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  • MAMAHUHU NOE VALLEY

    MAMAHUHU NOE VALLEY SAN FRANCISCO The Noe Valley location of Mamahuhu is the third to open. This location captures the refined evolution of the Mamahuhu brand and how it attracts their target clientele. This location was early in construction while the second in Mill Valley was celebrating their opening, allowing Studio BBA and the MMHH team to rapidly make final adjustments to get the perfect case study of their brand. Noe Valley shows off their strong graphic and spatial palette, which will be easily implemented into future locations. Even the booth design became a brand element, repeating itself within and across locations. Formerly a soda fountain and coffee shop with a distinct U-shaped bar, Mamahuhu Noe Valley pays homage to its predecessor by creating a new u-shaped counter. The space is filled with quirky and silly elements a tongue-in-cheese response to the meaning of Mamahuhu, a 4-word Chinese idiom “horse horse tiger tiger” that can be translated to “so-so” or even “careless”. The quirky and fun nature of the design is balanced with precision in architectural detailing and construction to quality ingredients and food preparation, but most outstandingly in the function of the restaurant. Staffing efficiencies were maximized, considering down to how many steps from A to B, and careful consideration of ordering, queue, to-go, and the dine-in guest. Working closely with the Mamahuhu team over the course of multiple years and projects created a fiercely trusting team. Together, we took risks and experimented – we started with too luxe at Clement, overcorrected in Mill Valley, and settled in at the brand’s self-declared sweet spot in Noe Valley. Each successes in their own, the breadth of the 3 restaurants creates a spatial palette that can be reproduced for potential expansion in companion with the design guidelines. Back to Projects page Client Mamahuhu BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Vishnu Balunsat Size 1,220 SF Contractor Cookline Collaborators MEP Engineering: Acies Art: Casey Gray Brand Styling: Whisk Photography Kristen Loken Back to top

  • RUSSIAN HILL ADU

    RUSSIAN HILL ADU SAN FRANCISCO As part of a 2-phase project, the Back House was renovated to be a stand-alone ADU. More details to come. Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Vishnu Balunsat Size 800 SF Contractor Saturn Construction Collaborators Furnishings: By Owner Photography Samantha Buckley Back to top

  • DROPBOX HQ

    DROPBOX HQ SAN FRANCISCO Our design for this young company’s new 70,000 sq. ft. China Basin headquarters provides flexibility for their fast-growing business, while introducing innovative approaches to urban workplace density. If cubicles are the suburbs then our approach to Dropbox HQ is downtown, with their core product as the design inspiration. The company’s new workspace a simple, well-executed container that maximizes functionality and allows for customization without compromising honest aesthetics. Our design reiterates our belief that all spaces – particularly the all-too-often neglected office – deserve real materials and attentive, appropriately-scaled interventions. The primary challenge of this design was to continue the charged and collaborative newsroom feel of the company’s former open office space, while planning for projected growth that could more than quadruple staff. Wrapping the existing building core, a nearly 1,600 ft. continuous circulation loop provides daylight and views to the entire office. The open space plan is organized to be approachable but intensively active and vibrant. Team groupings of open workstations and centralized social spaces line the glazed perimeter, interspersed with shared work rooms, interview and meeting spaces, and informal lounges. The scale and placement of the work groups provides team unity and isolated acoustics, while still maintaining views to neighboring groups to achieve the company’s desire that everyone maintain a connection to overall density. Specific auxiliary spaces include: phone, break, game, music, server, gym, kitchen, and dining. Back to Projects page Client Dropbox BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Sarah Fucinaro Size 70,000 SF Contractor Skyline Construction Collaborators Interiors: Geremia Design Photography Bruce Damonte Studio BBA Back to top

