Irving Street Kitchen patio

   A few months back I was asked to design the planters at a new restaurant in the Pearl District.  The restaurant, called Irving Street Kitchen, was in the process of getting a facelift, transforming itself from its previous manifestation as Bay 13; a cold, metallic-heavy, industrial designed airplane hangar.  The inside was already vastly improved with rich reds, and lots of rough wood, but the outside was still very nautical and shiny, aluminum and concrete being the common elements.

   The cantilever that covers the loading dock or patio as Irving St. Kitchen now calls it keeps the sun from pouring down onto patrons, but also limits the amount of available sunlight, yet because of all the reflective material on the patio the area remains very bright.  I chose plants that prefer part sun, and maybe even pushed the boundary on this requirement.  I wanted to use neutral tones with soft textural grasses to make the patio area feel more relaxing. The more earthy tones of grey-green and tawny-brown of the grasses flowers convey softness (a contrast to the metal), without the color contrast of bright flowers or foliage.

   We chose a Coral-bark Japanese Maple for the entrance, planted with Black Mondo grass as a more dramatic entrance piece.  The more lipstick red of the bark echoes the brick red of the bar inside.