A blend of history, relationships and modernity lead to the successful renovation of this popular Florida west coast restaurant. Established in 1920, the restaurant catered to locals and fisherman and was beloved by its owner and staff.
In 2014, we began working on a design to update and modernize the restaurant. While keeping its original essence in mind, we responded to the wishes and desires of the people connected to its roots in the community. Over five years and multiple designs, the renovation combines history, the site’s environment, and layers of passionate input into a modern interpretation of the original restaurant.
Gnarly green buttonwoods, an outdoor covered deck and a fisherman’s pier create the basis for a unique indoor/outdoor structure, reminiscent of a vintage, Florida seafood shack.
Following the kitchen renovation in 2017, the transformation of the original restaurant began with the removal of a dilapidated building, exposing the façade to the street. A new, sea grape archway leads people towards the entrance while keeping the façade’s understated allure.
Upon emerging from the natural archway, diners are subtly invited inside by a recycled metal mansard roof and reused copper door.
Patrons pass through an intimately scaled retail area and are welcomed into a transformed space echoing the adjacent, covered deck.
The restaurant’s dominant architectural feature is along the east wall. An exterior/interior copper surround provides a contemporary approach to an existing, vernacular shape, enhanced by a complete wall of glass.
Oversized sliding glass doors connect the old space to the new, creating one seamless continuity of restaurant comfort. The copper cladding, chosen for its familiarity to regulars and its patina qualities, transforms the nostalgia of the material into a contemporary form.
The newly created courtyard is filled with reconstituted, Australian pine benches and replanted large mature trees. A wall with herbs - selected collaboratively by the owner, the architect and the chef - adds functional foliage to the outdoor space and extends the dining experience under the native trees. Patrons connect with that outdoor relationship to the environment that they always loved about the restaurant.
The wall-size historical black and white photographs at the entrance is a reminder of the connection that brings the owner, staff and patrons together in their common shared experience.
All of the interior finishes deliberately relate to the materiality that provided comfort to the patrons in the original restaurant: a copper bar top, a leather-look bar front, cypress wood walls and vintage mid-century designed chairs and barstools.
Custom designed aluminum/wood shelves and a host stand utilizing re-claimed wood are all locally sourced. Memorabilia from the original restaurant, deeply meaningful to the owner and staff, are displayed throughout the restaurant reminding patrons that though newly renovated, the original was not forgotten.
From the cypress wood walls to the patinated copper to the Australian Pine Benches, our design is tactile for a reason. It allows all involved to embrace its history, respect its newness and literally ‘feel’ the comfort already ingrained into the space.
