RESTAURANT VS. RETAIL

Tasked with designing a restaurant oasis that catered to on-the-go shoppers as well as distinguished diners, the CCS Architecure team needed to find a balance between restaurant and retail. Located at one of the main entrances of Nordstrom’s Woodlands, TX, location, Bazille Restaurant has an entrance from the street and from inside Nordstrom.

The Nordstrom Restaurant Group wanted to create a sense of hospitality inside a retail environment.

— Bryan Southwick, Associate Principal, CCS Architecture

Like the menu, the design of the space is casually sophisticated with a warmth and comfort everyone can relate to.

DURABLE DESIGN

In general, durability of finishes in a restaurant is a main concern, and because of the near constant traffic in their restaurants, Nordstrom has a set standard of using durable surfaces like laminates on their tabletops. With that in mind, the CCS team strayed slightly from their typical use of solid wood tabletops, selecting Lamin-Art’s Veneer-Art 983 Golden Oak.

“We were in search of a material that had the warmth and feeling of natural wood but the durability of a laminate,” says Bryan Southwick, Associate Principal at CCS Architecture.

Made from a true wood veneer and pre-finished so it’s ready to install like a laminate, Veneer-Art allowed Southwick’s team to be “creative to the client’s requirements for upkeep” while maintaining the same depth, beauty and texture of a solid wood tabletop.

The Weathered Grain finish provided the textural qualities similar to wood.

— Bryan Southwick, Associate Principal, CCS Architecture

AUTHENTIC MODERNISM

With floor–to-ceiling windows, exposed steel, and views into the commercial kitchen, the CCS team used wood to warm up the space and add an element of authenticity to an otherwise modern aesthetic. The use of Veneer-Art was intended to play off of the more polished and neutral store finishes as well.

We strive for timeless modernism in our designs. Wood is something elemental and authentic that everyone can relate to.

— Bryan Southwick, Associate Principal, CCS Architecture

OVERALL, THE DESIGN HAS BEEN WELL RECEIVED.

The service and food offering at Nordstrom Restaurants is exceptional. Hopefully we did our part to add to the atmosphere.

— Bryan Southwick, Associate Principal, CCS Architecture

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