Ember Restaurant

Miami Design District, FL - 2019

EMBER’s design is inspired by the Streamline Moderne style of art deco architecture and furniture. Dropping the more ornamental, often clashing stylistic elements and bright colors of early art deco styles, Streamline emphasized the forward-looking industrial ingenuity and scientific thinking of the 1930s. Aerodynamic shapes, long horizontal lines, and offset curved and repeating lines replaced the hard edges and rectilinear bulkiness of older, more traditional architectural styles. 

In EMBER, offset bullet-like shapes envelop the space and are embedded throughout the project, emphasizing the coalescence of bold shapes, soft lines and a warm palette. The architecture of the space alters one’s perspective and increases the depth of field, leading the eye deeper into the back of the restaurant. The elongated side walls and ceiling draw on the soft curved lines of Kansas City street cars combined with the classic warmth of deco furniture. 

Additional influences on the space come from the overlapping of Miami Art Deco with Streamline Moderne. The evolution of this combination is a new style of Art Deco which we are dubbing Neo-Meco: New Miami Deco.

In Partnership: Chef Brad Kilgore 

Photography:  Mike Butler 

“One of my objectives in creating this design was to redefine the aesthetic of masculinity by bringing a balance to the traditional norms associated with a masculine space. EMBER expresses itself as a bold yet soft aesthetic, providing a warm, light environment with a refined but approachable design; its elegance is understated. These elements reflect the character and values of the space, and, by that rationale, EMBER is the embodiment of my friend Chef Brad Kilgore.” -Mark Alan Diaz