Patrick Lee Discusses Park Restaurant & Bar. For a complete profile on Park Restaurant & Bar click here.
Rough Grout. I love the vaulted brick ceiling in the den, and so do our guests. It’s basically quarter-inch bricks fashioned into four contiguous arches in the ceiling. As the bricklayer was putting it in, the grout was oozing out, and we allowed it to set up that way. He wanted to smooth it out and make it perfect, but we liked the way it looked so we left it, and we’re really happy with it. It has this great look that’s both contemporary and rustic, and it blends in well with the reclaimed wood ceiling beside it.
Iron Ductwork. Another problem we had to find a creative solution to was the ugly ductwork that came out of the kitchen and snaked through the dining room and bar area, the lowest part of the restaurant. We had to live with it and somehow make it look cool. What we did was to graft on this really cool sort of old-looking black iron and make it a feature that complements the reclaimed wood ceiling.
Biggest Splurge. If we splurged anywhere, it was on the furniture, Oriental rugs and artwork in the den. For a space like that, you really need it to look authentic. If you don’t get quality furniture and accessories, it ends up looking contrived and like you went halfway. We didn’t.