SAN FRANCISCO MILI WINE BAR SAN FRANCISCO Mili Wine Bar founders are a successful technology couple who have travelled the world (with wine as their muse) and decided to turn that passion into a local wine bar in San Francisco. While wine is their passion, they are first-time industry owners. They engaged Studio BBA for our expertise in creating well-loved, successful food and beverage places across the Bay Area. We guided the client throughout the process: curating a fantastic consultant team, navigating Landlord approvals, designing a beautiful, functional bar in exceptionally small footprint, and developing a future outdoor bar experience. The client asked for a friendly, well-appointed, neighborhood gathering place that enables connection, debate and discussion while enjoying excellent curated wines from across the globe. In response, we anchored the tiny space with a huge zinc bar. Zinc is a warm, soft grey and malleable (double bubble edge detail) material that carries the history of use over time. It is both timely and timeless and has been used in bars all over the world – and as such resonated with the global wine offerings of the bar. Tables are tucked into the angled niches along the storefront edges. Saturated moments of rust and azure accents provide pops of color and texture to an overall calm and quite palette. As having a gathering place for stories and debate (critical to a functional democracy) was tantamount, we carefully crafted an acoustic environment (within a glass and concrete shell) to allow for non-shouting conversation: cork floors, tectum ceilings, full height wine display shelves (with nooks and crannies to dissipate sound waves) and acoustic curtains. Situated on the corner near the Bay, Mili is a billboard to the bay with stunning views of the Bay Bridge. Back to Projects page Client Mili Wine Bar BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Tara Rajan Vishnu Balunsat Size 1,270 SF Contractor Cookline Collaborators MEP Engineering: ACIES Lighting Design: Pritchard Peck Branding: Ray Studio Owners Representative & Styling: Whisk Photography Molly Decourdreaux 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

SAN FRANCISCO MAZARINE COFFEE SAN FRANCISCO Mazarine Coffee exemplifies a passion for coffees from around the world and a pursuit of the perfect cup, and pays homage to its namesake Bibliotheque Mazarine—the oldest public library in France—with communal space for reflection, inquiry and interactions. Visually, the patterning of tiled alcoves in the café subtly mimics the rhythm of library shelving. Mazarine is also a deep shade of blue, which in nature is embodied by the Mazarine Blue butterfly. Studio BBA selected a palette that took its cue from this vibrant hue, adding complimentary colors in the space to create a warm, inviting, positive atmosphere. The refined materials chosen to define the café: marble—tile, wood and brass—are intentionally in contrast to the exposed, raw texture of the base building. A leather-backed banquette provides seating for patrons having a quick coffee or bite, while communal tables in the back of the café offer space for larger gatherings, meetings and longer stays. Back to Projects page Client Mazarine Coffee BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Size 1,500 SF Contractor Peacock Construction Collaborators Kitchen, Restaurant + Bar Specialists Photography Nicholas V. Ruiz Back to top

NOE VALLEY, SAN FRANCISCO MAMAHUHU NOE VALLEY NOE VALLEY, SAN FRANCISCO The Noe Valley location of Mamahuhu is the third to open. This location captures the refined evolution of the Mamahuhu brand and how it attracts their target clientele. This location was early in construction while the second in Mill Valley was celebrating their opening, allowing Studio BBA and the MMHH team to rapidly make final adjustments to get the perfect case study of their brand. Noe Valley shows off their strong graphic and spatial palette, which will be easily implemented into future locations. Even the booth design became a brand element, repeating itself within and across locations. Formerly a soda fountain and coffee shop with a distinct U-shaped bar, Mamahuhu Noe Valley pays homage to its predecessor by creating a new u-shaped counter. The space is filled with quirky and silly elements a tongue-in-cheese response to the meaning of Mamahuhu, a 4-word Chinese idiom “horse horse tiger tiger” that can be translated to “so-so” or even “careless”. The quirky and fun nature of the design is balanced with precision in architectural detailing and construction to quality ingredients and food preparation, but most outstandingly in the function of the restaurant. Staffing efficiencies were maximized, considering down to how many steps from A to B, and careful consideration of ordering, queue, to-go, and the dine-in guest. Working closely with the Mamahuhu team over the course of multiple years and projects created a fiercely trusting team. Together, we took risks and experimented – we started with too luxe at Clement, overcorrected in Mill Valley, and settled in at the brand’s self-declared sweet spot in Noe Valley. Each successes in their own, the breadth of the 3 restaurants creates a spatial palette that can be reproduced for potential expansion in companion with the design guidelines. Back to Projects page Client Mamahuhu BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Vishnu Balunsat Size 1,220 SF Contractor Cookline Collaborators MEP Engineering: Acies Art: Casey Gray Brand Styling: Whisk Photography Kristen Loken Back to top

