed the restaurant and turned to arQitecture to redesign the space to create a new destination.  The clients wanted to create an elegant space that reflected their love for cherry blossoms and the simplicity of Japanese design.  Working with an awkward corner location, the goal was to create an easy flow to the dining room and sushi bar, while creating a new bar and using the existing kitchen location.  It was to remain open as much as possible and only shutting down when the kitchen was to be redone.  On top of all of this, it was to be done with hardly any budget...  Waving my magic wand we were able to get something that met all of these needs!

This is the exterior before.

Front desk before.

Looking toward sushi bar and dining before.

Sushi bar before.

Dining before.

Hall to bathrooms before.

Bathroom before.

The first thing that I was able to do was to get a floor plan that allowed us to deal with all of the restrictions.  We needed to tear down bearing walls and change the whole facade of the place to make the new design work.  This was the closest we came in presentation, but it developed more from here.

Next I pulled some inspiration and ideas together in some sketches.

Here are some of the presentation vignettes that show with some of the materials.

Here is what we were able to create.

This is the exterior of the building.  We removed a shed roof, doors, existing windows and all the exterior material.  We re-clad the building with siding, added large windows recycled from other locations within the shopping center, added some windows and a dormer.

The new entrance and front desk.  We were able to add an air lock at the entrance to stop cold air from coming in and were able to put the new bar right off the entrance, so people would be more inclined to have a drink before dinner or to meet  someone at the bar.

Shot of the bar from the entrance.  The space is clean and simple and allows for a quiet drink out of the way.  The owner and sushi chef is from a long line of Samurais, so we abstracted this idea in the storage behind the bar and sushi bar to represent the samurai sword.

This is a view from the front desk towards the dining room and sushi bar.  The pink ceiling was to represent the cherry blossoms in bloom and the bamboo and stone floor pick up traditional Japanese materials.

View of the dining room.  We went with a basic white table to allow the food colors to take center stage.  The simple ball pendants add a touch of whimsy to the space.

This is the sushi bar.  We wanted to again maintain that very clean and simple look for the celebration of the food.  The refrigeration units were new to their previous space, so we had to make sure we were able to design the new bar around them...I was so relieved they fit, even though I quadruple checked the measurements!

View looking to the front of the space and back towards the front entrance.  The room receives a tremendous amount of natural light now and so much so that we had to concern ourselves with how to filter that light.  We opted for different layers of roller shades depending on the time of year and day the light is coming in.

A lone painting hangs on the wall of the owner and sushi chef on the back wall of the sushi bar...

The bathrooms were important to the owner to update and tie into the space.  They received a cool Wolf Gordon wall covering that continued the theme of the cherry blossoms and the lights were a fun way of taking it a little further.

This was a really challenging project...between no budget, the phasing, the non-english speaking contractors and the space, but I think we created something unique and really stepped up the restaurant to a destination place.  Thanks to all that helped make this possible....

frank furness

Last night I was able to tour a friend of a friends apartment on the first floor of a house designed by Frank Furness in Kennett Square, PA.  It was RIDICULOUS!  Furness trained Louis Sullivan who was the first person to create a multi-story building or high rise and was an unbelievable architect.  He in turn trained Frank Lloyd Wright who is widely considered the greatest american architect of all time and in the discussion of possibly the greatest 20th century architect in the world...

Furness practiced out of Philadelphia and created some amazing work based in the Victorian Style of architecture.  He took that style and went in a completely unique direction and really created his own thing.  It is crazy work and really not my thing to live in or want, but there is no denying the craftsmanship and artistry involved.  It is just overwhelming.  Unfortunately, most of his greatest and largest commissions were destroyed.  Apparently, most of them at the hands of Edmund Bacon, city planner of Philadelphia and father of Kevin Bacon.

The first picture above is of the fireplace in the parlor.

Detail of the top.

His coat in the carving on the mantle.

Lillys in metal in the actual firebox.

