An architecture and interior design practice, CCS Architecture worked closely with the James-Beard-Award-Winning chef Tim Cushman and his wife Nancy to design the space, which pays tribute to the ambience and character of o ya in Boston. The Manhattan location occupies the ground floor of a brownstone within the Park South Hotel, a 131-room boutique hotel and culinary destination on 28th Street and Park in the evolving Park Avenue South neighborhood. A charred cypress siding with a stained cedar trim makes up the facade that uses natural materials while maintaining a visible touch of luxury. Customers step off the street and into a micro-Japanese garden that CCS Architecture created using bamboo, gravel and a large granite boulder brought to the site straight from the quarry. A steel and wood canopy covers the entrance.
Inside the 2,160 square feet of space, CCS Architecture blends and balances old and new elements. Japanese carpentry, glazed kiln tile, steel and fabric contrast with exposed brick and concrete. Natural wood and soft lighting create a relaxed, yet upscale setting. The ceiling is natural cedar with indirect lighting to further emphasize the natural materials and to set the mood. Seating includes a long upholstered banquette, plus four intimate booths built from cedar and walnut and concealed behind a simple wood screen. The main feature, however, is the expansive eating counter made from walnut timber.
The high quality materials and smooth finish exemplify CCS Architecture’s reputation for excellence.
Table Talk with Cass Calder Smith, AIA
•How did your stint as a carpenter in a hippie commune help you appreciate wood, and what do you like about using it in designs?
There was wood everywhere, as the place was formerly a sawmill. I was a teenager – not really a carpenter – but I helped build small, off-the-grid houses. I like to use wood because it warms up any space. It’s essential when creating really modern spaces that have lots of glass and concrete. It’s also nice around food because it’s natural and authentic.
•Your firm has done many restaurants, from Sarabeth’s Park Avenue South to OneUP Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco. Is there a CCS signature, a clue that your company was involved?
Most restaurants CCS has done are about fundamental architectural moves that are timeless. This leads to spaces that are contemporary, authentic and warm. Many have open kitchens with live fire, a design choice that goes all the way back to the very first restaurant I designed, Restaurant LuLu in San Francisco. Our restaurants also tend to have great ceilings. I aim to create a sense of drama.
•What’s the best way for a restaurant to attract clients?
First, you need to have great food; then, you need an overall concept that has a positive feeling and that harmoniously brings together the food, service and design. Creating an initial buzz is obviously important, but what’s really key, and much harder, is keeping clients coming back over a very long time, 10 or 20 years. We design with this goal of longevity in mind. Therefore, the design needs to be timeless.
•What’s the secret to comfortable seating?
Well-designed chairs and booths – not really much of a secret. However, getting the right distance between seating is very important. In casual urban places, it should be tight. Outside the dense cities, it can be more spread out.
•Is there a new trend toward natural materials?
The recent trend has been to use reclaimed wood, but that seems to already be fading.
•Where did you grow up, and what was your favorite restaurant as a young man?
I started in New York City, and believe it or not, I loved the fried clams at Howard Johnson’s (still a clam fan). After we moved to California, I was attracted to Mexican food and the taquerias in San Francisco, while also falling hard for Japanese food. As a student at Berkeley, I started going to Stars, which was great. It had a cosmopolitan vibe that was unique for San Francisco at the time.