CLEMENT, SAN FRANCISCO MAMAHUHU CLEMENT CLEMENT, SAN FRANCISCO Studio BBA’s design of Mamahuhu, a casual Chinese-American restaurant in the Inner Richmond, can be described as a fresh expression of its cuisine — forward-thinking, lighthearted, and a tad eccentric. Striving to satisfy a craving for nostalgic flavors done in a modern and healthful way, Mamahuhu owners, Chef Brandon Jew of Mister Jiu’s (another Studio BBA-designed restaurant) and Ben Moore and Anmao Sun of Hunter Gatherer, called on BBA to create an elevated but accessible design. The space accommodates counter-service style dining with a resolved option for guests to be in and out quickly without disrupting the vibrant dining experience. To execute the owners’ vision for a fun, easy and casual environment that calls to mind Chinese-American heritage, BBA employed unexpected design choices through architectural details and materials that support the brand experience. A mix of high and low materials strike the right balance between approachable and refined. From the exterior, variegated storefront tiling welcomes guests and just inside, a vintage lantern at the frontmost communal table sets the stage for an experience. The story continues through arched openings and unique design details like tile stripes in the dining area and a sculptural skylight condition above the point-of-sale and in the bathroom. BBA’s design considers everyone’s experience — a person waiting in the queue, a single diner, family dining, takeout, delivery, while up leveling the kitchen and front of house staff. The entire space is methodically designed to encourage social interactions with flexible seating opportunities and ample circulation space. A large, bar-height table for big groups and single diners alike activate the storefront. Beyond, cozy booths with low lighting provide intimate eddies in the middle of the flow of circulation and flexible two tops and banquette seating offer additional dining options. A clearly defined queue manages busy lines and takeout, eliminating confusion. Design aesthetics complement the colorful cuisine, letting the food speak for itself and providing a warm dining opportunity on an overcast day in the Inner Richmond. Back to Projects page Client Mamahuhu BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Megan McGuinn Anand Sheth Size 1,900 SF Contractor Echo Summit Construction Collaborators MEP: MK Engineers Kitchen Consultant: Design West Partnership Photography Mariko Reed Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO LUMOSITY HQ SAN FRANCISCO Lumosity staff spend their days creating fun brain games to challenge core cognitive areas, such as memory and attention. They chose our absolute favorite Timothy Pflueger building in San Francisco for their headquarters, which has a gorgeous art deco exterior. In homage, we specified divided light windows to reference the building’s patterning, and set a more casual interior tone. With a strong, connected, collaborative culture in place, it was paramount that we create a community feel throughout the three floors of their new, larger offices, to maintain opportunities for employees to cross-pollinate, while looking ahead toward the company’s further growth. The first and second floors contain reception, work stations and small meeting spaces. Modularity drove the work station space planning, creating a rearrange-able puzzle of open desk spaces that can easily accommodate expansion. The uppermost floor is open and used for large meetings and as a lunchroom where the entire company can share a meal, with a bar for weekly happy hours. As you can imagine, this company has the need to use their brains creatively, in order to be in tune with their product. Special areas on this floor include a large collection of board games with space to store and to play, a library that serves as a quiet work area (including secret, rotating bookshelf door), and an area for ping-pong, foosball, and on-screen gaming. Back to Projects page Client Lumosity BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Sarah Fucinaro Anand Sheth Size 36,000 SF Contractor Skyline Construction Collaborators Interiors: Geremia Design Photography Matthew Millman Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO LORD STANLEY SAN FRANCISCO This new restaurant will be a welcoming, informal, cozy, comfortable space in which to share meals. Proprietors and chefs (and charming married couple) Carrie Puffer Blease and Rupert Blease aim to ensure that guests leave the restaurant with a feeling of well-being, satisfaction and nourishment from their surroundings as well as their meal. Studio BBA approached the design in keeping with this aim, and in synchronicity with the chefs’ approach to food—naturally elegant, carefully thought out, amazing ingredients and a lack of complication. We peeled away unnecessary layers in the two-story space to expose its simple raw beauty, and its tall north and east facing windows. A few minimal but interesting, honest and homey insertions were added to set the tone for the restaurant: a new front door with “Welcome” stenciled into the sidewalk, a poured concrete floor, a white custom-textured concrete bar, a modern steel railing, a sculptural lighting installation and custom wood tables. The owners commission their personal friend, textile artist Ashley Helvey , to create a wall-mounted felt piece with the texture of fur. Back to Projects page Client Lord Stanley BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Sarah Fucinaro Size 1,050 SF Contractor Upcycle Builders Collaborators Textile Installation: Ashley Helvey Photography Nick 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

GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO LITTLE GEM ON GROVE GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO The concept for this 75-seat restaurant is casual, tranquil, honest, natural. Raising the bar for quick service food, Little Gem makes responsibly sourced and lovingly prepared cuisine accessible to the casual patron—while inherently omitting gluten, dairy and sugar. After a personal epiphany with the profound benefits of these dietary choices, partner Eric Lilavois, former COO with Thomas Keller Group, recruited former Keller chef Dave Cruz and Wall Street veteran John DeFazio to join him. Little Gem occupies the ground floor corner space in the newly constructed 400 Grove Street building, designed by Fougeron Architecture. To amplify the client’s concept, we chose materials that introduce a sense of natural warmth within the shell of concrete floors, walls, and ceiling. A green, hand-textured plaster wall offers a targeted burst of visual excitement. Maintaining a sense of transparency in food preparation was also critical to expressing the concept, dictating full visibility into the kitchen. Interior planters are placed in areas where the ample daylight streams through the courtyard and street window facades. Exterior, south-facing seating takes advantage of the Hayes Valley sunshine. Back to Projects page Client Little Gem BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Sarah Fucinaro Size 2,000 SF Contractor Architect of Record: Tecta Collaborators Millwork: Creative Cabinets & Design, Inc Photography Nicholas V. Ruiz Back to top

SAN FRANCISCO HUMANGEAR HQ SAN FRANCISCO Human-centric design and scale is vital to this industrial design company’s ethos and product development process, making them a great match for BBA and the fundamental importance that human experience plays in our studio’s design approach. For their HQ we created a place where their values, production and office culture coexist as one—with a deliberately laid back, collaborative, welcoming and industrial vibe. Humangear’s historic brick and concrete building was originally built as an auto-body shop, and had gone through many iterations over the years. Our mission was to uphold its original character and authenticity of use while modernizing it for 21st century business, so we started by polishing the concrete slab, refurbishing wood trusses, sandblasting the walls. The workshop is front and center to highlight their design development practices; where they prototype, problem-solve and refine their products. Beyond that a large open office area occupies the heart of the interior, where custom-built ‘desking islands’, clad in reclaimed douglas fir, provide hubs for staff collaboration. The main ‘desking island’ enjoys a natural canopy—a nucleus of large planters that support an indoor tree and greenery…and hints at the building’s most unique asset, the rear courtyard. An oversized roll-up garage door in the back wall, framed by a vibrant blue staff lounge and kitchenette, leads to a connected open air space that we transformed into a truly magical modern oasis. The light-filled, private park-like setting features varied areas of landscaping and casual work spaces, including a custom banquette and firepit. Back to Projects page Client Humangear BBA Team Bonnie Bridges Seth Boor Size 6,700 SF Contractor Barker O'Donoghue Collaborators Landscape: Sculpt Gardens Photography Cesar Rubio Back to top