Drew surveys the exterior. It needs help! See below for a couple of renderings we did a while back--one of six that we put together to help Drew in his process.
The food at Bibou is stellar I am told. It would be great to have the opportunity to re-design the dining room and facade. I stopped by to help my builder friend Drew Miller with some ideas. He recently updated the kitchen and was asked by the owners to help them renovate front of house. No hospitality designer will be involved. The plan is to create a corridor off the entry, in order to reduce cold drafts in the winter. This will make the small dining room smaller. The first order of business should be the removal of the low slung acoustic ceiling, which lowers the ceiling by at least 18." There is a direct correlation between ceiling height and how close people feel comfortable sitting or standing near each other. The higher the ceiling, the more personal space one has, or feels that they have. We had a nice chat with the chef, and enjoyed a couple of slices of freshly baked bread.
The vinyl floor helps reduce breakage, but it should be replaced. Wide plank white oak would be a nice choice, in keeping with the French theme.
Charming service station with freshly baked bread on the bar.
This is a more conservative approach, but it opens up the front and brings a sense of place to the establishment.
Wouldn't this be lovely? Totally doable given the level of food and service at Bibou.