  • 1275 MISSION TI

    1275 MISSION TI SAN FRANCISCO The building owner at 1275 Mission sought us out for our experience working with numerous design-savvy tenants (including Clever HQ just down the block.) They trusted us to create an office interior with its own voice and presence, while leaving room for the future tenant’s personality and culture. Part of this building’s history is somewhat of a mystery, with rumors of a speakeasy and other possibly dubious uses, which lent the project a level of fascination and intrigue. On the factual side, we do know that it served as various offices to support forms of technology (tools, sewing machines, early computers), so it seems fitting that a tech company might call it home. All this mystery inspired us to reveal only selective glimpses of the building’s original brick, concrete and wood. Unexpected discoveries during construction were spontaneously kept to underscore this idea, including a ghosted imprint of the old roof stair in the open workstation area. Black, white and gray surfaces add a sophisticated contrast to these exposed moments on the main and top floors, and provide a neutral backdrop for the new tenant’s brand palette. On the lower level we used a patterned layer of gray stucco to enliven the lounge area. And the former basement access from the sidewalk, referred to by the client as the “speakeasy stair”? …that space has been preserved in a secret cabinet for the new tenants to ponder over during happy hour. Back to Projects page Client Tenant Improvement BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Anand Sheth Size 9,000 SF Contractor Wynne Partners Collaborators Structural: Element Structural Engineer MEP: MHC Engineers Photography Nicholas V. Ruiz Back to top

  • VALLEY

    VALLEY SAN FRANCISCO We helped our clients realize their vision for this remodel within their budget, by focusing on a couple sweet spots. The outcome is a stunning, airy home that honors its 1910 Victorian identity while embodying the modern soul and eye of its style-conscious owners. Our design reflects the Japanese aesthetic ideals of beauty through simplicity, and intentional use of space. The material palette is accordingly limited and refined, with honed Carrera marble, pale grey custom cabinets, black steel and painted accents, and bleached and whitewashed red oak floors. The aforementioned sweet spots are the open kitchen and dining area. These spaces enjoy sweeping views of the Bay, gained by advising the client to remove a pair of ramshackle utility porches off the rear of the building. A new lower level required excavation and structural upgrades, adding a family hangout area, laundry and bathroom. The rest of the house enjoyed a renewal via modest but well executed refinishing and details. For energy efficiency and sustainability the building envelope was heavily insulated, enabling the house to be heated by a single, freestanding, high-efficiency gas fireplace in the dining room. We placed new operable windows and doors in strategic locations to provide passive cooling. The process of building this project was as delightful as the design phase. We were lucky to work with a small, experienced, craft-oriented construction team who had exquisite attention to detail and executed with a high level of refinement. Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Size 1,000 SF Contractor Fine European Construction Collaborators Metalworker: Chris Jordan Metal Photography F. Jason Campbell Back to top

  • PAJARO DUNES HOUSE

    PAJARO DUNES HOUSE WATSONVILLE We’ve worked closely with this client over a number of years to create and implement a thoughtful, site-specific design vision for rejuvenating this coastal vacation property, where their extended family congregates. Built right on the sand, this 3-story mid-century house was originally designed by Walter Thomas Brooks—with a futurist upside-down pyramid conceived of as a spaceship landing in the dunes. Its unconventional form, simple materials and proximity to the ocean left the structure a victim of erosion, corrosion and water drainage issues. We began with a big picture, phased master plan to address the conservation and preservation issues in tandem with renovations, and a design strategy that always considers the Brooks’ iconic detailing, the era and the beach atmosphere (both physically and conceptually). Durability is also an integral criteria—to weather the elements, as well as active family use and large gatherings. The new material palette references the surrounding landscape with a base of earthy tones and pops of vibrant colors—in lava stone, mahogany, bronze, copper, integral color plaster. We introduced a custom brown-gray color on the exterior to offset the bright beach environment and new landscaping; identified by observing the variety of hues and surfaces on site throughout the year. Inside we developed the design room by room—embracing the charm and history of existing elements, and using the perspective of time to ensure the right blend of lasting solutions. Kitchen cabinet doors were rebuilt in place using a custom distressed stainless steel panel, mahogany rails and new hardware. The custom blackened steel, LED fixture was designed to relate to the ceiling’s existing beam pattern. The interiors scope included custom window treatments, pillows, linens, rug and upholstery. On the lower level we renovated the bathroom with a door to the outside, where the sunken patio with new outdoor shower greets the family’s return from the beach; discreetly screened by a custom mahogany gate with louvers. Continual hand-troweled wall plaster runs from the outside in, enhancing the connection. A wall garden of stainless steel and felt is soon to be installed—made in BBA’s Cedar Alley workshop—as well as new planter boxes we designed to reference an original, unbuilt design by Brooks. Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Size 2,500 SF Contractor Steve Munson Hagen Colbert, Inc. Collaborators Interiors GC: Nick Sandman Construction Photography Studio BBA Back to top

