Designed by //3877 in collaboration with KNEAD Hospitality + Design, the third location of the restaurant brand MI VIDA is located in a lively area of the Penn Quarter neighbourhood of Washington, D.C. Steeped in culture and colour, the design experiments with materiality throughout the restaurant, incorporating unique textures and shapes to complement the vibrant MI VIDA colour palette and a menu rooted in Mexico's vibrant and evolving cuisines. While tying back to the iconic brand moments of other locations, the design also curates a distinct sense of place by adapting the MI VIDA concept to the building's existing architecture.
With an exterior seating area for 56 patrons, and 300 more on the inside, the designers have created immersive moments for diners around every corner, including a dramatic up-lit corridor to navigate guests through the space. Upon entering the space, guests find themselves in a striking historic vestibule with preserved intricate detailing and vaulted ceilings. Classic MI VIDA pink fins guide patrons inward, turning downwards to create a point of intrigue leading to the host stand.
To the left of the entry, an expansive rectangular bar draws the eye with an original ceiling art installation by Carlarge featuring staggered woven textiles and painted beads sourced via art consultant Faulkner + Locke. Views from the bar include glimpses inside the restaurant's largest private dining room, separated from the remainder of the space by a glass and iron window system. The private room is accessible from the street, allowing high-profile diners to enter and exit via a private doorway. The private dining room can also provide enhanced privacy with an automated curtain system that can be closed to separate the space from the bar and is divisible by stack walls that open and close through the center, thus allowing the area to be adjusted for smaller parties.
A dramatic up-lit corridor navigates guests towards the restrooms and another, more intimate private dining room. A mural depicting jungle foliage can be found on the ceiling. At the same time, the end of the hallway is marked by an attention-grabbing infinity mirror that creates the illusion of an everlasting corridor.
An elevated dining area is defined by blue booth seating with custom rose gold screens, enhancing each seat's interesting sight lines. The back wall features a digitally drawn mural from Brush Décor and printed by Astek, providing subtle changes of scenery and moments of discovery. Further into the space, dark-stained wood walls conceal service stations and anchor the gold screens, contributing to the efficiency of operations while complementing MI VIDA's signature design language.
Beyond the wood walls, guests find a smaller private dining room with a Bover Dome 180 pendant, a signature element in every MI VIDA location. The room also has beautiful street-facing views through floor-to-ceiling windows, including toward the National Portrait Gallery. The heightened ceilings are accentuated by a mix of travertine and backlight punch-tin tiles embedded with colourful beads that are custom-made in Mexico. Adjacent to the private dining room, the Hacienda Room is framed by dramatic, backlit arches. The intriguing illuminations create depth that highlights the view from the interior and exterior of the restaurant. Outside the Hacienda Room, additional seating can be found amongst lush greenery accents from interior planters. An iconic MI VIDA Tree of Life takes root at the centre of the room, spreading its canopy bejewelled in alebrije-inspired flowers throughout.
Lighting, designed by FLUX Studio, is sophisticated yet playful, utilizing light to contrast materials, such as polished pebble wall tile, creating depth and dimension throughout. Many design elements from previous MI VIDA locations were carried over to Penn Quarter, including lighting fixtures and board form concrete – a technique that utilizes wooden boards to create a unique texture to the concrete.
