By Daily Press staff
Architect Stephen Francis Jones has designed a new private 1,700-square-foot dining room for longtime client Wolfgang Puck’s landmark Chinois on Main.
The freestanding independent restaurant space has its own exhibition kitchen, brick wall, leopard wood floors and 3,000-bottle wine cellar. The structure, to be used for private parties, is adjacent to the original Chinois.
“The design was meant to capture the feeling of the original but to have its own identity,” Jones said.
Jones was presented with the opportunity to define the long-awaited space adjacent to Chinois and said he was intrigued by the challenge of updating the design scheme first initiated by Barbara Lazaroff more than 20 years ago.
Along with the continued color scheme of the original restaurant, many of the same signature materials were incorporated in the stand-alone space such as artisan hammered copper, touches of celadon hued ceramic tiles, exposed brick walls and distinctively Asian bamboo accents. However, many new features are what make the private dining space unique such as inset high-relief stone carvings, bamboo-infused laminated glass, and the showcased cedar-wood wine cabinet. Featuring the wine selection for both “Chinois on Main” and the private dining room, the expansive temperature-controlled compartment guarantees aficionados the highest level of quality.
As Jones began to design the space, he realized that because of code requirements, the new facility would have to be designed intrinsically, with no physical connections between the old and new spaces. So, a completely self-sustained cook-line and generous space for Wolfgang’s pastry production provided exceptional capacity for the patrons. The new facility can hold up to 60 diners which almost doubles the capacity of the original restaurant yet can accommodate any size party.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 31, 2005. Read the original PDF.