Restaurant and lounge Gusto Green has debuted within the Green Street Building, a cannabis hub in Los Angeles’ trendy downtown corridor. To complement the eatery’s plant-focused fare, the space is characterized by an organic, greenhouse-inspired design, conceptualized by M-Rad in partnership with Studio UNLTD, that balances light and dark across both its color and material palette.
“Guests should feel a synergy between the modern design and Gusto Green’s forward thinking that embraces the future of food,” Studio UNLTD says. “We used a lot of highly saturated earth tones throughout the space which play off bold, bright dishes that are largely plant based.”
The 5,500-square-foot restaurant is anchored by a large greenhouse-like structure that punctures an art gallery housed across the building’s second floor. “We introduced the grand atrium to bring the exterior in while connecting the private tenants above giving them a unique perspective to the restaurant below,” explains M-Rad founder and CEO Matthew Rosenberg. “Throughout the space, you will experience hints of foliage, alluding to what may be beyond the restaurant walls and transport its guests to the root of the hemp-based menu.”
Polycarbonate botanical wallpaper further accents the overhead fixture, while the lighting design was conceived to transition from cooler tones during the day to warmer tones in the evening. Blackened oakwood tables are installed atop terrazzo floors that echo the cool stones of a riverbed. Cozy banquettes and dual half-circle booths also span the dining room, positioned to overlook focal points like the open kitchen and marble-topped bar. In the private dining room, a decorative plaster feature wall channels rammed earth, creating a dramatic pinnacle of the design’s emphasis on nature.
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