Estadio, a 39-seat Spanish-style tapas bar that opened in Charleston, S.C. last fall, takes its design cues from its Washington D.C. flagship location. However, the new 1,672-square foot location designed by GrizForm Design Architects, does have its own energy and depth.
Inspired by Spanish culture, the design team chose a color palette of bold pops of red and Talavera-like wall tiles to complement the space’s intricate metal design and warm wood tones.
Upon entering, Estadio guests are welcomed into the intimate eatery’s bar area, which features a large communal table with a decorative iron base lit by glowing traditional-style pendants. Reclaimed wood tabletops pair with leather chairs to provide a distressed texture to the space. Nodding to Spain’s famed sport of bullfighting, the bar’s back wall adorns a custom printed tile installation featuring a charging bull. The bar is topped with leathered travertine. Decorative trim gives a subtle nod to a bullfighting stadium gate as well as colorful vintage Spanish posters.
As patrons make their way through the dining area, the emblematic Estadio decorative metal screen encloses the kitchen bulkhead, adding an industrial flair to the restaurant’s red walls. Diners are also given a front-row seat to the action in the kitchen with the extension of the travertine bar where guests can grab a seat at one of the counter’s custom steel and wood bar stools. Additional tables line Estadio’s back wall where the colorful tile continues and bookends a custom wallcovering depicting a vintage Run of the Bulls photograph.
