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Shine on *

Nicholas.Budd.Dutton's restaurant design for Opaline, Los Angeles, is a beacon of restrained sophistication

Kathryn Harris -- Interior Design, 2/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

After dark, the UPS-brown exterior of Opaline recedes—leaving its picture windows to glimmer and pop. Conversely, when you're inside the restaurant, those same windows frame the urban panorama with cinematic sweep. Opaline's connection to the city is unusual for Los Angeles, but that was owner David Rosoff's point. An alumnus of the legendary Michael's, where patio and garden tables are the most sought-after refuge, Rosoff was determined to give street credibility to his first solo venture.

Opaline's 3,500-square-foot art deco building rounds a corner on a stretch of Beverly Boulevard populated by trendy clothing boutiques and home-ware stores. The area has become synonymous with endless gourmet possibilities, but Opaline reconceptualizes fine dining for the discriminating masses, with a menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes—veal cheeks to cassoulet—expertly paired with artisanal European wines.

Nicholas.Budd.Dutton was chosen as much for the principals' sensitivity to the "egalitarian"—a word Rosoff sprinkles liberally in conversation—as for the firm's previous work. Taking a cue from what Rosoff terms the "honest" food, principal John Dutton concocted an ambience so relaxed that you feel practically compelled to lean your elbows on the tables.

"We started out by expressing the building's personality in a rich and material-oriented way," explains the architect, who professes a preference for glass, wood, concrete, and small doses of textiles. Working within the existing deco structure, he accentuated the smooth, satisfying curve of the main dining room's exterior wall by installing an additional picture window, so five now wrap the space with a kind of kinetic fluidity.

To ensure the privacy of diners seated at window tables, Dutton applied a transluscent film to the lowest third of the glass. He then extended the translucent-transparent demarcation line onto the walls by painting them in a matte finish above and semigloss below, to protect against scuff marks from handbags and shoes. The resulting datum line continues around the room, extended through such devices as the tops of booths.

The palette of pistachio, chocolate, and ' a luminous crème anglaise flows in a fashion that's truly opaline—the adjective Oscar Wilde attributed to the illicit drink absinthe. "We used light to sculpt and balance the space," says Dutton, pointing out relationships between the front windows and rear skylights. Amber-colored glass pendant fixtures dangle over the booths along two walls; halogen ceiling spots illuminate center and perimeter tables.

Lumasite acrylic strips compose the hourglass of a light sculpture that springs from the top of a centrifugal banquette in the center of the room. "It was a pragmatic way of embracing a structural column," explains Dutton. Another flourish is the concrete floor, a slab so slick that everything above appears to float: the stained maple-veneered tabletops, the moss-colored wooden chairs, and the bald, goateed Rosoff—gliding between in a dark suit sans tie.

Sometimes, his destination is the den, an adjoining spot for "small plates" and wine flights. Dutton separated the two areas with a screen assembled, like a giant architectural plaid, from clear and etched glass supported by existing studs and diagonal bracing. On the den side of the divider, he left the ceiling beams exposed. In the dining room, however, he installed stained poplar slats, an uninterrupted fabric that hides mechanicals and helps dissipate noise. The second task is completed by the cork cladding Opaline's rear wall. "I hate muted restaurants, where everything's cushioned," says Rosoff. "You should be able to hold a conversation—but also hear the bustle."

Opaline's stucco-clad building stands on Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles. The restaurant was designed by Nicholas.Budd.Dutton.

Used both outdoors and in, custom furniture includes tables topped with stained maple veneer. The address numerals are brushed aluminum.

Cork surfaces the wall behind a banquette with a Teflon-coated polyester-covered back and a seat covered in vinyl.

The main dining room's poplar-slat ceiling extends 3 feet across the exposed ceiling beams of the adjacent den. A mirror runs above the top of the den's banquette.

To camouflage a central structural column, John Dutton enclosed it in a banquette topped by a light sculpture of Lumasite acrylic strips. A screen of clear and etched glass, supported by dark-stained studs and bracing, allows the dining-room and den environments to coexist.

Dutton applied a green stain to the poplar ceiling slats as well as grinding, polishing, and sealing the concrete floor.

Mario Mengotti and Sergio Prandina's glass pendant fixtures illuminate the booths along two walls.

A cotton-shaded pendant by Nancy Robbins hangs in the private dining room, which seats 12.

PRINCIPALS: WILLIAM NICHOLAS; SUSAN BUDD. PROJECT TEAM: SELENA LINKOUS; PAUL HOLMQUIST. ADDRESS NUMERALS (EXTERIOR): DETAILS. CUSTOM CHAIRS (EXTERIOR, INTERIOR): LIBMART. BANQUETTE FABRIC (DINING ROOM): MAHARAM (BACK); PACIFIC HIDE AND LEATHER (SEAT). WALL CORK (DINING ROOM, DEN): CORK AMERICA THROUGH LINOLEUM CITY. PENDANT FIXTURES (DINING ROOM): PRANDINA THROUGH LAMPA. LIGHTING LUMASITE: AMERICAN ACRYLIC CORPORATION. CEILING STAIN: COMPLIANT SPRAY SYSTEMS. PENDANT FIXTURE (PRIVATE ROOM): TALLER UNO THROUGH LAMPA. WALL COVERING: JEFFREY STEVENS. PAINT: BENJAMIN MOORE CO. MILLWORK: SHEAFFCO. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: BRACKETT CONSTRUCTION.