Herringbone
- Project Address: 7837 Herschel Avenue La Jolla, CA 92037
- Project Owner/ Developer: Enlightened Hospitality Group
- Owner Contact Name/ Email: amie@ehgrp.com
- Project Architect/ Designer: Thomas Schoos
Herringbone is the fifth San Diego culinary installment by Enlightened Hospitality Group, helmed by Celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey and hospitality visionary James Brennan. Their goal has always been to produce unique culinary experiences married with the concept of social dining, and Herringbone holds true to that.
Herringbone puts a wry spin on the familiar design of typical seafood restaurants, bringing classic nautical imagery into the 21st century. Taking full advantage of the vintage warehouse structure in which it is set, interiors visionary Thomas Schoos has created a fresh, contemporary atmosphere of easy California beach living that also pays homage to the history of the building and the quaint coastal village of La Jolla. But even while incorporating iconic images and artifacts associated with seafood and the beach, Schoos has found unexpected ways to reinterpret traditional elements, giving the space an eclectic modernism and transforming the cold industrial austerity.
One way in which he accomplished this feat was by ripping the roof off the front portion of the structure and introducing six 100-year-old olive trees. The open-air element along with the massive, twisted trunks and overarching branches help to convert a warehouse environment into a rustic indoor garden. The aged texture of these gnarled trees adds a touch of both traditional beauty and modern openness to the restaurant, warming the room with natural textures, fresh aromas and dappled light.
Other notable design features include stacks of lobster traps filled with inflated blowfish, original paintings by Thomas Schoos, and a giant whale skeleton in a wrought iron blimp structure that becomes a chandelier.
Project Awarded
Upon stepping through the doors of the deftly converted vintage warehouse building in the heart of La Jolla now known as Herringbone, it’s easy to believe you’re still outside. The blending of outdoor with indoor is well accomplished and integrated throughout, from the open, exposed barrel-truss ceiling providing an airy feeling and lots of natural light, to the incorporation of a number of 100-year-old olive trees adding to its rustic garden feel.
But Herringbone doesn’t stop there. The entire building creates a dining experience that is equal parts whimsical and modern. Noted in the nomination, the restaurant “puts a wry spin on the familiar design of typical seafood restaurants.” The bathrooms, quirky nautical-themed lighting fixtures, blowfish-filled lobster traps and other found artifacts drive this point home, and add even more the charm to this warm and playful coastal restaurant.