Incorporating the Old with the New

Keeping the historical elements of a building enhances the project overall. This is going to continue being a central theme in restaurant construction trends wherever history is being preserved. Using key pieces of a building during a renovation keeps the style and history of the location while maintaining its design and features.

Jaime Partners transformed part of San Diego’s Historic Old Police Headquarters into a full-service restaurant in 2014, and had to leave a staircase and entire wall untouched, as the building was technically a landmark. The historical aspects of these types of projects are what make them so distinct.

Concrete Flooring

Concrete flooring is another restaurant construction trend this year, and is an example of using sustainable materials, which is definitely increasing in popularity. Polished concrete is easy to maintain, more affordable than other common flooring options, and eliminates the need to wax the floors regularly. Concrete floors can match almost any design aesthetic, and can provide a more modern, eclectic look.

Bringing In the Outdoors

Connect the outside with the inside using custom design elements, such as steel fabricated doors, instead of typical aluminum storefronts. Natural light is always popular, and when you let it flow inside it helps reduce the lighting load. Color can only go so far, but finding a way to include elements of the outdoors in the design adds for another layer of complexity in the finished project.

Green Walls

Living walls or vertical gardens incorporate nature into design, as well as into this year’s restaurant construction trends. We have incorporated this feature into a few different projects, including Común Kitchen & Tavern. Común is located in the middle of San Diego’s downtown scene, but the owner, Chef Chad White, wanted to incorporate elements of nature and artistry that come with being outside. Green walls on the exteriors of buildings deliver that look, and are becoming more widespread across the U.S.

Making the Normally Unseen, Seen

This can be tedious for contractors, but incorporating and combining mechanical features can pay off in a big way. Open kitchens or ceilings are examples of this restaurant construction trend this year. But, plumbing or infrastructure that’s exposed needs to look flawless. That’s where great attention to detail from the contractor comes into play. Adding a rustic look, like exposed plumbing or light bulbs, instead of floodlights, can have a refined and industrial effect without looking incomplete.

It will be interesting to see how this trend is incorporated into projects in the coming months and years.

article via: Alfredo Jaime (alfredo@jaimepartners.com) and Rodolfo Farber (rodolfo@jaimepartners.com), co-founders of Jaime Partners.