One of our recently completed projects in the Upper Peninsula of Charleston is the new Butcher & Bee Restaurant. The client desired a fun and unique space for patrons to lounge and relax while enjoying a cup of coffee or a simple lunch. There also needed to be space for dinner seating and special events.
Using those program elements and taking a cue from the courtyard we designed for Edmund’s Oast right next door, the resulting space incorporates a stucco wall to provide a buffer from the street and a custom bench that runs the length of the wall and wraps the edges creating a u-shape. The bench materials are cypress and insets of corten steel. The bench is dynamic and offers a traditional bench style along with a ramp-like element for lounging and a deeper seating element for informal gathering. The ‘floor’ of the space is a cobblestone that ties into the paving for Edmund’s Oast and connects the two spaces. Within the space and the parking lot in the back, native grasses, perennials, and shrubs soften the clean lines of the paving, walls and benches.
