Riffle NW

Name: Riffle NW

Location: Portland, OR

A well thought through concept is one where the restaurant owners consider all components of a guests' meal. From entry and exterior vantages, graphic design, and interior design, all the way to tableware, servers outfits, and take away, all components add up to create a cohesive concept. Riffle NW is a great example of a restaurant thinking through executing each of these components extremely well, providing a completely cohesive dining experience.

The nautical nature of Riffle's space blends perfectly with the raw bar and seafood heavy menu being served. 

The light wood, sail cloth seating and dividers, and numerical table graphics all play off each other to create a comfortable and bright space that reflects the nautical nature but doesn't overdo it.

Sticking to the turquoise and orange color scheme in their graphic and identity design tie into the colors used with the space once again adding another level of cohesion to the dining experience.

The drink menus are cleverly hidden away and remind me of pulling up a trap to discover what you've caught. 

Image 2-3, 5 © Eater Portland

Image 1, 4, 6-8  @ Behance

Southeast Wine Collective

Name: Southeast Wine Collective

Location: Portland, OR

Southeast Wine Collective has created an urban tasting room, bringing together four local wineries.

The space is a blend of urban warehouse and warm tasting room and use the wine as both displays and focal points. 

The main tasting bar uses wine barrels as shelving and texture. Wine stored bottom out creates a great visual flanking each side. 

The space also created multiple seating types including banquette, bar, and community table seating. All of these allow the tasting room to offer multiple experiences and host different events.

All images © Eater PDX

The Woodsman Market

Name: The Woodsman Market
Location: Portland, OR

Located right next to The Woodsman Tavern, 

(remember, the spot with the great kitsch collection of vintage landscapes?)

lies the artisan market and shop of the same owner. With the same attention to detail, the market feels as if it's been there forever.

With warm white subway tiles paired with dark grout, open shelving, a great period tile floor, and rustic pendants, the space feels warm and inviting. 

Showcasing local artisan goods, the space is great stop for a quick mid day sandwich or to pick up that one special ingredient to finish a dish. The comfortable and approachable space showcases the local purveyors in a welcoming environment.

Image 1 © Sunset

Images 2 &3 © Remodelista via David Lanthan Reamer

Image 4 © Nowness

Image 5 © Frolic

Tandem Coffee Roasters

Name: Tandem Coffee Roasters
Location: Portland, ME

Everyone knows that my love for Portland (The original, East Coast version.) runs deep. To see Portland's restaurant and coffee culture expanding as quickly as it is couldn't make me any happier. Tandem, Portlands newest third wave coffee roaster just set up shop in the unlikely East Bayside neighborhood and created a tranquil and bright space to match.

Using a bright color and material palate of whites, grays, and light wood allows the space to feel open and welcoming. Allowing portions of the brick wall to remain exposed helps the space feel authentic and raw and hints at the buildings past.

The space is kept sparsely furnished with simple shop stools and industrial pendants which allows the central focus to be on the roasting and brewing process. 

All Photos © The blue ferry

Salt & Straw

Name: Salt & Straw
Location: Portland, OR

With summer in full swing, what better way to celebrate than with a scoop of ice cream from your favorite shop. Portland's Salt & Straw is a local scoop shop focused on creating unique and delicious flavors. Set inside a renovated storefront, the shop features loads of handcrafted details and warmth.

The exposed beam ceiling, handmade wood shelves behind the counter, poured concrete floor, and metal accents all add a industrial, rustic feeling to the interior. 

Photos 1-6 © Hammer and Hand

Standard Baking Co.

Name: Standard Baking Co.
Location: Portland, ME

One of the simplest pleasures in life is a great baked good. The perfect croissant is hard to find and although many try, most fail. The standard Baking Co. located below Fore Street restaurant in Portland Maine, has succeeded in this endeavor. To add to the beauty of finding another perfect croissant (That last was to be seen in San Francisco, over two years ago!) is that the interior, while small, perfectly fit the goods they were serving. Rustic and warm with displays of fresh baked goods lining shelves and filling baskets, the smells and charm welcomes you. The service counter is located between the baking ovens and prep area allowing you to watch the entire baking process unfold. If you are in the area, you should certainly stop in. (and should stop in early, they sell out quick!)

All images © Kaper Design

Duckfat

Name:  Duckfat
Location: Portland, ME

With a name like 'Duck Fat' you really can't go wrong.  This was the second time I've been here and will easily be back again. The food is great but the real star is the duck fat fries and multiple dipping sauces you can choose to accompany them. The space itself is located on a cobblestone street with large front facing windows. An outdoor ledge allows you to dine or drink outside on warmer days without protruding into the sidewalk. What I love the most about the space is how inclusive and local it feels, the interior remains simple and warm which works well within the small space.

Image 1 © Maine Boats

Image 3-4 © Ducat

Clyde Common

Name: Clyde Common
Location: Portland, OR
Design: Jack Barron & Natasha Figueroa

Located in the Ace hotel in Portland, Clyde Common is a double story, industrial chic space serving up great food and exceptional drinks. Fashioned with a bit of military inspiration, the space features communal tables, industrial metal stools pushed up to a wood-clad bar and simple materials to create it's hip and urban feel. The tarp cloth, located on the second level is yet another nod to the military feel and helps create a visual barrier between the two areas.

Image 1 © Hello Portland

Image 2 © Let there be bite

Image 3-4 © Star Chefs

Image 5-7 © Remodelista

East End Cupcakes

Name: East End Cupcakes

Location: Portland, Maine

All too often we see local restaurants, cafes and bars, fail at the design of their space. While the food/drink might be great, the first impression can barely get us in the door. At Kaper design we understand that many mom-and-pop-type shops don't have much extra funding after purchasing the space, hiring employees, and ordering the equipment. But, we believe that that is no excuse for a lacking interior environment. So as you can assume, we get pretty geeked when we see a small shop that not only has a great product, but also has a wonderful interior!

While in Maine last week, we spotted just such place. Take a look: 

 If you go, be sure to try their chocolate/ pb cupcake with sea salt on top. It was amazing!

Visit our website at kaperdesign.com

Portland, Maine

As a self-declared foodie (Lucky for me it's also part of my job description!), one of my favorite things to do is explore restaurants and local food. One of the most overlooked and underrated, in my opinion, foodie location is Portland, Maine. It's hard not to be when you are located inches away from multiple harbors where fresh seafood flows in hourly.

Add to that the cobblestone streets, brick buildings and down-to-earth vibe and you have an area overflowing with great places to eat. The charm of most of the places in Portland is the we've been here forever, hole-in-the-wall feel. 

Rob Evans, the local celebrity chef has recently brought some light to the area when he won a James Beard Award in 2009 for his restaurant, Hugo's (Another JBA was won in 2002 for Fore Street & it's chef). Yet, even with this recent addition of a JBA, Portland is still overlooked. With that, I want to present you with a few local food favorites from this amazing city.

Street and; Co.

Five Fifty-five

Duck Fat

The Porthole Restaurant

Sebago Brewing Company