The Solution
Due to regulations, most of the exteriors in San Clemente are oriented towards browns and grays. The Stayner team, however, found a clever way to push the envelope — without breaking any rules. The entire front of the building is glazed and opens right out into the street. With no barrier between the sidewalk and interior, Tamarindo is visually very different than the rest of the nearby buildings. The interior’s super-saturated color flows from the space and spills out into the street, beckoning passersby.
That interior vibrancy is the culmination of several design elements. A series of skylights throughout the space bring light in from three different facades, so the sun’s full progression is experienced inside. Creative cues and material palettes that aligned with San Clemente’s salty air were influenced by the work of Mexico City architect/muralist Juan O’Gorman, while the warm yellow ceiling was inspired by the studio of architect Luis Barragan, also from Mexico City. Other colorful touches included an expansive, hand-painted mural on one of the space’s few masonry walls. Ketra lighting was used to enrich each of these visual experiences, helping accurately reflect and intensify colors with precisely controlled saturation and vibrancy. Ketra’s lighting also helped enhance the ambient natural light by mimicking the daylight coming through the skylights during the day, then dropping to a warm, amber glow that rivals candlelight. A design bonus was the lighting system’s wireless connectivity, which allowed the Stayner team to evolve Tamarindo’s space — down to easily moving individual lights — even after the restaurant opened.
