The row houses’ long history may have helped create its interior design scheme but it impeded the overall design of the space. “The previous restaurants were on the ground floor only, so we were dealing with tiny little spaces,” Dwight explains. “One thing we had to do was really open
it up to create larger spaces that were serviceable. We had to cut a lot of openings in structural walls to get the function. For example, the bar straddles the party wall between two old row houses.”
The small spaces helped create cozy nooks to make District Distilling warm and comfortable. “In some buildings, we took down the party wall and combined spaces and some buildings we just opened up portals,” Dwight says.
Central Theme
Acoustics are always a factor in GrizForm Design Architects’ restaurant projects and was no different in the distillery. “We knew we wanted to expose the bricks, which are hard surfaces, so we left the joists exposed in the upper ceiling and added sound padding to absorb the sound in the space,” Dwight explains.
When it comes to lighting, which GrizForm Design Architects does in-house, Dwight says his team’s strategy is to light things and not spaces. “You’ll see a lot of highlighted features,” he says. “Light only exists with dark, so the space has these dark corners to make those lighter areas pop. It really works well creating that contrast.”
Antique wooden barrels are among the items lit within the space. Another is an old-fashioned flowchart, suggested by the distillery’s owners, that artistically demonstrates how patrons’ spirits were made. “They were anticipating how often they’re going to answer the question of ‘how do you distill spirits?’ It’s fun to see that very basic, almost cartoony way of how a bill becomes a law type of thing,” Dwight notes.
The stills themselves also are a design feature. Dwight and his team specified large panes of glass that look directly into the distillery from the bar/restaurant. In addition, stills are located against the street windows so passersby can see them. Dwight explains: “The vodka stills are 2-story-tall units. We cut a hole in the floor of the bar so that the tips of the vodka stills are visible when you’re in the bar. We spent a little bit extra to put lights and windows in the tops of the stills, so you can actually see the bubbling, gurgling when they’re distilling.” If patrons want to take their distilling education even further, tours are available daily.
District Distilling already is being recognized for its spirits, winning the Gin Distillery of the Year award at the 2016 New York International Spirits Competition. Dwight who notes he’s never had a spirit he didn’t like, says the food is delicious, as well. “It’s American fare, a little bit on the rustic side. Nothing on the menu is going to jump out at you as being unique, but it is executed so incredibly well; it’s delicious,” he says. “I think that a lot of times in the restaurant industry people try to get a little too fancy or be a little bit too unique. In this case, it’s just really well-executed simple food, which goes so much further.”
Gratifying Combination
The project took longer than Dwight anticipated because of the permitting and inspection processes for a newly regulated combination of facilities. District Distilling opened in August 2016 and Dwight is incredibly happy with the way the bar and stills came together. “I think there’s a really nice synergy with it; it’s kind of the circle of life—you know, a certain kind of circle of life. I just really like that combination,” he states.
Dwight says he never tires of the feeling he gets after laboring over a design and then actually sitting at the completed restaurant or bar. “Sitting with the ownership and tasting their rye blends, that’s what it’s all about. Being in the space you design and seeing it all to completion is really great,” he says. “Plus, there’s something cool about watching your booze being made and then drinking it.”
Retrofit Team
Architect: GrizForm Design Architects, Washington, D.C.
- Griz Dwight, Michelle Bove, Brooke Loewen, Natalia Sicilia, Victoria Wallace
General Contractor: Potomac Construction Services Inc., Bethesda, Md.
- Tom Dailey, Debbie Thrasher, Colleen Swisher
Engineer: Allen & Shariff, Columbia, Md.
Mechanical Contractor: Airtech Specialist, Alexandria, Va.
- Lee Tran
Lighting Designer: GrizForm Design Architects and One Source Associates Inc., Columbia
- Soledad Pellegrini
Materials
Upholstery: Concertex
Flooring: Mosaic Tile, Daltile, Mirage, and Crow Works
Lighting: Shades of Light, Pottery Barn, The Light Choice, Restoration Hardware, Juno Lighting Group, WAC Lighting, Lithonia Lighting, Columbia Lighting, Hubbell Lighting and Copper Lighting Co.
Surfacing Materials: Interior Arts Plastic Laminate, Crow Works and Caeserstone
Paint: Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams
Ceilings: Armstrong
Walls: Marlite
Furniture, Seating: Afra (dining chairs), Old Dominion Wood Products (custom booths) and Crow Works (barstools)
Furniture, Tables: Vermont Farm Table LLC (tasting room table) and Crow Works (white oak tabletops)
Furniture, Bar: Tablebases.com and Industry West (barstools)
PHOTOS: Amber Frederiksen