SAN FRANCISCO CHOCOLATE SHOP SAN FRANCISCO A Japanese chocolate company sought out BBA to design a flagship for their expansion to America’s West Coast. As their company focuses on carefully crafted, high-quality natural products, they came to us for our aligned values, retail design expertise and our experience creating successful food and drink destinations. We collaborated with the chocolatier’s international team to develop two concepts: retail only, and retail plus production. The latter embodies their ‘bean-to-bar’ philosophy—to house the entire chocolate-making process in-house—by integrating a state-of-the-art factory with a customer experience component for production viewing, alongside café, retail and workshop spaces. Our design approach blended Japanese precision with California humanism and warmth to create an environment that encourages customers to linger and learn about the artisanal chocolate-making process. Back to Projects page Client Confidential BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 2,500 SF Contractor Unbuilt Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers Food Service Consultant: Christensen Consultants Structural: DCI Engineers Photography None Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO FLORA GRUBB GARDENS SF SAN FRANCISCO A garden mecca for design-savvy plant lovers, our design for Flora Grubb Gardens created over 12,000 sq. ft. of park-like nursery. To complement the outdoor garden displays, seating areas and “Potting Bench”—where customers create their own plant projects—the elegant galvanized-steel structure houses 6,000 sq. ft. of indoor commercial retail and a Ritual Roasters café. We supported the client from the inception of this project, helping her transition and grow her business into a destination retail experience from its more modest former iteration as a boutique neighborhood nursery in the Mission District. Sustainable design is integral to the architecture, including a PV solar array that provides 100% of the garden’s power and radiant heat and sends the extra back into San Francisco’s power grid. Other environmentally friendly materials and approaches include 25% fly ash concrete, re-purposed barn wood siding, maximal use of day-lighting, and display fixtures made from old chicken feeders. Through our longtime relationship with Flora Grubb, we continue to collaborate frequently with the Gardens’ landscape services on other Studio BBA projects. Back to Projects page Client Flora Grubb Gardens BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Size 5,200 SF Contractor Bali Construction Matarozzi Pelsinger Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers Photography Sharon Risedorph Marion Brenner Studio BBA Back to top

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SAN FRANCISCO 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

UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO LITTLE GEM ON UNION UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO Building on the success of their flagship on Grove Street, Little Gem came back to Studio BBA to design their second location on Union Street. Unlike a formulaic roll out, we guided the owners and chefs through a new process that allows for authentic character in Cow Hollow to emerge while staying true to the core design values we developed in Hayes Valley. The design goal was to transform the former burger restaurant from a dark cave to a light-filled, comfortable places that reflects Little Gem’s core values: natural, reliable, comfortable, with a focus on quality ingredients. Immediately we began to carve out opportunities for light and life to flood into the space; riffing off the iconic green plaster “volume” in Hayes Valley, we located an anchoring full-height tile wall, washed with daylight, between the main bar and the rear dining room. This separation allows for intimidate dining in a fast-casual setting, and artfully obscures a required structural element in the building. This powerful gesture inferred the spatial program: an efficient kitchen with a variety of welcoming dining experiences. The front dining room is bustling and active, with custom furniture and a wall sculpture made by the chef himself! The bar is refined, offering an elegant moment to engage with a bartender across marble and doug fir. The rear dining room is reserved for conversations, bookended by light-washed tile, a custom banquette with the perfect lumbar cushion in leather. The collaborative process is featured through custom art and steel plant shelves. It’s a gem of a restaurant, focusing on the pleasures of dining and the use of quality, local materials – a direct reflection of Little Gem’s ethos. Back to Projects page Client Little Gem BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 3,000 SF Contractor Upcycle Builders Collaborators MEP: MHC Engineers KEC: Trimark / Design West Partnership Photography Eric Rorer Photography Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO TARTINE INNER SUNSET SAN FRANCISCO Tartine Inner Sunset was instantly inspired by The Park, we have occupied the gardens ourselves for many years in many ways. This restaurant serves as the perfect post-park picnic – a hospitable extension of the constructed natural resource that anchors the neighborhood. The entry sequence is purely romantic – like entering Golden Gate Park, it’s the way “in” that sets the tone for your journey. Patrons enter through an existing roll-up door (relic) into an open-air walled garden with an aperture through the ceiling (surprise). Indoor vs. outdoor is a construct we don’t need – so we use every visual and tactile clue to blur the boundary: high ceilings and various skylights add loftiness to the greenhouse and are grounded by exterior tongue-and-groove siding and polished concrete floors. Studio BBA was engaged to design Tartine’s fourth Bay Area restaurant while we were constructing The Manufactory LA , allowing for the emergent process of design to shape this new space (a former roofing warehouse with a rich history ). We are continuing to iterate these ideas within their next location in Berkeley, in construction now. There is nothing to “roll out” and no mandates on continuity, only the desire to approach our circumstances with strategy and authenticity. New custom elements relate via a play on white, with accenting materials pulled from The Sunset District. White factory-sash storefronts, sliding doors and the one-off pastry case evoke a greenhouse’s utility, and subtly nod to the custom details we developed for the Manufactory LA. Black & white terrazzo is ubiquitous in the neighborhood, used on stoops and window sills all over, and now used in the restaurant as counters and custom furniture. The back of house is as important; the intricately dialed-in details are flooded with natural light. Vibrant poppy-colored tile is installed to reference terracotta planters filled with California’s flora. Back to Projects page Client Tartine Bakery BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 2,958 SF Contractor Echo Summit Construction Collaborators MEP: Acies Engineering Structural: Degenkolb KEC: Myers Rest. Supply, Inc. Photography Eric Rorer Photography Back to top

