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  • BRUCATO AMARO

    SAN FRANCISCO BRUCATO AMARO SAN FRANCISCO On a busy street in SF, Brucato Amaro Distillery and Restaurant was inspired by the vibrant history and diverse agriculture of California and the Italian heritage of amaro. The restaurant, bar and distillery are made of many moments including a rootbeer colored tiled plinth in the dining room. The tasting room exudes a Nor-Cali Italian vibe through hues of greens, chartreuse, rootbeer and pinky oranges (check out the woo in the loo!) that complement the bounty and creativity of California ingredients. “In today's world [so] many experiences take place virtually. It is increasingly difficult to find what is true and honest. [With Bar Brucato], we wanted to have a real place where guests can physically see, touch, smell, and taste what we are making.” - Sierra Clark, Co-Founder One of our mantras at Studio BBA is that the Back of the House is as important as the Front of the House. This is exemplified in this SF Distillery, Tasting Room and Bar/Restaurant. The restaurant entry and shipping/receiving are side by side, such that guests are immersed in the hubbub a working distillery - not just a pretty place to eat and drink. On sunny weekends, the loading yard is converted into outdoor seating so guests can see the stills from their table. We worked closely with the Clients to bring this tricky project to fruition. The hospitality program includes Distillery Tours, Family Style dining at the Tasting Table, Private Dining and Distilling classes in the Lab and the Main Dining room and Bar. Press: 7x7 , Chronicle , Infatuation , Eater Back to Projects page Client Brucato Amaro BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Samantha Buckley Size 6,930 SF Contractor CCI Collaborators MEP: ACIES Lighting Design: Banks Landl Project Management: Canopy Photography Studio BBA Molly DeCoudreaux David Dines Back to top

  • FOUR BARREL PORTOLA

    SAN FRANCISCO FOUR BARREL PORTOLA SAN FRANCISCO This Portola district café is Fourbarrel ’s best kept secret, opening onto a new city pocket park that was developed by popular demand of the neighborhood (of which our very own Bonnie Bridges is a member), in conjunction with a San Francisco initiative. The park and café activate a forgotten nook where dead-end street meets elevated highway, enlivening and expanding the community streetscape. Much of our inspiration for this rough-cut gem came from its context and how to best leverage its many particularities, as is often the case in our work. In homage to the Portola’s history as a commercial rose-growing area, a glass awning and planted trellis greet your approach. A former garage, we worked with the existing concrete shell to leverage its simple structural order, with patrons entering through the large overhead garage door to find a series of custom café carts inside the building. The main feature of the space is the wood treatment on the ceiling. The whole team collaborated on what to do with loads of old cupped redwood planks, finally arriving on the approach of laying out the end grain pieces in concentric circles to resemble a cross-section of the growth rings of a tree. A custom sliding glass and steel wall does double duty by hiding the massive electrical panel behind and providing retail shelving in front. Back to Projects page Client Four Barrel Coffee BBA Team Seth Boor Bonnie Bridges Size 725 SF Contractor Roman Hunt Collaborators Photography Studio BBA Back to top

  • MISTER JIU'S

    SAN FRANCISCO MISTER JIU'S SAN FRANCISCO Our design for Mister Jiu’s 2-story Chinatown space — originally home to one of SF’s oldest and longest running restaurants — reflects the spirit of chef/owner Brandon Jew and his inventive contemporary Chinese food. The concept naturally leaned toward the duality of yin and yang, dark and light, which we reinterpreted as a modern interior inspired by its cuisine’s lively energy, and embedded with references to its deeply rooted history and culture. The first step we took was to relocate the restaurant’s entry from Grant Street’s bustle to the cloak of Waverly Street. Akin to modern-day Hong Kong alleyways that frame their destinations, this brings visitors in from a sheltered passage to the dim reception and bar areas, and gives a composed glimpse into the light-filled dining room beyond. It was important to the chef that the dining room feel bright and refreshing. We took inspiration for the palette of green, teak and varied textures from the aesthetics of tea growing, and Guilin’s iconic Li River, with accents including a parquet tile pattern, and repurposed lotus chandeliers and brass pendants. The large elements of the space were made simple, to create a quiet visual field and add elegance — with tone-on-tone plaster, painted walls and custom teak tables. Mister Jiu’s kitchen is huge and robust by San Francisco standards, and is truly the heart of the space. Open to the dining room, it offers diners and restaurant staff the same experience — views, high quality finishes, spaciousness, thoughtful organization — so they may equally enjoy their experience and time in the restaurant. Back to Projects page Client Mister Jiu's BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Size 5,000 SF Contractor C&C General Engineering, Inc. Collaborators Sculpture: Beth Naumann Landscape Art: Afton Love Photography F. Jason Campbell Back to top

  • FOUNDER'S INC.

