dINe oN deSIgN clayton, mo.
get thIS gadget
kansas city
tamahagane knives “these Japanese knives with Vg5 Japanese-hammered steel are very hard yet durable. the balance is amazing, making these knives the ultimate tool for the serious home cook and professional chef.” –spencer lutes, operations manager, ambrosi bros. cutlery co. Ambrosi Bros. Cutlery Co., 3023 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.756.3030, abcutlery.net photography CourteSy of dave
Simmons
photography by
Shelley Satke Niemeier
inside the box
WrItten by Bethany Christo
Whitebox eatery’s name is a nod to design: the term “white box” refers to a blank slate in the architecture world. tom niemeier and Shelley Satke niemeier, owner-architect and interior designer of St. Louis’ SpaCe architecture + Design, wanted the design of the breakfast and lunch spot to reflect its unique name. “We’re always looking for a backstory,” tom says. “Whitebox to us says simplicity, so we used that as our design concept for all of our design decisions.” Launched by brendan Marsden, who also owns Modesto tapas bar & restaurant, Whitebox brings a chef’s approach to morning and midday meals. the four-month project had a limited budget, but the existing space formerly housed Stratton’s Cafe, which SpaCe also designed. though the design may be simple, the contemporary statement touches all areas – from the striking bamboo floors and ordering counter to the small white “grab-and-go” cases near the front of the store. bamboo floors. “the variegated bamboo is the ‘action’ of the design; everything else is calmer. the yellow and brown strands of bamboo have a nice contrasting element and give organic color to the space, and the warmth of the wood is a consistent feel since the flooring is everywhere. In your own home, wood flooring is a strong statement that can be very profound as long as it’s your driving concept, and everything else reflects that.” –Tom “We wanted to implement a contemporary look that wasn’t cold, and we thought the floors would be a perfect chance to warm up the space.” –Shelley
order counter. “I call the white order counter the ‘big marshmallow.’ We used solid surface material for it, and this is actually in the same position as the old place, so we could keep all the plumbing. the look is monolithic, but all the edges and corners have a radius on them to soften its form where the horizontals and verticals meet. this helps avoid a sterile feeling and makes the counter more approachable. a lot of kitchen and bathroom counters in homes use this technique for a modern way to extend the horizontal surface.” –Tom
grab-and-go order boxes. “these boxes, while a small detail, are one of the most important facets of what brendan [Marsden] wanted. he knew the place would get really busy with employees from local businesses stopping in at lunch to grab a quick bite. they implemented this techy system where you can just order online, walk in the door and pick up your food from these ‘grab-and-go’ cases. they obviously reinforce the name, as they are literal white boxes, but they also reinforce the design concept of simplicity: they’re open in the front and the back, so staff can put orders in the case as easily as customers can pick them up. It could have been a black shelf, or bookshelf, but we always want to go back and reinforce the design concept and brand visually. Design falls apart quickly unless you think holistically.” –Tom
artISaN produCtS
st. louis
knife sharpener WrItten by Liz
Miller
With thanksgiving a few weeks away and holiday shopping just around the corner, the time is right to invest in tool sharpeners made by st. louis-based Porcelain Touch. these handmade porcelain clay sharpeners can be used to tune up everything from gardening shears to shovels and scissors to kitchen knives, and come with decorative hand-crafted handles in designs such as flowers, leaves, pea pods and more. Porcelain Touch, ptsharpener.com
Whitebox eatery, 176 carondelet Plaza, clayton, missouri, 314.862.2802, whiteboxeatery.com Inspired Local Food Culture
NOVEMBER 2014
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