Client: Earls Kitchen Bar
Location: Tysons Corner, VA, United States
Completion date: 2015
Artwork budget: $75,000
Project Team
Artist
Ricky Alvarez
Architect
MBH Architects
Interior Designer
Earls In-House Design Studio
Earls Kitchen + Bar
Interior Designer
Jennifer Hoffbeck
Earls Kitchen + Bar
Artist
Tim Conlon
Art Consultant
AK Art Consulting
Client
Earls Kitchen + Bar
Landscape Architect
Christy Webber Landscapes
Overview
A popular Canadian restaurant brand, Earls Kitchen Bar mixes local tastes with a refined-yet-casual aesthetic.The company’s 10,800-square-foot location in Tysons Corner, VA is no exception, and the restaurant offers numerous options for multiple experiences—from a drink at the bar to an intimate dinner at a marble-topped table. Earls In-House Design Studio designed an open-concept plan that flows gracefully from the outdoor patio with fire pits and plush seating to the interior dining areas, featuring leather, button-tufted booths, an elegant wood-paneled ceiling, and a large, geometric chandelier. Locally sourced art stamps the venue as unique to the D.C.-area.
Goals
The project team brought a fresh, versatile dining concept to Tysons Corner, set in the midst of a bustling area that many young professionals call home. To deliver this unique setting, the design team focused on integrating the outdoors and creating a urbane-meets-urban aesthetic which includes sustainable materials used to minimize the carbon footprint and D.C.-inspired decor.
Honoring the history of the locale, the restaurant incorporates large, graffitied metal artwork, Blank Canvas #64 – RF&P, by D.C.-based artist Tim Conlon, which was inspired by the side of a former railcar for the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad, which ran from Virginia to Washington D.C.
Another featured piece in the space is the massive, pewter-cast wall sculpture by Vancouver-based artist Ricky Alvarez. Suspended before a warm, white wall, the abstract appearance of the crisscrossed metal strips are given meaning when one realizes that they depict a map of the the country’s capital.
Bringing in these site-specific touches was integral to the overall conception of the restaurant, as was adding an industrial attitude to the space. Thee visual elements contribute a sense of place, allowing Earls to blend in with the local landscape.
Process
MBH Architects worked closely with the Earls Kitchen Bar design team to ensure a continuity of the Earls brand aesthetic.
The Earls aesthetic focuses heavily on the integration of natural materials juxtaposed with metal, as well as the creation of custom light fixtures. To maintain a continuity between restaurants, MBH Architects worked closely with the owner, contractor, and lighting designer - guaranteeing the linear chandeliers would be both sound both in structure and design.
As this location is below a residential building, communication was necessary between the contractor and MBH Architects to come up with a creative solution for any possible noise discrepancies. Ultimately, a noise-pollution scrubber device was installed, so that unwanted sound would be discharged through side walls.
Additional Information
Designed with sustainability in mind, the Earls brand focuses on energy efficient building design and custom LED lighting. MBH Architects created the space with LEED silver standards in mind, conserving energy with state of the art mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Reclaimed and repurposed materials also ensure the carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.