    SAN FRANCISCO FOUNDER'S INC. SAN FRANCISCO When we first met Founder’s Inc founder, they said after their successes as a tech entrepreneur, they can live and work anywhere in the world. When faced with the question of where–on the water in Fort Mason was the response. The National Historic Landmark of Fort Mason serves as a community cultural center and office space for non-profit organizations ranging from theaters and art galleries to environmental advocacy groups. While not technically a non-profit, Founder’s Inc is a tech incubator space that shares a non-profit equivalent agenda. They are committed to education and training, providing scholarships, mentorship, and a robust lecture series to supporting people to launch startups in the hardware and product space. Working inside a National Historic Landmark, Studio BBA had to use a delicate touch with design insertions to respect the historic building. The vaulted ceilings on the top floor lends itself to the public facing uses, but provided equal challenges to provide acoustic comfort for day-to-day and large events. Working closely with Founder’s, Studio BBA established a program anticipating the needs of the incubator and future proofing while ensuring the space feels great for 2 or 100+ people. The incubator includes a variety of makerspaces including a machine and electronics shop, a library for quiet heads down research, and a podcast studio. Back to Projects page Client Founder's Inc. BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Tara Rajan Vishnu Balunsat Size 16,516 SF Contractor GCI General Contractor Collaborators Furniture: MG West Lighting: Pritchard Peck Plants: Add Life Photography Eric Rorer Back to top

  • FARMERS & MERCHANTS BUILDING DTLA

    LOS ANGELES FARMERS & MERCHANTS BUILDING DTLA LOS ANGELES Studio BBA provided comprehensive architecture and interiors services for this adaptive reuse project—redeveloping the historic, long-abandoned Farmers & Merchants building in downtown LA’s Old Bank District into our client’s vision for a fantastic, new kind of dining emporium. With the building’s character and significance as our muse, we designed artful, structural and strategic interventions that would restore its glory and distinction for modern patrons. Entirely dedicated to the experience of enjoying food and drink, the interior offers a range of refined and casual environments. The main floor is a seamless integration of new and old, featuring the emporium’s flagship bakery and café near its main entry, and a central horseshoe bar with custom deck-mounted lighting gracefully anchoring the open plan. The fine dining restaurant has both communal and intimate seating; serviced in the front-of-house by an open kitchen, meat room and wine storage. A new 1,600 sq. ft. mezzanine borders the triple-height atrium, providing a singular vantage point of the grand volume. The existing second floor was redesigned with a speakeasy feel and flexible use in mind—the corner bar, cool lounge areas and three dining rooms can be used as restaurant overflow or for private events. Above it all, a restored 300-panel, vaulted skylight is engineered with natural and artificial lighting options. The expansive back-of-house is in a connected but separate building, through no small effort to resolve the structural and systems challenges. Nostalgia and authenticity are expressed throughout with well-considered materials and finishes. Historic preservation elements include moldings, pilasters, the mosaic floor, distressed plaster and the original “Verde” marble cladding. Sophisticated new finishes include brass inlaid tile, exposed steel and concrete, custom millwork, black steel, and walnut. Studio BBA specified complete furniture and decorative lighting packages to complete the tactile, rich environment. The primary complexities of rehabilitating this building centered on the need to introduce and integrate completely new systems in a structure where modern systems had never existed (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, circulation, ADA, exits, fire separation). Through rigorous and thoughtful collaboration with expert engineers, consultants, preservationists and city agencies, Studio BBA arrived at a systems approach that worked for all parties. Back to Projects page Client Tartine LA, LLC BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Anand Sheth Size 19,719 SF Contractor Howard CDM Collaborators MEP: Henderson Engineers Structural: John Labib & Associates Acoustic/AV Consultant: FYXX Entertainment, Inc. Lighting: Hiram Banks Lighting Design Photography None Back to top

