J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 • r e s t a u r a n t d e v e l o p m e n t + d e s i g n • 1 3
When chef Val Cantu and his wife, Carolyn, a former
junior designer for San Francisco frm Ken Fulk, set out
to design Californios, they bucked conventional wisdom
about designing for small, narrow spaces. Rather than
go white or light to open up the 30-seat, 1,200-square-
foot space, Carolyn chose black for the ceiling and
walls. Her goal: To create intimacy and a dramatic
backdrop for the vibrant artwork, gold accents, caramel
leather banquettes and waterfall chandeliers that bring
the space to life. Just as Val's food does, she wanted
the space to refect a distinctive departure from what
guests might expect of a Mexican restaurant.
"I really love the black paint. When we frst
mentioned that we wanted to paint the restaurant
black, people – including the painter we worked with –
thought we were a little crazy," she says. "But I think
a really dark color in a small space can make every-
thing feel more intimate. We tried a couple of different
blacks and this one is very warm, almost dark chocolat-
ey in tone, depending on how the light hits it. It ended
up being one of our best design decisions."
SWATCH BOOK: BLACK