Cabonnay
An Artistic Restaurant Design in Manchester, New Hampshire
Photo Credit: Studio One Photography
The team at Market Square Architects were recently challenged with finding a creative solution to breathe life back into this tired Bridge Street building in Manchester, NH. The goal was to create an artistic dining experience with a strong focus on wine culture. The result is the most exciting new restaurant and dining experience in Manchester: Cabonnay – slated to open later this year.
Our approach was to create changes in depth, define different volumes of space and introduce a variety of textures, colors, and materials into the otherwise bland facade. From the left side of the building, a simple cable rail at the ramp with a bright white aluminum open canopy creates a layer in front of the building through which one can see, and which creates a material contrast to the brick beyond and enables shadow lines to form depth and texture.
Between the first two sets of windows, a vertical open trellis a couple of feet off of the building was proposed. Ivy should grow well on this face, and all of the openings in the trellis and plants will again create shadow and movement on the building beyond. This form would break the plane of the building elevation, creating a layer of massing proud of the rectangular form beyond and beginning to break up the scale of the existing structure. The living plants are a wall tie to the deck garden, and harken to the idea of vineyard. A simple white aluminum canopy fascia provides a location for vertical signage, and creates another contrasting horizontal band at the center of the building where the greatest amount of glass is present.
To the right, below the roof deck, removal of the existing brick veneer, sealing and painting the block beyond a light grey was proposed. This creates four to five inches of depth at that location enabling the corner to be viewed as a separate volume. The change in depth also provides room on the side street beyond on which wire mesh could be layered to tie it to the front. This gesture also created form, shadow and depth on the side elevation. Similarly, at the front, three wire mesh panels were located almost four feet off of the building beyond. This creates a new plane beyond the building, enables another vertical element to break up the mass, and provides shadow and texture in front of the brick. In each panel between the building and the mesh vertical banners were envisioned in the Cabonnay red, emblazoned with the words: Fresh, Oasis, Bliss. The movement of these vibrant fabrics beyond the mesh creating visual energy at the face of the building.
The Cabonnay Restaurant, Wine House, Art Gallery and Roofdeck Experience
Cabonnay is custom 11,000 sqft multi-level luxury dining experience located in the heart of Manchester, NH. Guests are welcomed in a modern state-of-the-art building with a light-filled luxurious urban contemporary feel. We have several spacious dining rooms, an art gallery integrated throughout the space, an airy rooftop garden and patio, and a wine-country lifestyle retail emporium. A true urban oasis – come stay a while!
At Cabonnay, luxury is found in spaciousness, and time spent with amazing food and wine and friends – while we have an 11000 sqft building on 3 stories we only have approximately 150 seats for dining. For us it’s about comfort, quality and excellence in the food and service we provide – treating our guests well is what we excel at, and attention to detail and the individual experience of a guest takes priority for us.
