Bo Restobar – Portland, Oregon
Services Employed: Graphic Design, Interior Design
CLIENT GOAL: Create a sophisticated restaurant and bar that is totally about fusion, in the menu (Asian + tapas), design (casual + elegant) and name: Restobar (restaurant + bar). Maximize the usability of a small space and reflect the Asian heritage and culture of the owner and namesake, Bo Cline. The project is a prototype for similar restobars planned for various locations on the West Coast.
DESIGN RESPONSE: The design concept makes the most of the 1600 square foot space by breaking it into three distinct areas. A quiet, intimate seating area in the back features relaxed, sofa-like built-ins and dramatically backlit 18th century wagon wheels from Thailand and Burma, recalling the owner’s cultural heritage. A glowing red bar and kitchen space in the center is balanced by a 100-year-old Thai sculpture and water feature worthy of a Zen garden, providing a calm counterpoint to the center-stage activity around the sleek, modern bar. Near the entry a dynamic, theatrically lit dining area provides opportunities for socializing and people watching. Bo’s signature on the front door welcomes everyone in, set on a changing-light wall that is emblematic of casual elegance. Tying the spaces together are custom light fixtures and a materials palette of dark-stained wood floors, black and stainless steel tile and reeded grass panels. Contemporary paintings by a Bangkok artist, reminiscent of 1920s Chinese “cigarette posters,” provide splashes of color and evoke the yin and yang of the Shanghai scene: elegant but a bit forward, haughty but a tad naughty.
Bo Restobar won a 2007 Award of Merit from the Portland IIDA.
