As if getting to design spaces for fun clients isn’t enough, they let us trounce around largely unsupervised in the middle of the night to take pictures. Case in point, Robust Downtown at the MX. We finished this job back in December, and we’re really proud of this one. Located in the Laurel (formerly Dillard’s) on Washington Avenue downtown St. Louis, Robust is next door to the future home of the National Blues Museum. The 4,000 square foot wine bar and restaurant features a retail area, private dining room, and lobby access to the adjacent Embassy Suites Hotel.

We took our design cues from the vineyard. The entrance is enveloped by a stylized trellis that evokes the structure on which grapes are grown. The trellis continues on the upper windows around the restaurant, making a consistent visual statement. Perhaps the most dramatic element is rain. We designed, fabricated and installed “Rain,” a sculpture above the bar. Made of 2,200 strips of hanger wire that we bent and painted in our fabrication shop, we hung them over the bar with feature lighting to create a warmer, cozier space in an area with high ceilings. It also provides a visual point of interest for the entire restaurant. Click on the photos to open the gallery with captions. 

Visit Robust in person and have a flight. (It’s better than just a glass of wine. Trust us.)
Robust Downtown at the MX
635 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO  63102
314.287.6300
http://www.robustwinebar.com/visit/reservations-downtown-mx.php
(PS: Don’t fret about parking downtown. Pull up to the valet at the Embassy Suites on 7th and get your ticket validated at Robust. You’ll get your car valet parked for $3.)