For Silver restaurant in Park City, Utah, New York-based Rockwell Group had a very specific design directive from owner Lisa Barlow: acknowledge the history of the building, which once housed the Marsac Silver Mining Company, and the town’s history as a silver mining town, and at the same time, reflect the restaurant’s scenic location.

“We wanted Silver to be a fresh, modern, glamorous destination during Sundance and beyond,” explains David Mexico, Rockwell Group’s principal and studio leader. “We wanted to give Silver a totally different edge than the other more rustic Park City restaurants, making it the new ‘it’ destination in the area. Park City usually is home to travelers who are well educated, well traveled, and have seen it all. So with Silver we wanted to make sure the design embodied its roots and history but in an unexpected and spectacular way that would exceed guests’ expectations.”

With that in mind, the designers used silver as the underlying color in the materials, textures, and patterns found throughout. They retained the historic exposed brick walls, covering most with a custom chain link curtain lit dramatically from the front and back. The designers also kept most of the original wood, but stained it to match the tone of the design, such as the silver leaf ceiling. “And of course we had hints and features of silver everywhere-from the cerused silver color covering the floor of the entry to the communal table made of walnut with cerused veins of silver, an accent echoed on the bar on the mezzanine level,” Mexico explains.

Yet the element that truly makes the restaurant stand out from the street are the blue tufted mohair banquettes that wrap up part of the wall and ceiling of the mezzanine. “One of the greatest challenges was creating a totally modern and new design statement in Park City while also paying tribute to the history of the town and building,” Mexico says.