as long as chef wally joe is manning the saute pan, that is. set to open in just a few days (pending staff training, menu tweaks, and a liquor license) acre will be a most welcome addition to the memphis restaurant lineup. though mrs. jones’s involvement was limited to the ladies’ & men’s rooms, there was no way to miss the tantalizing smells coming from the kitchen this week as things got revved up. they aren’t kidding around about the emphasis on local cuisine…chef joe and his staff even have an herb garden planted right outside the kitchen door.
here are the bathrooms, before:
gwen driscoll designed the chic and cozy interiors, and i did my best to execute her vision for the bathrooms. first, she specified a particular geometric pattern for the men’s, suggesting a trellis or lattice-work:
(relying heavily here, of course, on the unfailing assistance of my laser level.)
then, in the ladies’: walls scattered with loose, wild gardenias and a pale pink ceiling covered in little gold…well…visitors.
some process notes: working with a palette of gwen’s custom colors, i used mylar to make the stencils for each of the elements, and then brushed in the little details. (i cut a second set of stencils from lighter-weight – but less durable – mylar sheets for the men’s room ceiling…gravity being an obvious issue.) (which worked swimmingly until getting too close to the halogen lights. for those of you wondering: mylar melts. relatively quickly.)
and glaze in a deeper shade of brown was stippled on to the ladies’ walls first, to give the flowers a softer ground on which to bloom.
you enter acre through a glossy sunflower-yellow front door, and wind through a series of small dining rooms and a beautiful bar in a fab mix of materials: reclaimed barn planks, silver gilding, ebonized wood, white leather, iron, industrial metal piping, slabs of the most gorgeous marble, and shimmery dirty-copper-penny tile…it all feels like a very tony treehouse. in back, tucked behind high stone walls and enormous boxwoods, is a beautiful, quiet patio where they’ll be serving cocktails and a bar menu. it will be one of the lovliest spots i can think of to have a meal.
i can’t march on without first thanking my clients and designers who have been so patient and flexible through the many scheduling upheavals as this project unfolded, and ann nordeen parker and amy moore from gwen’s studio for their support and direction throughout. and enormous thanks to dear friends (sally, margaret, cheryl, sarah, catherine) who checked in with coffees, turkey sandwiches, diet cokes, homemade gazpacho, and all manner of support. catherine was even game enough to take brush in hand and lend her talents! i am so very grateful to you all.
Lauren says
FABULOUS! can’t wait to check out the menu at acre…and sneak into the men’s restroom to inspect your handiwork 😉
The Devoted Classicist says
Your work is fabulous! I hope to see it here in person before too long.
Anna says
Wow! Those finishes are so intricate and neck breaking! Your hard work really shows. Just beautiful, Stephanie!
Lorelei says
The bathrooms are awesome! Can we eat in the bathroom? tee hee 🙂
CAT says
gorgeous! and you did all this in a week???!!! COME ON! and I cannot evn imagine what this did to your neck!
Cat
stephanie says
thank you so much everyone for the kind comments!
but cat, i did not mean to give the impression that it only took a week…it’s actually been going on since late march…on and off, that is…probably a 3-week project spread out over the past 3 months. whenever anything else needed to be done – countertops/plumbing/lighting/mirrors etc. – i had to put my brushes away and come back when the dust (literally) settled again. you can’t imagine how much dust is produced just from installing the hand dryers! clients have really had to hang in there with me…it has been a wild ride. i am so thankful for my lovely patient people!
and yes, my neck definitely felt it. how i do so love my heating pad.
all worth it in the end, though!
Selena says
stunning as usual!!! nice work!!!
BoxwoodTerrace says
Wonderful work, Stephanie! Beautiful!
CAT says
Well they are lucky to have you. AND I love the stencils you made AND the surprise bees on the ceiling. Figures it took awhile…
Cat