Design Juxtaposition
From the beginning, the team wanted to be transparent about the building’s original structure and feel while adding a hint of contemporary ambiance. With this juxtaposition in mind, the team sought to create a modern dining environment that would honor the building’s past and reenergize the once abandoned space.
Element’s main dining room accomplished this vision with its polished casual, industrial-luxe vibe and authentic, historic overtones. While creating and designing the sleek, modern kitchen, the team felt it necessary to leave a lot of the original glazed brick to help celebrate and maintain the raw beauty of the old power plant.
Extreme care was taken to delicately add reclaimed wood feature walls along with contemporary artwork and lighting to offer a striking juxtaposition of the historic and industrial to the modern and sleek. The reclaimed wood and charcoal-gray walls provide a natural backdrop for the pops of red throughout the second-floor dining room in seating and the custom art installation above the banquette. The art piece not only adds texture to the long, rectangular room, but also helps widen the space by drawing patrons’ eyes to both sides of the room.
Upstairs, the third-floor lounge provides guests a more intimate vibe and postcard panoramic views of the city’s iconic Gateway Arch. The exposed structural roof beams and polished concrete floors are balanced by the introduction of comfortable seating areas, strategically defined with modular carpet tiles to acoustically balance other hard surfaces. Visitors can take their pick from a variety of seating styles, including distinctive, custom high-back chairs and contemporary soft-seating clusters that offer modern design touches juxtaposed against original exposed-brick walls and ceiling ductwork. Throughout the space, unique light fixtures were strategically placed to highlight the aging, robust steel structures.
The entire space was designed around the desire to have a long bar that faced Gateway Arch and makes the lounge a fun, comfortable space that people could really enjoy. The bar itself is covered in vertically oriented glass mosaic tiles that glow as a result of under-bar lighting. Balancing out the modern finish is a warm, epoxy-finished reclaimed-wood bar top. Adding to the industrial vibe, rustic wooden stumps are placed throughout the lounge area to incorporate a bit of playfulness and double as tables or seats that can be freely moved around.
For a closer connection to revitalized Lafayette Square, two large roof terraces extend the industrial-chic ambiance outdoors. On a nice night, guests can look out at the rejuvenated community and get a true sense of the past meeting the present.
With the addition of the restaurant and lounge, the once abandoned power plant has been transformed and is now one the newest jewels of a revitalized community. Although its days of generating power are long gone, the old power-plant building still provides an electric atmosphere with a warm ambiance in its new role as a restaurant and lounge.
Retrofit Team
Architect: REMIGER DESIGN, St. Louis
General Contractor: Kadean Construction, Fenton, Mo.
Food-Service Consultant: Dennis G. Glore Inc., Eureka, Mo.
Lighting Designer: Randy Burkett Lighting Design, St. Louis
Furniture Dealer: Interior Investments LLC, St. Louis
Materials
Custom Millwork: Gravois Planing Mill Co.
Kitchen Equipment: Ford Hotel Supply
Glass Door: Horizon Glass Co.
Reclaimed Wood: Historic Timber & Plank Inc.
Carpet: Shaw Contract
Paint: PPG Porter Paints
Roller Shades: Draper
Plumbing Fixtures: Porcher Inc.
Faucets: Vigo
Tile: Porcelanosa, Trends in Tile, and Daltile
Decorative Wood Panels: 3Form
Signage: Summit Sign + Graphics
After Photos: Debbie Franke