Farmers Fishers Bakers

Washington, D. C., DC, United States

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Farmers Fishers Bakers

Washington, D. C., DC, United States

Firm

GrizForm Design Architects

Type

Hospitality + Sport › Restaurant

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2012

Farmers Fishers Bakers, a 9,700squarefoot Washington, DC restaurant, turns rustic design on its head, introducing a thoughtful and playful farm concept that reimagines the farmtotable dining experience. This new inventive eatery takes root in the former home of Farmers & Fishers, a restaurant that incurred extensive water damage after a floodgate malfunction on the nearby Potomac River.
Owners tapped a local architecture and design firm to create a new restaurant that would pay homage to agricultural America. For the space’s latest incarnation, the team completely reconfigured each function area while infusing the space with a slightly twisted,tongueincheek farmhouse kitsch.
The puns start in the main dining area with glassencased, farmthemed dioramas, offering up some cheekyness. For example, in one diorama called Sweet and Hoe, a Lilliputian farmer shovels sugar into a natural sugar cane paper packet outside of a barn. Other dioramas depict ladies sunbathing on top of a water tower, another, an egg frying on the roof of a dilapidated barn.
In keeping with the farm theme, the firm included several customized elements and commissioned artwork from local and regional artists. Features like porcelain chicken feet, real wheat embedded in the bar’s resin counter, rusty shovel blades, rolling pins mounted on the Baker’s Table walls with Osh Kosh B’gosh overalls hardware, and bullcastration devices in the men’s bathroom further the concept, peppering playful and artistic details throughout the space ready to be discovered by curious patrons. Look up, and guests will also find tangerinepainted wooden goat stands guard in a cage suspended from the ceiling.
While there are a lot of folksy touches throughout Farmers Fishers Bakers, there is a thoughtful purpose to the materials, colors, and textures chosen. For instance, old reclaimed barn wood was implemented into the design not only for its beauty and sustainability, but also, for its durability. One of the more unusual materials found are old tractor tires that act as wallcoverings and double as a sound absorption material in the dining room. In keeping with a strong and deep commitment to sustainability, Farmers Fishers Bakers is designed to meet LEED Silver certification and incorporates many reclaimed and recycled materials throughout the venue. The resulting design clearly and seamlessly combines form, function, and creativity offering a refreshing perspective on the all too common farmtotable design aesthetic.