  • TECH COMPANY

    SAN FRANCISCO TECH COMPANY SAN FRANCISCO When this client came to Studio BBA, they were new and growing — growing fast. Working with the co-founder, we established how their digital presence transcends into physical space and identity. The project grew into a 3-story redesign including new finishes to compliment a host of program: lounges, outdoor terraces, a gym, all-hands and dining area to accommodate catering for the entire office. Through our emergent process, we learned that focused and private work was pivotal to the company’s office culture and created the “Observable Universe” art piece to inspire a “Thinking Garden” as a place for introspection, study, discovery, and delight. The interior landscape program for the office became an obvious manifestation of the Thinking Garden, supported by an abstract and sophisticated nature-inspired palette. Starting during the Covid pandemic, the only thing that was certain was that the company was growing. Lead times quickly began to drive schedule, and the design team had to be nimble in making selections as available products quickly changed. This need to meet schedule fostered a trusting relationship where the Client approved look-and-feel of the various aspects of the office space, and Studio BBA was able to select alternates as needed. We standardized on a phone booth, providing fluidity for staff jumping from room to room, and to ease future purchasing needs. To support confidentiality and the meditative quietness of the open office, the floor plan boasts a nearly 3-to-1 ratio of people to conference rooms and call rooms. Back to Projects page Client Confidential Tech BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Vishnu Balusat Samantha Buckley Size 18,000 SF Contractor GCI General Contractors Collaborators Project Manager: Raise Plantings: AddLife Procurement: MGWest Photography Studio BBA Back to top

  • SAN ANSELMO HOUSE

    SAN ANSELMO HOUSE SAN ANSELMO Our clients (a landscape designer and a video producer) came to us because they love Flora Grubb Gardens. Although it is not a house, they were inspired by the way the architecture and gardens flow together and create a variety of creative and comfortable places within a well ordered and structurally expressed building. The challenge they gave us: transform a tiny, vintage 1940’s ranch house in San Anselmo into a long-term family home that takes advantage of the south facing 2-acre lot with amazing views of Mount Tamalpais. With a young family on a street full of kids, we popped up the entry to create the new double-height volume that welcomes neighbors and helps anchor the house on the steep downslope lot. Inside, we combined small spaces to create an expansive great room with exposed douglas fir beams, hand-hewn wood floors, and a multi-slide pocket door. The airy space opens onto to a cedar deck and enjoys generous southern light and views of oak-studded Marin hills. From the main level skylit hall, a new stair leads to the new lower level (formerly a crawl space) with direct access to the garden. The gardens, patios, and deck flow together as one outdoor living space via paths and stairways. Simple, local materials on the interior include new and reclaimed douglas fir and aged white oak, complemented by board-form concrete retaining walls and darkened steel. Special wood details throughout lend warmth and unique personality throughout, conceived through an enjoyable, collaborative process with the clients, consultants, and contractor. As the house is located within a Wildland Urban Interface area, only non-combustible materials were used on the exterior, and the trees on the site were carefully protected from construction activity. Sustainable systems were integrated inside and out, including radiant heating, a passive cool sink, permeable pavers, bio-swales, bioretention areas, and a green roof. BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Stephanie Griffith Size 2,800 SF; 2 acre lot Contractor Christensen Construction Timberline Builders Collaborators Pope Engineering | Civil Engineer Double D Engineering | Structural Engineer Holly Selvig Landscape Architecture Neila Hutt Interior Design Garden Design by Annabelle Reber (Client) Photography Cesar Rubio Photography Back to Projects page Back to top