The carving continues around the sides.

The tile of the hearth.

This next fireplace is in the main hall opposite of the stairs going up.

Totally wild...

These are the stairs across from the fireplace.  They go up three stories and are open all the way up.  They have this railing that just fits your hand perfect as you hold on...very grand.

Close up of the dog/dragon on the hall mantle.

First tile from the left...

Second tile.

Third tile.

Fourth tile.

Fifth tile.

Sixth tile.

Seventh tile.

Eighth tile.

Ninth tile.  The artistry of each of these is incredible...It is rumored they came out of Oxford, PA at this tile company that was very famous and expensive...they could be worth a ton.

This is another mantle in the study.

The detail of the iron work.  Furness was actually a Civil War hero and rode as a Lancer...He rode on a horse and jousted people...doesn't that seem crazy?  Anyway, is metal work was apparently influenced by that time in his life.

This is the bottom of the fireplace.  It has this real rough limestone that becomes ordered as it rises vertically.  

It was a humbling and inspirational experience to see this work first hand.  I have been through his train station a ton of times, but was not ready for this work...it was really wild and I hope to get to see the upper floors in the future.

Also, his office went up in a fire at some point and they don't have accurate records of all the work he did and they believe that there are probably 100 projects that are built that have never been identified...let me know if you think you spotted one!

little nest

I did my first commission work for my friend Laura Novak!  Laura owns Little Nest and has been gracious enough to house some of my early work and more recent work and she decided that she wanted to actually have two pieces for the store.  So I worked with their existing colors and decor to create this new bench...

Here it is in the space!  I was a little surprised how well everything came together...but it goes to show you how eclectic mixing can really work.  The Brandywine Credenza goes perfectly well with the crispness of the benches and patina of the Barn Table.  The sea grass rug really pulls the pieces together...

If you have an idea for a bench and would like me to make it for you, just drop me a line and lets see if we can make it happen...

All the best, Todd

vienna cool

This was a picture I took in 2000 in Vienna...I am not sure of the street.  It has sat on my desk of every office that I have ever been at and has been a constant in my world for the past ten years.  I decided that I wanted to blow it up for a project that I was working on and so I scanned it in and was touching it up, when I noticed in the picture was my travel companion Jon Penndorf was standing way into the picture and this guy we met in the train station...Matt Gutman.  Turns out Matt is a famous reporter for ABC and just covered the Gulf Spill this past year...we knew Matt as the guy crashing on the couch who we met in the train station.  We just reconnected a few weeks back and he is the same witty self that I remember and still a good guy.  If you get the chance, give him a watch, he is very good and will eventually be a house hold name. 

Back to the picture, I was amazed by the way the light came off the upper windows of these buildings to create reflections in the street...one of the coolest moments of my life.

This is a sketch of where the image will go.  It will be between the two bathroom doors on a Tartan Plaid wall that I end up painting and the floor will also be painted by me in a pattern I found in ElleDecor October issue of Pauline de Rothschild's London apartment...should be over the top.

barn table

A while ago, I was able to get a ton of old barn boards that were being used as fencing along the Wilmington waterfront at a place called Kahunaville.  When the Delaware Children's Museum took over the location I asked for the wood.  I had planned to use it in a project and then my basement renovation, but decided to see what else I could use it for.  While I was working on the Elizabeth Table, I decided to give a quick try at making a top out of the boards.

The boards on the left are what it first starts out looking like...or much worst!  The boards are actually ship lapped and so they combine rather easy.  I added (3) piece to the back running perpendicular to secure all the pieces together.

The base is the same one from the Elizabeth Table.

The top is finished with Miniwax Polyshade in Antique Walnut.  The legs are painted Grizzly Grey from Sherwin Williams.

The top really shows some great patina...nail holes, staining and great graining.  There is nothing like old growth lumber....

It is for sale on my Etsy page for $1,100 and will be able to be seen at Little Nest in Glen Eagle Shopping Center.