Mama Gaia

Mama Gaia is an organic restaurant that reflects the owner’s values through a variety of natural materials, honest forms and straightforward detailing. The design strategy uses minimal gestures allowing the restaurant’s signage and the menu of raw, whole foods provide the only color within the space.The raw plywood with exposed end grain relates to the essence of the restaurant’s food and identity while adding warmth within the predominately cool, concrete space. The various types of furniture, with a large community table at its core, are comprised of forms that attempt to remain honest to the scale and type of user interaction. A large garage door facilitates a connection between the inside of the restaurant and the public building corridor, which is adjacent to an original loading dock area, now populated with benches and tables for outdoor dining.