bronze dc

Bronze DC highlights an immersive architectural dining setting that intertwines cultural, art and folkloric elements, conveyed through the client’s imagined Afrofuturist sci-fi narrative. Emblems of Black identity are embodied and layered in space to convey the journey of the African diaspora in a gastronomical experience. Where utopian Afro-luxury is often rendered in popular culture, here, it is one of the first few instances where it comes to life in the built environment. Leopard print upholstery cover booth seating; the African crane bird is illustrated on a golden sheen wallpaper; and African motifs are etched onto velvety Valchromat walls and depicted on hexagonal-tiled flooring.  

The expansive dining spaces of the 7800 sf restaurant are accentuated by curvilinear cutouts and forms; shifting with color and mood as they transition between three floors. Through this frame of fantasy, a sense of wonder is evoked within the context of a historic 1930s era beaux-arts and art deco building. The designed space facilitates an architectural dialogue through a dynamic Black cultural lens and creative culinary storytelling.