Saint Urban

Saint Urban restaurant, named after the patron saint of winegrowers, is rich with material references to wine culture, lets floors-walls-ceilings speak visually about “terroir-roots,” the essentials for great wine. End-grain block oak, and a custom organic carpet clad the floor, cerused white oak crawls up the walls with commissioned “root” paintings, a trellis and abstract lit leaves adorn the ceilings. Sculpted banquettes surround the main dining room accented by modern amphoras (ancient wine vessel). As a new wine restaurant (with a wine bar) -where food follows wine- its spirit is deeply embedded into the architectural materials. The design reflects wine culture in forms, materials, textures and colors. The artwork clarifies this association and the terroir through large scale maps and at a finer scale in the vines and roots of the artwork. Each month, a new “wine first” tasting menu is unveiled, dedicated to a particular country or region. As a space of hospitality, the dining rooms are small and intimate with a variety of seating types to accommodate different groupings of diners but always with attention to the consistency of experience, from the character of the room to the finishing features to the custom lighting, details and views. On entry, the dark ceiling, the full height curtain and vertical emphasis of the oak louvers (back lit) against the pre-existing masonry wall reinforce the dramatic height of the first dining room. Passing from front to back, the bar and the trellised ceiling narrow and lower the route of passage, creating both an intervening scenario of activity and abundance in glassware, wine bottles and a prelude to the expansion vertically of the larger dining space beyond. The surrounding banquettes are sculpted to give patrons their own private seating area.