CHARACTER

An Italian restaurant with a deep custom soul, Cosmica celebrates handmade food, natural wine, and the kind of hospitality that leaves a mark. Located in Salt Lake City’s Granary district, the space was designed entirely from scratch — nearly every surface, object, and fixture was custom-fabricated to reinforce the restaurant’s bold identity.

Angled tables, sewn cushions, tambour liquor cabinets, and patterned neon lighting reflect the brand’s expressive personality. The ceiling glows with the restaurant’s signature waveform, while burl-wood, soft tile, drapery, and wood tones add warmth and rhythm. Two immersive bathrooms — one Sofia Coppola–themed, the other Rhinestone Cowboy — further the narrative of high-touch play.

The layout supports smooth, high-volume service and natural guest flow, while inviting diners to settle in for hours. A vibrant, complete space rooted in good food and company.

Scope included full restaurant interior design, bar and kitchen layout optimization, all furniture, surfaces, lighting design elements, and custom fixture development.

Created in close collaboration with Madelon Juliano. She shaped the narrative, crafted original art, led the color story and branding, and left her mark across menus and key design moments.

 

BAR NOHM

barnohm.com

THRESHOLD

Concept. A modern izakaya rooted in a fictional geography that bridges Korea’s Baekdudaegan with Utah’s Wasatch Front. The narrative was crafted to offset the risk of preciousness — a foil to the room’s polish. The result is an environment built with care but never overly careful: a place for fast service, slow hangs, and guests as styled or wild as they come.

Narrative + Flow. The space is sectioned into intimate zones, layered with rhythm and friction. A meandering Dukta screen was reworked into a topographic divider, mounted into a pebbled curb and hand-stained in tea to add depth. Overhead, panels nod to pojagi quilting traditions—patchworked and slightly off-kilter, injecting color, asymmetry, and irreverence above the dining room. Circulation is guided entirely by built-in elements—no signage, no fuss.

Material Strategy. Material reuse and conceptual reframing drove the palette. Bleached walnut from the previous space was reshaped into barrister-style liquor cabinets—“spirits in books”—a nod to both the liquor within and the original function of the cabinet as a vessel for stories. Stone and wood elements recall a mountain stream: river rock service stations, terrazzo tables with hand-selected aggregate, and large oak tables with expressive joinery that feel like trees rooted in the room. Together, these elements ground the space with rhythm, tactility, and weight.

Fabrication + Detail. A linear light fixture hangs over the communal table, designed and built in-house with routed oak dowels, leather rope, and knotwork. A cedar-wrapped onsen booth is tucked in the far corner near the end of the bar, while the chef’s room hosts a pair of smaller booths with upholstered seating and focused light. A concealed-track cherrywood barn door connects to Water Witch, scaled and toned to echo artwork in the neighboring space.

Back of House. The kitchen serves both NOHM and Water Witch—one of Salt Lake’s most acclaimed cocktail bars and a multi-time James Beard nominee. Despite the tight footprint, the layout supports concurrent workflows. Food and beverage prep are split cleanly, supporting everything from whole ice block carving and fermentation to protein breakdown and daily juice runs. Noren panels mark the transition, but function sets the tone: sharp, efficient, and built to move.

Custom Fabrication. A large linear light fixture was designed and hand-built in-house, suspended from the ceiling with routed oak dowels, leather rope, and knotwork. Two additional fixtures were created to accent quieter seating zones. A cedar-wrapped “onsen” booth offers quiet shelter near the end of the bar, while the chef’s room features compact booth seating with custom upholstery and focused lighting. A cherrywood-faced barn door, mounted on a concealed track, connects the space to neighboring Water Witch — tuned in finish and scale to harmonize with its palette and spatial constraints.

Scope. Interior architecture, kitchen and bar planning, spatial layout, furniture and lighting design, material development, and brand-influenced detailing. Included back-of-house programming for a shared prep kitchen servicing two high-volume hospitality teams.

Collaborator. Created in close collaboration with Madelon Juliano—who shaped the narrative arc, visual identity, artwork, and emotional pulse of the space.

 

TRACE

A modern café reimagined for full-service dining, The Daily blends operational clarity with warm, tailored design. Originally built as a light-filled coffee bar, the remodel introduced a large, multi-angled oak banquette wrapped in rust corduroy, leather, and grasscloth to anchor and soften the dining zone. The custom piece maximized seating, defined distinct zones, while preserving spatial flow — the result of extensive study to balance utility with elegance.

Custom terrazzo tables in Foresso, handmade cork ceiling tiles, and flat packed oak chairs add warmth, rhythm, and refinement. A matching host stand and updated glass pendants complete the shift in atmosphere — from casual stop-in to lingering hospitality.

Madelon Juliano repainted the feature wall with a large, abstract mural, replacing the original print with a gesture scaled to the room’s new proportions. Her contribution helped carry the refreshed story forward with color, shape, and soul.

Scope included spatial reprogramming, seating layout, furniture and surface design, material development, lighting coordination, and color collaboration.