For the Bedford, a new restaurant and bar inside a transformed 1920s historic private bank in Chicago’s Wicker Park, Anne Smith, director of operations for Salita Development, wanted a space that spoke to the building’s history. “We wanted it to feel like your neighborhood bar, comfortable and casual,” she says.

To do this, she charged local design firm Gettys with creating a space that was at once elegant and approachable. “We made sure we had fun with the elements, creating a juxtaposition between new and old,” says Gettys’ design director Ben Nicholas.

To that end, the 8,000-square-foot basement den features terracotta, marble, and terrazzo, all reclaimed and restored from the original bank. Teller grills, transaction counters, private booths, and other original pieces are used throughout, including the two-ton, uplit lock box wall feature in the bar-a challenging piece, as the handmade lock boxes were all of varying size and weight. Another challenge: how to bring a sense of warmth in a space filled with hard materials like stone, which Nicholas and the design team answered with the addition of wood elements, including a new bar made of rustic oak, and various textures in the furniture. “It doesn’t look like a brand new bar-it has a bit more character and integrity,” explains Nicholas, adding that since the Bedford is a basement space, much care was put into the lighting (including puck light installations) and maintaining ceiling height.

Yet the focal point is the vault room, featuring more than 6,000 original working copper lock boxes. Despite the extravagant appointment, Smith says they wanted it to feel like “the living room of Wicker Park,” so they avoided turning it into a VIP area. “There’s something for everyone to feel welcome,” Nicholas adds.

One pleasant surprise during the renovation was the discovery of an original brick wall behind the plaster of the women’s bathroom, which balances out the original cream marble. That, plus private banking booths as stalls, create a sure to be talked about bathroom experience. Says Nicholas, “It is quite large; it’s an intimate women’s lounge inside the restroom.” Smith agrees: “We put a lot of effort into making it a really plush, beautiful space.”