UMAMI BURGER, WEST LOOP / CHICAGO, IL
Akin to the nature of Umami itself, the design amplifies the character of the existing Randolph Street space, combined with the California brand's material palette.
Diffuse daylight filters thru wire-brushed wood roof joists from an oversized skylight above the bar. The folded plywood ceiling tapers upward, de-constructing the otherwise low & broad space. A deeply stained and textured wood wall mimicking the ceiling geometry is the centerpiece behind the bar. A playful, saturated take on the Umami lip graphic, digitally printed on wallpaper, wraps a hall leading to an outdoor patio. The spatial quality aims for Zen with a playful edge. The materials, a Wabi Sabi stripped-down modernism, warm but fresh, inviting and inventive.