Rockwell Bar
Los Angeles, CA
Years ago, we tripled the size of the popular Mark’s Restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard, now home to Barton G. When our restaurateur friends relocated to The Vermont in Los Feliz (now home to BlackRose LA), we designed a bar that channeled Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Named Rockwell Restaurant & Bar as a tribute to painter Norman Rockwell, we took on the assignment to design two new bars, a stair and terraces.
Our research started with images of 1800s apothecaries (where we quickly saw the connection between spirits and remedies). We treated the patron bar like a 19th-century service counter. Black enameled millwork and “Root Beer” tile from an historic LA vendor wraps the space; and the staff bar and pantry is tucked behind the main bar with black doors and a transom.