  • THUMBTACK LIBRARY

    THUMBTACK LIBRARY SAN FRANCISCO The Thumbtack Library showcases the relationship of trust fostered between the client and Studio BBA. As a 5x repeat client, we were so excited to collaborate and experiment with Thumbtack as we all tackled the future of workplace in the middle of a pandemic. During the pandemic, Thumbtack made the decision to become an all-virtual company. Instead of traditional offices, they created a plan for four “libraries” across the globe for socializing, gathering and connection. With this directive, we’ve created something entirely new. Libraries are strategically located as a resource to employees globally to allow for connections, community and socializing in-real-life. This partnership resulted in a truly iterative process upheld by the strong ethos of Thumbtack’s Head of People and a committed and supportive Landlord team. Thumbtack is evolving and transforming, and their new space reflects that, meeting them in their commitment to equity. The library is not a one solution fits all. By creating a spectrum of places, the library offers neighborhoods from noisy and extroverted, to quiet and pensive. Spaces support independent laptop work, but also phone booths for private calls, or high-back feet-up lounge chairs for soaking in the view while thinking. Other experiments in the office include providing phone booths large enough to act as offices for acoustic privacy for executives and staff discussing confidential information. Size: Contractor: Collaborator: 20,000 SF MCS ACIES | MEP Magnusson Klemencic Associates | Structural Pear Workplace Solutions | Furniture The Plant People | Plants Tinkering Monkey | Signage + Branding Photography: Victor Goods Client Website: Thumbtack Design Team: Vishnu Balunsat Bonnie Bridges Back to Projects page Back to top

  • PLAYSTUDIOS

    PLAYSTUDIOS SAN FRANCISCO PlayStudios made the decision to move from the Peninsula to downtown, reducing their square footage but doubling-down on a location that put them alongside premier VC firms, and being in an urban center that partners wanted to visit. After the lease was signed, Studio BBA was brought in to refresh the space into something nearly unrecognizable. Walking into this space, fronting fabulous South Park in San Francisco, it would have been perfect as-is if you were seeking an industrial steam-punk office. That vibe did not align with the brand and identity standards of online gaming company PlayStudios—where they emerged as a light and bright brand in hospitality forward Las Vegas. The program and use of each space was inspired by an activity based workplace—the hybrid office allows heads-down focus work to happen at home, and brings the office to an activated social role in their workplace culture. This shift was to help create a magnet rather than mandate to return to office. To make the most of the leased area, Studio BBA helped to convert the very low storage loft into a cozy gaming lounge with low to the floor individual seats arced around the console system, and a nearby round table for board games. We were told a sweet story after the project completed, that a group of the staff get together on Saturdays to use the game table. Pride of place has attracted not just their staff, but friends, family and extended networks. Emphasizing play, Tinkering Monkey and the PlayStudios team brought our vision to life, creating an interactive art installation that makes you pause to play with an analog View-Master toy to view PlayStudios’ original art created by their illustrators. The art installation is just one layer of the detail attended to the accessories. Furniture selections with complimenting pillows, to planters and their plants, lamps, rugs, and a toiletry program to add a level of care to the restroom. Juxtaposing the minimal and bright design of the space, Studio BBA designed a plant program to extend the park on their doorstep in through the folding glass door façade, layering life into the office. Size: Contractor: Collaborator: 2695 SF GCI RDI | Furniture Tinkering Monkey | Art + Signage Photography: Jasper Sanidad Client Website: PlayStudios Design Team: Vishnu Balunsat Bonnie Bridges Back to Projects page Back to top

  • AUBURN HOUSE

    AUBURN HOUSE AUBURN Set on 100 acres in the Sierra Foothills, the Auburn House embodies the simple, casual and hardy spirit of a modern farmhouse. Through its orientation, sustainable systems and material palette, the home embodies the pastoral and inspiring landscape of lakes, blue oaks, manzanitas and grasses. Anchored into the natural slope of the terrain through a board-form concrete retaining wall, the house is quietly positioned between the idyllic stream-fed lake below and rocky granite outcropping above. The concrete wall’s earthen thermal mass cools the interior, crucial to mitigating the dry, hot summers. On the north side of the house two dormers pop up to allow for picture views toward the rocky terrain. These, along with the operable skylights throughout the house, supply passive cooling and ventilation and diffused natural light. The compact, 2,700 SF house has two wings: the public wing that includes living/dining/kitchen, wine cellar, pantry and powder room, and the private wing that consists of the master suite, media room and guest bedroom. This wing is slightly canted to capture views of a large cluster of native blue oaks. A large, linear patio connects the two wings with outdoor lounge areas, garden beds, cedar trellis and a deep overhang on the south side offering shade for relaxation and family gatherings. A 75-foot lap pool parallels the patio and reflects the native oak landscape. Meandering paths crisscross the site and invite tranquil walking meditation. BBA Team Stephanie Griffith Bonnie Bridges Size 2,700 SF Contractor Saturn Construction Collaborators Photography Studio BBA Bruce Damonte Back to Projects page Back to top

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