The interior of Republic Gastropub in Oklahoma City uses glass panels to effevescent effect. photo: scott mcdonald
Republic Gastropub is a contemporary brewpub that seeks to bridge the gap between beer bar and upscale eatery. With an emphasis on American craft beer and an imaginative menu built specifically to complement this beverage, the owners wanted the interior design of Republic Gastropub to share in the celebration of barley, malt, and hops. The architect, Elliott + Associates, realized that glass panels would be the best design strategy to evoke the bubbly golden liquid and they worked with Nathan Allan Glass Studios, Inc. to achieve the desired effect.
Located in the new Classen Curve shopping district in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Republic Gastropub makes heavy use of backlit glass panels near the booths. Clear glass orbs stand out in relief against the smooth yellow panels like bubbles rising in a pilsner glass. Barry Allan, president of Nathan Allan Glass, Inc., told the GLASS Quarterly Hot Sheet how the “beer-like” color of the flat glass was achieved. “The glass panels and Spheres for this project are clear,” says Allen. “The color is created by a lighting system behind the glass, which colors the flat panels, but because of the Spherical shape of each sphere, they remain clear.”
The Nathan Allan Spheres are part of a product line called “the Josiah J Collection“ and is offered in 7 different shapes including Sphere, Spheredrop, Trisphere, Quadrasphere, Diasphere, Pentasphere, and Hexasphere. The spheres are normally attached to one side only, but can be attached to both sides. Spheres can be attached to clear sheets of glass or cast textured sheets of glass and can be safety tempered and/or laminated.
Detail of the spheres and their bubble-like effect on the backlit glass panels. photo: scott mcdonald
Wonder how they attach those Spheres to the flat glass? According to Allan, “the attachment of the Spheres is our trade secret. There are many steps involved to create a perfectly flat surface so that the Sphere adheres properly to the glass without messy adhesives, and without moisture forming inside the Spheres.”
What’s not a secret? The use of decorative glass is on the rise in interior design for its theatrical power to transform a space. One reason for this trend is the ever-increasing variety of decorative glass products in the marketplace offering new ways to control lighting, color, and image. Interior design professionals are finding it much easier to locate decorative glass products to match their design intent.
—Patricia Linthicum
Guest blogger Patricia Linthicum writes Looking At Glass, a blog that focuses on the use of glass in interior design and architecture.