Problem:
Dawn Schulz was creating a new restaurant business in a space that was designed for fine dining. Her new endeavor, the Copper Pig, is a BBQ joint, so the existing décor had to be seriously toned-down and made casual with limited time, money & energy.
Solution:
The first item on the check list was deciding on the color palette. The walls were shades & stripes of cool greys. I said to Dawn, “Literally, take a brown paper bag with you to the
paint store and have them make that color.” Once on the walls, it gave the space the warm, accessible feel that we were going for. The other color we chose was flat black, plus chalk board paint that would allow for promoting specials & downtown happenings, right on the walls.
Next up was upholstery and art/décor. The back of the existing dining room banquet was very high and formal, so that got cut down, and the fabric switched out for a durable leather product– the color of BBQ sauce. We both liked the caramel-colored leather a lot, but Dawn demonstrated a child wiping motion with BBQ sauce on their hands, and that made our decision to go darker oh so easy!
For décor, Dawn had a huge black animal skin for the wall next to the bar, and above the dining room banquet, we now had room to install a 40’ collage of funny vintage BBQ ads & images to create a focal point for the space. Special thanks to artist & graphic designer Kevin Burke for helping select and reproduce the images. We went with black & white and sepia ink output, printed on warm creamy paper. Big shout out to my friend Beth Fraher as well, my fun & helpful assistant. We got cookin’ and banged this job out in 3-4 hours. The effect is amazing; it seriously looks like it has been there for years. Some of the images are LOL funny, and a bit edgy, setting the perfect tone.
Keith Traub from Unite Two Design did his magic once again, and distressed the grey paint off the wall petition wood boards and installed silver corrugated metal as wainscoting below. He also faced the bar with brushed silver to tie it all together. We kept the existing bar stools & pendants intact, and Dawn cleverly made chicken-wire shades for many of the existing light fixtures.
The restaurant mascot, an actual copper pig, stands outside the door to greet customers and provide the perfect selfie opportunity. The exterior signage was done by Image Agent. So, come on down and check it out, the food is delicious and very reasonably priced!