Storming the Bastille

Designing for Lure: Blending Classic Coastal Heritage With Upscale Fine Dining

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Aug• 15•12

Lure is a unique Atlanta eatery which strives to provide the freshest seafood dining experience paired with high quality, delicious ingredients. The Executive Chef, David Bradley, believes sustainable seafood and seasonal produce are the keys to creating a memorable menu for city dwellers.

The restaurant is based out of a midtown 1920′s bungalow, that has been renovated to suit the aesthetic of a well-worn seaside restaurant turned modern, with unique pieces of artwork featuring an abstractly nautical theme. Bastille Metal Works was selected to create a bar that would help accent the history of the building while providing the sleek qualities of contemporary dining.

We designed a slip-cast zinc bar top with a simple rounded edge which sits atop a natural darkened wood base. The exposed wood beams with hanging exposed light bulbs strongly contrasts the strikingly modern cream colored chairs. The use of wood appears as a stylish take on mid-century wood paneling, out lined with clean geometric lines.

We are so grateful to have been a part of this exciting project, working with a team of individuals interested in providing a wonderful setting for traditionalists and adventurers alike. As their tagline perfectly describes, it’s easy to get hooked on Lure and return again and again for the delicious culinary creations and stunning oceanic ambiance of this restaurant.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Lee

 

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Creating a Focal Point in the Kneppers Kitchen

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Aug• 07•12

When Angela Kneppers contacted us, she was hoping to create something beautiful for her kitchen. The elegant room already had stunning soapstone countertops from Bucks County and she wanted to design something that would accent the space while also creating a visual centerpiece.

Angela Kneppers was very pleased with our work and sent us a glowing review of our projects with her and the photos you see featured on the blog. In her own words:

“Most of the hoods made by other companies were utilitarian and functional… and boring! Yes, I wanted functional, but I also wanted something beautiful. The attention to detail in both the hood and the bar counter is remarkable. The surface of the bar counter is polished to a high sheen, and although both of these items are metal, the zinc is somehow warm and inviting. It is a living surface and it begs to be touched. The beautiful cabinets and well-crafted soapstone counters make for a stunning kitchen. But it’s the cast zinc hood and bar counter that give it personality. And I’m thrilled with them. Thank you Chris and Bastille Metal Works!!”

We are always excited to take a client’s idea and make it a reality. This was a very fun project for us and we are so happy that Angela and Chris Kneppers enjoy the final product. Angela said she now considers the kitchen to be her favorite spot in her new house, and we are honored to have been a key part in helping create the ambiance of this space.

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Bastille Metal Works is 2012 Title Sponsor for Telfair Museums’ Children’s Art Fair in the Square

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Aug• 01•12

We are thrilled to be working once again with Telfair Museums, the oldest public art museum in the Southeast. The annual Children’s Art Fair in the Square will feature live performances, face painting, and booths sponsored by local Savannah businesses.  Telfair staff, volunteers and business leaders will provide art activities and art education experiences to those attending this free event.

The Children’s Art Fair in the Square is a part of Telfair Museums’ 18th Annual Telfair Art Fair and will take place November 10 and 11. Each year, volunteers line up to provide great ways for kids to have fun and use their creativity to design and learn.

This year’s theme, Arte Al Fresco, will tie into the museum’s upcoming exhibition Offering of the Angels: Paintings and Tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery. The exhibition will feature Italian masterworks from the Renaissance through the Baroque period, and will open on December 7.

Bastille Metal Works is sponsoring the event to show our dedication to local arts advocacy and education. We are still in the planning stages, but with commitment, planning, and willing volunteers this will be the most successful Children’s Art Fair in the Square yet! If any of our friends would like to get involved­–donations, supplies, and time are very much appreciated! Contact our Director of Public Relations, Holly Elliott, at holly@bastillemetalworks.com for more information.

For more information regarding the 18th Annual Telfair Art Fair, please visit the Telfair Museums Website.

