Urbana, the Mediterranean dining and cocktail spot in Washington, D.C.’s Hotel Palomar, recently got a few strategic nips and tucks designed to give it a fresh new look and better space utilization.
D.C.-based GrizForm Design Architects was tapped to retain Urbana’s sleek, urban ambiance while doubling its bar area, relocating its private dining room, refreshing its patio area and incorporating other design elements into a more free-flowing floor plan.
New outdoor sofas and lounge furniture and new signage greet guests at the entrance. Inside, the expanded bar/lounge features a new high-top communal room with two tables that’s used as a casual spot for cocktails, full dinners or a 12-seat private dining space. A custom, 20-foot drink ledge that separates the bar from the dining area has a soapstone top and powder-coated white metal base, inspired by the Art Deco cityscape of 1920s New York City.
The main dining room features hardwood floors with marble accents and two custom red sliding doors with ornate metal detailing that can close off sections of the area for private events. Other design details include reupholstered dining banquettes and chairs in the dining area done in yellow and green tones and two dramatic statement walls arranged with a collection of small, colorful table lamps.