Norfolk, Virginia

Bobbywood Restaurant was designed to capture the spirit of an upscale urban restaurant. The chef /owner’s vision for the restaurant was inspired by a painting that evokes warmth, sophistication, color and visual surprise, and, the design team was tasked with creating a unique sensory dining experience reflecting these feelings. The result was to become a compliment to the menu and reputation of this acclaimed
chef. The program demanded that spaces be visual, open and employ color, while providing varying degrees of privacy, separation and surprise. Columns subdivide the restaurant into a bar/lounge area, a fixed ‘banquet’ seating area and a dining room. The bar showcases the wine cellar which is accessible through a special custom designed door and conditioned to the perfect temperature for maintaining
the many varieties of wine. Sliding acrylic panels laced with reeds at each end of the space and hinged operable panels framed between columns separate the main dining area from a private dining room for special events. Natural materials such as concrete, wood and stone are found throughout the space working together to create a dynamic balance between the raw and the refined. Woods of purpleheart,
maple and wenge are used throughout and can be found on the bar and drink rail, planters, wait stations, fixed seating and host stand. All are designed to reflect the same architectural language. The bar top is a thick combination of maple and purpleheart anchored to cast concrete walls that rise out of the floor.