Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/685770
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • May-June 2016 37 A mosaic that is loose and spontaneous The pallet montage in the Fish Shack doesn't take itself too seriously. The elements are assembled randomly, resulting in a mosaic that is loose and unstructured. To complement the look of the wooden pallets and other found items, the design team chose a deep color palette consisting of inky blue walls, hand-glazed green subway tiles, and red banquettes that conjure up the look and feel of old-fashioned life jackets. It is a departure from the sun-bleached look of traditional seafood restaurants. The furniture and furnishings are nostalgic and practical with wooden tables and old- fashioned upholstered kitchen chairs. The bar seats are painted metal work stools. The hostess station is a tool box, and coats are hung on large hooks at the entry. Fish facts and daily features are posted on the chalkboard walls. Bare lamps in porcelain sockets positioned randomly among the pallets and hung glass pendants provide filtered lighting, and large industrial lights hover over the bar. The overall effect is warm, casual and familiar but also has the some of the sexy drama that the Glowbal Group is known for. Emad Yacoub, Glowbal Restaurant Group's proprietor, specified from the outset that the interior of the Fish Shack be simple, casual and reminiscent of walking down by the docks and through the fish markets. "When Cynthia and her team brought forward the idea of using pallets, we thought it was brilliant. The pallets create a space that is comfortable and inviting, perfect for the Fish Shack concept," he said. The creative confidence to showcase innovative concepts and use salvaged, raw and vintage items BOX Interior Design, Inc., co-founded in 2002 by principals Cynthia Penner and Jay Brooks, is a boutique interior design studio that works in both the U.S. and Canada. The group focuses mainly on the hospitality sector and has designed several other restaurant interiors for the Glowbal Group, including its flagship Glowbal at Telus Garden. BOX Interior Design was awarded recognition for its work on the Fish Shack by the Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) and the Interior Design Institute of BC (IDIBC). "We take an individualized approach to every project and emphasize specific solutions rather than traditional treatments," Penner said. "It's great to see that in recent years there has been an emergence in Vancouver of a creative confidence to showcase innovative concepts and use salvaged, raw and vintage items." The Fish Shack restaurant has established itself as an integral part of the fabric of Vancouver's downtown core. "We're happy to be part of the change that's making Granville Street a draw for food and entertainment," said Yacoub. "Everything about the Fish Shack is satisfying, unfussy and fun. Customers love it." PC Leah Wheeler is a professional copywriter specializing in webwriting/SEO optimization, marketing and business com- munications, technical writing and articles. She can be reached at 480-275-7011 or leah@leahwheeler-writer.com.