The Liquor Store

November 2017
1,200 SF

"The feeling when you walk in the door is funky and fun with a Miami vibe. White walls, a splash of neon here and there and the coolest tables in town make you feel more like you are in South Beach rather than on the industrial Broad Street in Memphis.”
-StyleBlueprint
“The aesthetic inside is classic diner-meets-South Beach flair. The interiors are white and modern with warm metal finishes and a pastel palm pattern on the tables and bar to give off that Miami vibe.”
-Food & Wine

Challenge: To design a Miami influenced diner and bar in an existing building that was formerly a liquor store. The 1,200 SF building was being used as office space when the operators took over the lease. It had one restroom and zero infrastructure for a restaurant kitchen and bar. We were also hoping to fit almost 50 seats into the space. The bones of the space were good and the best part was it had two original neon “Liquor” signs on the front of the building.

“The design intent was to create a pretty setting that people would feel comfortable lingering in. The diner had to imbue a familiarity for breakfast and coolness for drinks at night. I think early on we were thinking white with pastels would be fresh in this space, and that made us think Miami. I had lived there, and one of the owners is from Venezuela originally. We all liked the Latin influence and knew the fun we could have with the design.”

The footprint of the space was challenging but taking cues from diner kitchen layouts enabled us to stack the kitchen and bar equipment along one wall. There are many elements to love but one of the most successful is the long diner bar with the custom swivel, backless stools. We collaborated with the owner on a custom palm pattern laminate that we used for the bar and table tops. The interior and exterior are a white back drop with a grid of globe lights to once again hearken the diner aesthetic and give the interior a warm glow. The owners invested on restoring the original neon liquor signs with pink neon to update the feel. Pink mirror and a To-Go window were incorporated in the back bar design to give the bar an upscale but fun feel.