(Excerpted from a Carolina Home and Garden profile Article by Paul Howey)
Restaurant opts for warmth and foliage over wood and metal
Asheville’s tallest buildings create a wind tunnel. And when winter squalls hit, that makes downtown strolls downright bitter. But the new restaurant The Greenhouse offers something like a tropical oasis.
“With the space — a concrete shell across from another concrete shell [the city-owned Rankin Avenue Garage] in the middle of the city — it only seemed right to fill it with as many plants as possible,” adds Baker. And thus “The Greenhouse” concept was born. “Plants just make me feel better in general. It’s a good way to connect back to nature in the concrete jungle.”
The interior design was handled by April Gahagan, founder of FS Design Group, an Asheville Interior Design and Commercial Interiors firm. “I remember our first meeting,” says Baker. “[April] was not expecting the ideas I had for the interior, and she was pleasantly surprised that this project was not going to be another ‘rustic wood and metal’ space.
“She was integral to making the vision a reality. I felt like she truly understood the concept and provided much confidence to the project.”
Gahagan began the interior design process by suggesting an overall color scheme for the restaurant, quickly settling on a bold palette of tropical corals and greens, with touches of blue and gold. “Trevor was already thinking of a lush environment for the space. I just continued his thoughts into action,” says Gahagan.
A key design component was the wall covering, a large tropical foliage pattern chosen for the back wall. For the job of installing the wallpaper, Gahagan turned to Susan Tuomey, a local member of the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers.
