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Muted Natural Design Elements Showcase the Vibrant Cuisine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The brass stands out all the more against Fieldwork\u2019s muted palate of natural wood and light, earthy tones. The design lets the visually pleasing food, blue earthen dinnerware and artwork stand out (especially an abstract Peter Gronquist painting in pink and blue tones, commissioned specifically for Kann). \u201cWe did not want anything to compete with how colorful and vibrant the food is,\u201d Hein says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, an array of natural materials help Kann feel very much an Oregon restaurant, and a bit residential, starting with the extensive use of white oak from the dining room flooring, chairs and armoires to the oak-topped chefs\u2019 work surfaces chosen instead of stainless steel open. A wall of stacked firewood near the entrance also adds rugged, unpretentious ambiance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is scarcely a right angle in the place, from the curving chef\u2019s counter to a series of oval pendant lights ganging over a family-style dining table in front and the corner bar in back, meant to evoke the traditional Haitian baskets worn to transport food from the markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of white tablecloths, milky-colored tabletops were made using a custom wax-embedded concrete that has a smooth, soap-like finish. The open kitchen\u2019s black iron hearth is framed with earth-toned brick that extends to form the backsplash wall. The nearby chef\u2019s counter, where diners enjoy a front-row seat for the cooking show, is clad in quartzite with blue and pink veining, for a hint of Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A Moody Downstairs Bar Contrasts the Light-Filled Dining Space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n After Kann\u2019s design was well underway, Gourdet\u2019s team added a sister project: the downstairs bar Sous\u00f2l. Here the restaurant\u2019s bright, light-filled space gives way to a darker, more atmospheric nighttime space, featuring illuminated bottle shelving, floral patterned wallpaper, and fuchsia velour banquettes lining the wall, as well as a club-level sound system that has already attracted DJs for after-hours gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After first facing extensive delays and then an accelerated schedule, this was a project of high-intensity and high reward. \u201cI personally needed a project like this,\u201d Hein says. \u201cAfter the pandemic it just brought all of my creativity back again and challenged that in a new way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few weeks before Kann and Sous\u00f2l\u2019s opening when it all hit her, while going over final details with operations director Tia Vanich. \u201cI remember Tia left the table for a moment and I just started to cry,\u201d Hein recalls, \u201cjust because everything was coming to life and this was what we had all been working so hard for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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