Wood, Wood, and More Wood at Twin City Grill

I recently made a trip to Minneapolis to work on the remodel of a restaurant (Tucci Bennuch) that I worked on at the Mall of America when the mall opened 18 years ago.  There was another store (Twin City Grill) owned by the same group that opened shortly after where I did wood grain till my body was a wreck.  I should have added chiropractic fees into the bill!  When I was finished I dashed out of there so quickly that I never got any photos.  Since I was working at "The Mall" I went and did some needed touch ups and finally got some photos.  Some areas are actual wood and others, mostly the curved parts of the ceiling, are painted.  After all that work, hardly anyone realizes it.  I guess that's the beauty! 

 

  

Nando's Peri-Peri, Silver Spring, MD

http://www.nandosperiperi.com/

Interior plaster finishes

 

A "Honker" of a sign

Goose Island Brewery, Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Nando's Peri-Peri

http://www.nandos.com/

I just completed a job for this concept  just now breaking into the US market.  They have two stores open in DC now and are opening two in MD this summer.  The stores are very textural and all incorporate some "plaster" relief element.   Someone from New Zealand flew in to provide that element for the first two stores and did terrific work.  But, since I have a much shorter commute....

Nando's is a casual dining chain originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambiquan theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in 26 countries and on five continents.

                                                                 
                                                      And the end result....

Nando's has locations in Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Kuwait, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Swaziland, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, UK, USA (Washington, DC), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Pre-Columbian Artifact Restoration, Pre-Columbian Pottery

I started doing touch-ups and restorations on pieces from my own pre columbian collection. Some had been damaged in shipping.  Some others had already been repaired or touched up.....badly.  Once I realized that it was basically just another paint finish and that I had been doing that for years, I tried my hand at it.  If I do say so myself, I've gotten pretty good at it.   

I was recently asked to make a little house call.  This fellow had a bit of a rough trip during a move from Maui to Los Angeles.  He had a major crack originating between his shoulder blades, extending over his shoulders and ending in the neck in front. Amazingly, his head never fell off!  If it's possible to describe part of a ceramic object as "hanging by a thread", it was.  Because this is such a large and valuable piece, the owner didn't want to chance moving it again so off I went.  Happy to report, all is fine and the patient has recovered nicely.

Happy to be whole again.

I also repaired the base of this Mayan incensario.  Since it is heavy and rather brittle it was also damaged in the move.  The matte finish on this one made the repair a little less complicated.

I never really thought to take "before" pictures any of the other pieces I've restored.  I will from this point forward and post them here.

                                Just found pictures of this Mayan piece that needed a little work.
                                                                               
                                                                           

And after....

This was whole when he was shipped from CA.  What I got was a puzzle.

                                                                 
                                      ......and finished.                         
 

Robert Allen Contract

Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

Just adding pictures as I unearth them... not necessarily in chronological order. The interior finishes here were done in 1992.

Backlit Window "Mosaics"

Many municipalities or landlords won't allow windows to be blocked out with paint or covered with a solid material. Backlit panels like are a clever way to block windows that conceal restrooms, kitchen or utility areas. There is also the added bonus of "pop" from the street without using signage square footage!

Potbelly, ATT Building, Chicago, IL

Potbelly, Lake Geneva, WI

Potbelly, OSU, Columbus, OH

Potbelly, Dulles International Airport, VA

Nando's Peri-Peri, Gaithersburg, MD

Some Interesting Tables