Acclaimed hospitality designer Paul Basile of BASILE Studio (Ironside Fish & Oyster, UnderBelly, Craft & Commerce) teamed with up-and-coming restaurateur Kory Stetina to open KINDRED, a San Diego-based cocktail bar and vegan restaurant concept. The operation features a creative design interplay of dark and light, masculine and feminine and ornate flourishes coupled with rebellious illustrations.
Basile relied on French Gothic details and modern tools to implement the timeless and playful look, with almost every feature custom made by his downtown San Diego based-design studio. Key elements of the 2,800 square-foot venue located in the charming South Park neighborhood include a back-lit mirrored coffered ceiling, custom oak seating installation, 10-foot tall French Gothic inspired flip windows and an oversized glass and brass spirit chandelier. A 900-pound black four-eyed wolf sculpture with snake horns made out of wire frame created by Southern California artist Brandon Kihl stands out among the art work in an otherwise light and airy environment.
Additional design standouts include an oversized glass and brass spirit chandelier, looming over the large marble barumor. Custom cast steel belly bars are topped with round marble tops to encourage standing room in the cocktail parlor, which also has faux leather-topped, white custom-cast iron stools tucked under one side of the 35-foot marble bar, flanked by a line of faux leather tufted banquettes.
To create the heavily texturized walls, Basile used sound proofing foam, cut CNC curves, then brought in a plaster specialist, Sasha Seyb, who carved out the remaining textures while applying colored concrete. Delicate custom pink toile wallpaper, created by artist Dane Danner, features fictional superheroes and gothic figures. The exterior marble facade features a custom laser cut logo, brass door and custom lighting fixtures while 10-foot windows powered by an electric actuator can be flipped up to the bustling street side to allow for open-air seating.