Camaraderie

Leonid Furmansky

• Architects

Schaum Architects has designed award-winning chef Shawn Gawle’s new Houston restaurant, Camaraderie, located in the city’s Houston Heights neighborhood. The project is a transformation of a wood-framed, gabled-roofed garage that was formerly used as a metal workshop, into an elevated, fine-casual neighborhood restaurant, inspired by the bonds of friendship, loyalty and trust that defines a strong restaurant team.

Says Troy Schaum, Principal, Schaum Architects “Shawn wanted to create the sense of warmth and connection that you might feel in a mountain retreat, but in the middle of cosmopolitan Houston. That tension between informality and refinement led us to look at refined Swiss chalets and Japanese ryokans. They are spaces designed to make guests feel invited and comfortable. This was part of a kind of “urban cabin” logic that drove the design of the dining room”.

photo_credit Leonid Furmansky — Leonid Furmansky

The kitchen is at the heart of the project and is on full display to the 75-seat, 2200-square-foot interior dining room, which is designed to be warm and familial, while remaining clean and modern. Wood wall and ceiling panels in the main dining room will be punctuated by wall hung plants. Moveable wine storage will double as planters, creating a threshold between the Bar/Lounge, where snacks and drinks will be served, and the Dining Room, which will have a family-style menu. The lack of barriers between the kitchen and dining room will allow the guests to share an intimate relationship with the life of the kitchen.

“The open kitchen was an important aspect of the project from our very first design conversations with Shawn. The process is on full display, with a large butcher block counter where food will be prepped and plated projecting out into the middle of the dining room like a stage”, says Andrea Brennan, associate, Schaum Architects.

Skylights in the dining room emit natural light through alternating bays of wood ceiling panels to minimize reliance on artificial lighting during daylight hours. Exposed trusses reveal the bones of the existing building, and almost all the wood framing and metal wall paneling from the existing structure was maintained and reused. Says Schaum, “The high vaulted ceiling, with skylights slotted between suspended wood ceiling panels, lends drama to, what from the outside, appears to be a modest building.” A new patio overhang extends the geometry of the roof towards the street, providing a 400-square-foot covered space for outdoor dining.

Additional details include sculptural aluminum canopies to mark the new entries, custom, built-in millwork including stained wood banquette seating, shelves and credenzas, and a painted perforated metal bar and painted metal bar shelving. A permeable gravel system is maintained on the site in flood-prone Houston.

Camaraderie is the result of a collaboration that highlights generosity in cooking. As Schaum notes, “Shawn cooked for us before we started designing, and it was clear from that moment on that he wanted to create a space to serve exquisitely conceived and executed dishes, but generously and in an environment that felt un-pretentious.” Adds Chef Gawle: “From the first time I met Troy and his team I could tell immediately that he was as passionate about architecture and design as I am about hospitality. When I shared details about the project and the building, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. Troy believed wholeheartedly in the vision of Camaraderie.”