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.