Client: Chef Stephan Pyles

Overview

Chef Stephan Pyles’ Flora Street Cafe, located in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, presents a sophisticated five-star dining experience, where food is theatre and art is the focus of the interior design. The commissioned artwork and elegant furnishings—from the chairs to contemporary place settings—provide a timeless dining experience as a canvas for art, both displayed and plated. Designed by Wilson Associates and Art Consultant David Arment, Flora Street is a modern space that engages diners from the moment they walk in the door.

Goals

The restaurant’s central location in the Dallas Arts District proposed a unique backdrop that the design team was adamant to capture, making the commissioned art pieces the centerpiece of the design. The goal was to create a bold and dramatic design, exhibited through custom lighting and art pieces within the space. The team blended contemporary furnishings and finishes with a neutral yet rich color palette, sophisticated wood flooring and floor-to-ceiling glass windows to allow the artwork and lighting to take center stage.

A highlight of the space is the massive, colorful “curtain” that appears to be a painting at first glance, but is actually thousands of pieces of cut silk woven together—a richly textured work of art by U.S. artist Tim Harding. Nearby, guests will notice the movement of the Shylight, an unfolding, florally-designed kinetic light that blooms like a flower. The moving art installation is comprised of layers of silk, and descends to blossom beautifully before subsequently closing and retreating upward again. Lining the floor-to-ceiling windows, Lasvit chandeliers, part of the Neverending Glory Collection, hang above dining tables. Simple and chic, the chandeliers were designed as “ghosts” of the grandiose chandeliers seen in traditional opera houses.

Process

Senior Vice President and Principal Jim Rimelspach of Wilson Associates and Art Consultant David Arment sought to create a timeless, comfortable and formal dining experience where the contemporary interior focuses guests’ attention to the curated works of art, modern chandeliers and open kitchen. Rimelspach and Arment designed a space that engages diners from the moment they walk in - with moving and dynamic pieces that tie the spaces together. Wanting food to play an intricate role in the experience, Chef Pyles’ took part in adding pieces to the space. He traveled to Amsterdam to work closely with Studio Drift to create the Shylight - a beautiful, unfolding kinetic light that blooms like a flower - the first to be installed in the U.S.