MILL VALLEY MAMAHUHU MILL VALLEY MILL VALLEY Mill Valley is the second location we’ve created with the Mamahuhu team. In addition to designing each individual location, we have been working with the talented Mamahuhu team on their spatial brand experience: the storefront vibe, customer and staff feel and flow, front and back of house standards (POS, water and bussing stations, pick up racks) and color and material design standards (brand colors, brand tile, booths, and other repeatable standards). Clement was the first location and carried with it a bit of Mister Jiu’s fine dining vibe (as Brandon Jew is a partner). Upon reflection, the MMHH team recognized that it did not align with their target clientele—a family friendly high-quality fast casual dining experience. Mill Valley captures the team and client feedback received from the original location. In this project, we developed a design that would trend more family friendly while maintaining a sophisticated playfulness. The long narrow space is lined with booths and tables crafted around the design standards we worked together to define(wood bar, maple plywood booths, and playful wall sconces). Working to highlight some of the space’s original charm, Ron champ-inspired windows run through the dining area with on-brand accent colors diffuse warm playful light into the space. Back to Projects page Client Mamahuhu BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Vishnu Balunsat Size 1,270 SF Contractor Cookline Collaborators MEP Engineering: Acies Art: Casey Gray Brand Styling: Whisk Photography Kristen Loken Back to top

POINT REYES POINT REYES POINT REYES More details coming soon on this two-home complex in Point Reyes. The project is currently under construction and broke ground in late Fall of 2024. Back to Projects page Client Kristina & Ido, Taylor & Jay BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Stephanie Griffith Size Contractor Collaborators Photography Back to top

MARKET, SAN FRANCISCO THUMBTACK HQ MARKET STREET MARKET, SAN FRANCISCO Well-organized, open, food centric and friendly. These attributes—based on Thumbtack’s office culture—shape all the workplace environments we create for the company. Our brand-infused design approach is adapted for each new location, using curated moments specific to the built context and region. We have worked as part of the same architecture and construction team on all three of Thumbtack’s build-outs, now a well-oiled machine: the previous HQ, Utah Campus and this HQ . Thumbtack’s rapid growth and expansion plans instigated their move to this much larger space—the entire 6th floor of 1355 Market in SF’s Mid-Market tech district. Meeting the aggressive 5-month timeline and limited budget for this space demanded a massive undertaking by everyone involved. The previous tenant left a well-appointed build-out, which enabled us to re-purpose some elements and focus the budget on a few strategic moves. But it also posed challenges—mainly how to shift the vibe from an existing starkness to the casual, tactile, familial atmosphere that would feel like home to Thumbtack. Focusing on flow and finishes for the public areas, we sourced new furniture and lighting throughout. In the employee dining area we enlivened and warmed up the mood by adding a strong geometric tile face to the main food service station, maple butcher block as the food prep surfaces, and wood enclosures to hide the kitchen equipment. In the work areas we developed seven neighborhoods of 30-50 workstations in relation to the company’s seven core markets: events, home, lessons, wellness, business, crafts, design and web. Thresholds and furnishings were placed to delineate and abstractly reflect these sectors. Strong trust and complimentary roles are the foundation of our great, collaborative relationship with Thumbtack—addressing the owners’ needs with Studio BBA’s vision and design objectives. Back to Projects page Client Thumbtack BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Anand Sheth Size 80,000 SF Contractor Principal Builders Collaborators Project Manager: CRE Group Furniture: Inside Source Photography Jasper Sanidad Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO AMES SAN FRANCISCO Small never lived so large as in this 840 sq. ft. luxury cottage. Tucked away mid-block on an alley bordering San Francisco’s Mission and Noe Valley neighborhoods, this project was commissioned by Flora Grubb to be near her original garden nursery. An adaptive reuse remodel, the choice to work with the existing modest structure was intentional—even though zoning allowed for much more—to minimize waste and explore a creative opportunity for smart, small-scale design. Every square inch of Ames was designed to be a peaceful, elegant and purposeful urban sanctuary. The super efficient living spaces have an indoor/outdoor feel with copious natural light from new windows and skylights, while ensuring privacy and retaining the open feel from the building’s original use as Betty Mae's School of Tap in the 1940's. The home’s open interior is anchored by a full-height partition wall clad with re-purposed Douglas fir—with flush-mounted fireplace and skylight on the living room side, and built-in cabinetry and closet on the master bedroom side. The simple kitchen and bath feature FSC-certified cherry cabinetry with flush doors, and plaster walls that run uninterrupted out to the patio with its espalier garden and custom cast-in-place, concrete soaking tub. A redwood-trimmed, wall-mounted ladder leads from the patio to the roof deck and its container garden oasis. This project offered the opportunity to experiment with new and re-imagined materials, collaborating with the builder as he crafted everything by hand. It became the foundation for two our longest relationships—with Flora Grubb, leading to our design of Flora Grubb Gardens, and with Kevin Smith, with whom we’ve built a number of projects including three Sightglass cafés. Back to Projects page Client Flora Grubb BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Size 840 SF Contractor Kevin Smith Collaborators Plants: Flora Grubb Gardens Photography Studio BBA Back to top