Saltus Restaurant

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Project: Gut rehab and addition to an existing corned beef factory building into an upscale restaurant, lounge, Zen garden patio, and outdoor space.

Size: 7,500 sq.ft. and 1,200 Zen Garden patio and outdoor space

Status: Completed 2004

Transformed from a recently closed corned beef factory in Chicago’s historic meat
packing district which is now a burgeoning restaurant and entertain area, this space is actually two buildings and part of the challenge was to make the finished space appear unified and seamless.

In tandem with the Mediterranean-Asian inspired cuisine offered by the restaurant, the space subtly alludes to Asian Zen gardens and Mediterranean seaports and conceptually nods to trades routes that connect them. Abstracted water, ship, and sail elements hint to maritime routes and create a sense of linear movement while garden gravel, bamboo, tuffs of decorative grass, and natural tones of wood and stone reference Zen gardens and create a meditative stillness.

Materials: dyed and sealed site cast concrete, exterior grade mesh fabric, welded aluminum frames, clear butted glass, tongue and groove bamboo hardwood flooring, rift sawn white oak hardwood flooring, sanded acrylic panels, stainless steel, Valencia marble laminated to tempered glass, 1x4 oiled Ipe wood.

Materials: dyed and sealed site cast concrete, exterior grade mesh fabric, welded aluminum frames, clear butted glass, tongue and groove bamboo hardwood flooring, rift sawn white oak hardwood flooring, sanded acrylic panels, stainless steel, Valencia marble laminated to tempered glass, 1x4 oiled Ipe wood.