Thomas Schoos to Design Herringbone LA

Los Angeles-based designer Thomas Schoos has been selected to design Enlightened Hospitality Group’s restaurant, Herringbone, at Mondrian Los Angeles.  Mixing old Hollywood style with fanciful details, the restaurant is slated to open in 2013. 

Schoos has worked with the group before, previously designing each Searsucker location (San Diego, Scottsdale, Austin, and Del Mar) as well as the original Herringbone in La Jolla.
 
“I want Herringbone L.A. to be classically elegant but with a personal flair, similar to what you would expect from a private home,” says Schoos.  “It should feel like a posh dinner party at one of those homes you see in the hills all around the hotel-full of creative people, artistic touches, and personal style.”
 
Drawing on his experience with celebrity homes and restaurants, Schoos conceptualized Herringbone L.A. as a sensual, breezy, contemporary California destination that flows between the indoors and out. To keep the design fresh, Schoos will introduce surprising elements as well as familiar objects to provide interest. To create a long bar, Schoos will stack a series of antique lobster traps in a row, cover them with a glass top and fill them with inflated puffer fish. In designing the sharing tables, Schoos will encase some of his own large-format paintings so that guests can dine directly on top of art.  Out on the patio, familiar table lamps will be reinterpreted as giant floor lamps, while sectional sofas, eclectic furniture pieces, and fire pits will complement the city views.
 
“Thomas Schoos was an obvious choice to design our first restaurant in Los Angeles,” says James Brennan, CEO and Partner of Enlightened Hospitality Group. “Mondrian Los Angeles has been a long fixture on the Sunset Strip and is known for its high concept design aesthetic.  We are excited to bring something elegant yet new to the heart of West Hollywood and create an environment that boasts the level of imagination, style, and glamour worthy of a Hollywood A-list playground.”
 
While Schoos’ use of natural textures and cultural artifacts will be familiar to patrons of the original Herringbone in La Jolla, Schoos plans to reinterpret the Herringbone L.A. brand. A centerpiece of the restaurant will be one large dining table made from the root of an acacia tree that has been dipped in gold, to evoke a blend of organic beauty and opulence.