 

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Local Business and The Downtown Tech Crawl

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jul• 25•12

Recently, a local group formed the aptly named “Made in Savannah” to showcase unique ideas founded in our city. The Made in Savannah team, along with many other local organizations, hosted a Downtown Tech Crawl to show how our local tech scene is emerging and how many of our small businesses function. Even though Bastille Metal Works is not a tech company, we are an avid supporter of Savannah’s tech sector. Our Director of Public Relations was lucky enough to assist with the Tech Crawl and learn about these diverse companies. Here are her experiences:

Our first stop was Evoca, a software developer of Web based and mobile tools that makes it easy to record and share digital audio and video content. It’s great for language lessons, interviews, and user opinions. Their upcoming app, Boca, will allow users to quickly make visuals with video and upload recordings quickly and conveniently.

Next was Focus Lab, a local branding and design company and Twitch Technologies, a company creating a intuitive keyboard with only 10 keys.

Then we made a stop at South Point Media in the heart of downtown on Broughton Street. They provide WordPress development services for various businesses and agencies. They had an amazing work space and company culture, featuring an art gallery, pool table, and paper-free office.

We then migrated to Bay Street to visit with Blue Lime Studios, a company that creates amazingly life-like renderings of architectural projects. They are also well-known for creating the TAP (Tourist Assistance Portal) in Savannah.

We then jumped on the trolley and traveled to midtown, where we visited Tour Buddy and Green Light. Tour Buddy is an app for audio tours in museums, parks, cities, and festivals. They will soon be releasing a version of their app for the Savannah Philharmonic (Very exciting!) Green Light is a Web service for managing insurance certification. It sends alerts and requests and can be a very beneficial tool for contractors and property managers.

Next we headed back downtown to tour the Creative Coast’s office, an advocacy organization that helps creative and innovative businesses in our city thrive. There we learned about Talent Soup, a national brand organization that recruits talent through ads posted by everyone from professional models to everyday people and Hip Calendar, a user driven interactive community calendar showing all of the city’s events in one easy-to-use interface.

Finally we headed back to Rails Machine to learn about a group of dedicated individuals that have founded the ultimate hosting environment for Ruby on Rails applications. Ruby on Rails is an open source Web framework used to create Web applications. So the team is always helping new businesses grow.

Despite the many variations of businesses on the Tech Crawl, all of the organizations shared one common goal: to make Savannah a city known for their creatively driven and close-knit community of individuals with unique ideas. It was wonderful to see all the acclaimed innovation and ideas being born locally in this city and an inspiration to our business. A big thanks to everyone who participated!

Me, center, rocking the red solo cup. Photo courtesy of the Downtown Tech Crawl Facebook page.

 

Touring Blue Lime Studios on Bay Street. Photo courtesy of the Downtown Tech Crawl Facebook page.

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The Grand Beauty of the Copper Door Restaurant

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jul• 17•12

Bastille Metal Works crafted a unique zinc bar to fit the high quality and upscale comfort foods of the Copper Door Restaurant in Bedford, New Hampshire. The love of fresh seafood, top notch produce, blended with accents of carefully chosen spices are just a few of the reasons why New Hampshire Magazine and Hippo Press have named the Copper Door “Best New Restaurant” and “Best New Eatery.” The restaurant has also been praised for their diverse menu of bar items which reflect the local New England cuisine with a twist.

To accomplish this job we used our on-site, mobile casting method to locally build and cast the pieces in the metal of the customer’s choice. We fully assembled it on location, making sure all client needs were met throughout the process. For this particular bar, a drop was needed to fully accommodate all disabilities and make the bar wheel chair accessible. We carefully built and cast this piece to perfectly fit the aesthetic of the rest of the bar design.

The warmth of the zinc and bustling charm of the Copper Door interior, featuring exposed wood beams, spacious dining areas, and locally created art make this concept a perfect selection for an exquisite and expansive fine food venue. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work in such an inviting environment and hope to work with the Copper Door team again in the near future.

