El
Take It Easy, designed by obrARCHITECTURE, is California's first
?gastro-cantina? and it brings influences from both sides of the border
together, creating one of the most unique dining experiences in San Diego.
The
project is located in the old Apertivo space on 30th Street in North
Park. There is a rough, yet sexy and modern quality to the space that features
an internally lit front entrance wall that is constructed of recycled
poly-carbonate panels and the ceiling joists that were removed from the
existing ceiling and have been placed vertically over the panels.
El
Take It Easy's dining room also now features a wandering concrete bar evoking
the remnants of the original store facade, which are still extant in front of
the building. The bar juts through the space at differing heights and
angles that promote conversation between patrons, as every bar seat either
faces another patron or is angled in a way that allows for easy conversation.
Where
previously the interior was a drab rectangular box, the space is now dominated
by a beautiful curved wood ceiling with exposed steel trusses that are uplit
creating a texture of light and shadow that adds to the industrial, yet warm
feeling of the space. Removing the ceiling to expose the structure of the
building, and removing parts of the plaster walls to expose the original 1950's
brickwork, made the dining room come visually alive and acoustically pleasing.
As
a whole, the project celebrates using hand crafted or imperfect materials in a
very modern way, creating a comfortable, yet upscale space.
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