Wednesday, June 29, 2011

JEFFREY ALAN MARKS MAKES HIS MARK ON THE LA RESTAURANT SCENE

Have you been watching Million Dollar Decorators on Bravo? If you have, then you are familiar with Jeffrey Alan Marks, and the second Hungry Cat restaurant project he is working on in Malibu on the show. If you have not watched, you should- you are in for some good old fashioned design drama fun!
Perhaps then, if you are watching, you were curious to see the restaurants he has designed. Well here they are! The transition from private residential to public commercial spaces is not always an easy shift for interior designers, but Marks has crossed over with aplomb.
Tavern, the chic resto in Brentwood, has been met with great success, for the delicious food from James Beard-award winning Chef Suzanne Goin and for the stunning space, courtesy of JAM. The Hungry Cat, in Hollywood, has been a staple of LA movie nights, where a casual night out might include catching a film at the jaw dropping Arclight movie theater, followed by a yummy meal there. The Cat continues, and Marks has made his mark on the newer locations.

Photo courtesy of LA Times
The exterior of The Tavern with an elegant yet country sign complete with a brass rooster. Brentwood is a sophisticated suburb of Hollywood that has a real neighborhood feel.

The long view of the room with a tented ceiling and drum shade covered chandeliers has residential touches to make dining out a familiar yet fabulous, glam experience.

A touch of greenery complements the sage green chairs and overall airy light space.

What could be better than dining beside a tree indoors? Instant shade and a bit of nature. It is a place for intimate conversation with less flash and more substance.

In another area, a long chesterfield sofa goes on forever against a wall of windows. The light filled space has a counter for takeout that also displays wonderful desserts.

The job he has been working towards each episode gets the big reveal here:

The exterior of the Santa Monica location is similar to that of the Santa Barbara boite, with paneling painted in a deep grey blue.

The raw bar at the shore location channels the best aspects of beach - house chic: light floors, dark wood bar chairs and zinc accents come together with a crisp look.

Photos courtesy of Jeffrey Alan Marks
The beachy look includes chairs in a rustic grey finish and tailored white touches in the light fixtures. It came together quickly, but I can't say I am totally convinced that timeline was real! It is Bravo, after all.

6 comments:

mary said...

These are spaces with great design--JAM definitely has great depth.

The enchanted home said...

Looks beautiful....love the long chesterfield sofa, gorgeous. Actually am supposed to be in LA end of August so am going to do my best to get to the Hungry Cat and Tavern. Love the show...so entertaining!

Unknown said...

Love it! He's so funny. I do understand how he feels about sort of thinking about a design for awhile. It's better if you let it steep.

Laura A said...

Sconces???

I'm really enjoying "Million Dollar Decorator." Thanks for the peek.

carolina postcard said...

One more Bravo showed that has totally sucked me in! So glad to see these pics of his work.

Claudiazab said...

Love the show. Even though he did good on this one, I see fear which is usually mistaken by elegance. Id like to see more wow, i feel like he can be a little too nautica home or ralph lauren-like. I want more jam!