 

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The Elm Restaurant’s Understated Sophistication

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jul• 10•12

Elm’s inventive menu items are inspired by the changing seasons, and the decor is a reflection of their simple, yet colorful culinary creations. We were so excited that they selected our team at Bastille Metal Works to complete their interior concept with a handcrafted pewter bar.

Elm Restaurant’s dishes are created with ingredients directly from a network of artisans and are the highest quality, just like the luxurious pewter that we used to create their modern bar top. If you are ever in New Canaan, Connecticut stop by to try some of their delicious flavor combinations, or grab an Elm cocktail and check out the bar! You will certainly be inspired in this elegant eatery rooted in tradition with a contemporary twist.

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The Inventive Artistry of the L’Olivier Restaurant and Bar

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jul• 03•12

In Houston, one restaurant stands out as a culinary gem for European cuisine. Chef Olivier brings his French roots, as wells as experience as a sous chef at Michelin three-star, Bernard Loiseau, and in the kitchens of France’s leading pastry chef Yves Thuries to his new landmark restaurant, L’Olivier Restaurant & Bar. We were happy to help him create an interior concept as impressive as his background in fine dining.

Just like the blended fusion of taste inspirations on the menu, the restaurant environment combines both modern aesthetics with a more traditional French flair. The geometric windows provide great natural lighting against the metallic reflective surface of the zinc table tops, while a darker patina and sectional appearance of the sheet zinc creates a perfect balance between old world and contemporary. The beautifully decorative quality of the pewter bar top we designed is an eye-catching focal point for visitors, with overhead lighting emphasizing the luxurious quality.

We are currently working with Chef Olivier and the L’Olivier team to provide a new custom constructed wood hostess stand, complete with the L’Olivier’s distinctive floral logo in cast zinc.

 

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Our work with Le Rêve Patisserie & Cafe

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jun• 26•12

Around a year ago the Parisian bistro inspired Le Rêve Patisserie & Cafe contacted us to invoke an old world charm in their new establishment in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Along with the Le Rêve team’s guidance we crafted a custom pewter bar top, complete with a rope with pearls edge profile and integrated drink rail. The glimmering traditional surface reflects the historic exposed brick in the converted 100-year-old building and makes pewter the perfect choice for this culinary delight with classically trained pastry chefs.

Le Rêve Patisserie & Cafe is well-known for its delicious selection of fine foods and assortments of breads. They can accommodate up to 80 people in their spacious dining area with an inspiring international ambiance. Le Rêve has been voted the best French restaurant in Milwaukee and we can see why! In the coming months we plan to work with Le Rêve Patisserie & Cafe again on a second project, which we are certain will be a stunning collaboration.

 

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6th by Oriental Hotel Bar

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jun• 19•12

Our pewter bar top is now installed in the luxurious 6th by Oriental Hotel in Japan. We can tell by beauty and elegance of this new establishment, located in a trendy neighborhood in Tokyo, that this will be a popular leisure spot for the bustling city.

 

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SCAD’s Furniture Review with Currey and Company

Written By: Bastille Metal Works - Jun• 05•12

Jason Wech from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) invited us to attend a furniture review for one of their classes sponsored by Currey and Company, a wholesale manufacturer of distinctive home furnishings based out of Atlanta, GA. The business is best known for their chandeliers and light designs and proposed a difficult challenge to students: create a unique lighting concept with LED lights that is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and easy to maintain (since LED lights sometimes burn out) that will maintain a cool enough core temperature that it will not overheat (a frequent problem with LED lighting).

Without the constraints of traditional light bulbs, students came up with a variety of imaginative solutions. Many played on Currey and Company’s distinctive design elements, such as wire abstractions and natural materials, such as shells, recycled glass, and iron. The concepts ranged from more traditional lighting concepts and sconces to adaptions of found items such as cascading flowers and feathers, to environmentally effective solutions that tried to make the most out of the dim quality of light LED concepts frequently provide. Overall, students gained a great professional perspective on using their creativity to benefit the client. It was a pleasure sitting in on this hands-on learning experience and we are very grateful we had the opportunity to participate.

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