(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 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-Fore of Furniture Specialties, Inc., a firm she owns with her husband Bryan. “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-Fore 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-Fore.
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-Fore turned to Susan Tuomey, a local member of the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers.