  • 24TH STREET

    24TH STREET SAN FRANCISCO Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Size 4,115 SF Contractor Moroso Construction Collaborators Structural: Semco Engineering Solar: Occidental Power Plumbing: Plumbworks Photography Stephanie Jaeger Studio BBA Back to top

  • CAZADERO

    CAZADERO CAZADERO The Cazadero House was designed as a weekend getaway for an adventurous couple that needed a place to land when escaping the city and their busy lives. The existing house was modest and full of potential. The 2.2 acre heavily-wooded downslope lot gave small glimpses to the Russian River and protected the existing 2 bedroom/1 bath “west county shack” – meaning no insulation, leaky roofs, and a do-it-yourself post-block foundation. With confidence, vision, and an allowance for fun, the owners engaged Studio BBA, seeking to remodel the small house into a small home with an awesome “backyard”. A long, modern fence screens and safeguards the house from the nearby street intersection; the threshold at the gate presents the first hint of the view. Strategic and thoughtful landscaping was performed to maximize the view corridor, widening the angle of sight from 30 degrees to 90 degrees, while maintaining the site’s sheltered feel. Tent spots, hammocks, raised vegetable garden beds, a regulation horseshoe pitch, a hot tub, a water feature, an exterior shower, a patio, and a fire pit populate the landscape – providing ample opportunities for outdoor living. In our eyes, the site is a series of outdoor rooms that make the small house feel and live larger. Only 100 square feet were added to the existing footprint of the house, but the main part of the residence was restructured to be more welcoming and view-centric. An expansive great room with a wood-burning fireplace reaches out to the views and invites everyone to sit and enjoy. Conversely, the bedrooms are tucked into the back for privacy. A small but luxurious bath with a soaking tub connects to a private patio and outdoor shower, bringing this indoor/outdoor home full circle. Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Size 1,400 SF Contractor Larry Horne Construction Collaborators Hogan Land Services Photography Studio BBA Back to top

  • DAVID RIO CHAI BAR

    DAVID RIO CHAI BAR SAN FRANCISCO David Rio’s brand is embodied by the tiger in their logo — fearless, bold and confident — and instilled with the ideals of peaceful energy, fine craftsmanship and a love of what they do­. A café, beer/wine bar and experimental lab in one, Chai Bar San Francisco is the company’s first brick-and-mortar. Studio BBA’s design for this high profile, Market Street flagship translates the brand into visually rich spatial elements that evoke the sensory, rejuvenating nature of making, serving and enjoying teas. David Rio teas originate from environments around the globe, inspiring our bold use of color, lighting and materials. Custom built-ins and interactive niches for product discovery offer variations in shape and scale throughout the cafe’s interior. At the center of the space, patrons gather round to watch the tea-crafting process. A welcoming, upholstered banquette runs the entire length of one wall, drawing you to the back of the space and the Chai Lab, where staff and patrons collaborate with the products—creating new mixes on the spot, getting feedback on trial concoctions, and creating personalized tea blends. Back to Projects page Client David Rio BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Stephanie Griffith Size 2,600 SF Contractor Terra Nova Industries Collaborators Photography Nicholas V. Ruiz Back to top

  • EQUATOR MILL VALLEY

    EQUATOR MILL VALLEY MILL VALLEY Studio BBA’s concept for this historic town square café draws on the area’s rustic and natural energy and connects to the vibrant street life, while reflecting the refined character of Equator Coffees and Teas. Expanding on elements we used at the Equator Prooflab location, our Mill Valley café design deepens the company’s brick-and-mortar brand palette with the warmth of salvaged redwood, balanced by concrete, plaster, tile and copper, and accented by ‘Equator red’. We capitalized on existing high ceilings in the storefront to feature a 27-point light array, half of which suspends down to reveal the fixtures’ slip-cast concrete texture. To further integrate Mill Valley’s history, Studio BBA designed a table of redwood and salvaged railroad rails for the outdoor seating area. Back to Projects page Client Equator Coffees BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Sarah Fucinaro Size 950 SF Contractor Dan Dafoe Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers Photography Nicholas V. Ruiz Back to top

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