Interior Architecture Students Reimagine Restaurant Design
Last summer, Interior Architecture students arrived in Birmingham for a workshop amidst their summer thesis.
By immersing themselves in the hustle and bustle of an urban setting, they were able to draw inspiration from the city’s rich culture, diverse restaurant scene and historic architecture to shape their design projects. They explored how context and community influence restaurant design, and through hands-on research and collaboration at the Urban Studio, their projects transformed historic buildings into thoughtfully crafted dining experiences.
“Visiting thesis students returning to show their final projects at Urban Studio is an important part of the collaborative experience we designed into the Auburn in Birmingham building,” Urban Studio Director Alex Krumdieck ’86 explained. “Having projects come full circle from research to display, especially to the local architects who volunteered their time last summer, is a great way to bring students, their work and the Birmingham architecture community together to celebrate our students.”
The summer thesis studio attempted to replace vague notions of “atmosphere” with precision in a restaurant setting. The students needed to design an immersive, multi-sensory experience while trying to understand what a guest expects in a dining experience. Like hosting a good party, a dining room works best when this scene is calculated but inconspicuous.
Some projects relate directly to the location—the Historic 4th Avenue Business District, an important location for both Black businesses and as a hub for the 20th century Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by the location, the students designed interior architecture projects that are designed to bring people together. From a jazz club, a raucous community hub for the LGBTQ+ community and a project dedicated to social and environmental sustainability, to a giant communal table, a chapel-like dining room and a serene tea house, these projects demonstrated a depth of research and styles to bring energy to a currently unused space.
Light, Perception and Spatial Manipulation
Leaking Edges by George Bravo explores how recessed lighting, reflective surfaces and continuous forms create the illusion of uncontained space.
Leaking Edges explores the illusion of uncontained space by manipulating light, surfaces and reflection to challenge perceptions of boundaries. Recessed lighting between walls, floors and ceilings creates a floating effect, while a continuous half-round wooden ceiling seamlessly connects indoor and outdoor dining areas. Strategically placed mirrors enhance the sense of infinite depth, making the space feel expansive, immersive and full of discovery.
“The site was tricky,” Bravo explained. “It had narrow constraints and I wanted to see if how I could use interior treatments to make the space feel like it was stretching itself.”
Mirage by Michelle Davis manipulates form, perspective and materiality to alter depth perception and guide visitors through an immersive spatial experience.
Mirage explores the power of design to manipulate spatial perception, blurring the boundaries between zones. Reflective surfaces, textured gradients and angled planes create an illusion of depth, encouraging visitors to navigate the space with curiosity. By obscuring direct sightlines and revealing spaces gradually, the design fosters an immersive, ever-changing experience that transforms the act of dining into an engaging journey.
ABOVE|BELOW by Kristine Fernandez shapes mood and social interaction within a layered dining environment through light and materiality.
ABOVE|BELOW uses expanded anodized aluminum shingles, which blur the boundaries between walls, ceilings and shelving, while controlled lighting gaps create intimate, moderate and lively atmospheres. While the first floor embraces a dim, grounded ambiance, the upstairs dining area transforms with skylights and reflective aluminum, making the ceiling seemingly disappear into an ethereal glow.
Depth of Color by Tri Nguyen integrates vibrant reflective surfaces, colored lighting and murals to create a dynamic, uplifting atmosphere that changes with movement and perception.
Depth of Color explores the emotional impact of color, light and reflection to create a dynamic and uplifting dining experience in Birmingham’s 4th Avenue Historic Business District. Organized in a sequence that gradually enhances mood, the design features vibrant aluminum panels, reflective surfaces and shifting hues that engage visitors in an immersive interplay of color and light. With murals honoring AG Gaston and the 1963 March on Washington, the space serves as both a joyful celebration and a poignant reminder of the Black community’s resilience, blending discovery, history and architectural artistry.
Mirrored Intimacy by Sean Dolan uses reflective surfaces, layered lighting and spatial progression to create an evolving dining experience where transparency and depth subtly shift to enhance intimacy and perception.
Mirrored Intimacy crafts a dining experience through sequential spatial progression, using glass, mirrors and lighting to create a sense of compression and increasing privacy. The journey culminates at the glowing bar, where rich red materials and bright lighting contrast with the restaurant’s muted palette, drawing attention to the theatrical display of bartenders and chefs. Extending this concept outdoors, layered screens and reflective surfaces blur the boundary between interior and exterior, reinforcing the illusion of continuous spatial depth.
ArchitectureWorks Partner Roger Mainor, AIA LEED AP ’09 attended the exhibition opening.
“We were able to meet many of these students at the recent career fair on campus, so I was able to preview some of this work through those discussions,” Mainor recalled. “There is such good work in our backyard. Having Auburn in Birmingham is great for our city and it speaks to our local design culture. I’d like to see more of these student projects being exhibited in this beautiful space.”
Performance, Interaction and Social Engagement
Confession Session by Jackson Reece transforms a cocktail lounge into a theatrical experience, where patrons become both performers and audience members through hidden lighting and dynamic spatial shifts.
Confession Session, designed with hidden lighting, reflective surfaces and dramatic materiality, shifts from an open, stage-like front to an intimate, speakeasy-inspired back zone, creating a layered journey of discovery. With bartenders delivering drinks tableside and appearing like the Cheshire Cat from concealed corridors, every element of the design reinforces the theme of performance, mystery and spectacle.
Performance and the Dining Experience by Kate Powers blends restaurant design with jazz history, using dramatic lighting and spatial contrasts to immerse guests in the rhythm of live music.
Performance and the Dining Experience honors Birmingham’s jazz legacy by blending restaurant design with the energy of live performance. Modeled after the historic Tuxedo Junction, the space layers intimate dining on the main floor with a vibrant jazz club above, where lighting, materials and spatial contrasts evoke the rhythm of jazz itself. From a record wall and listening bar downstairs to a glowing stage upstairs, the design immerses guests in both the sound and spectacle of the music, revealing new details with each experience—just like jazz improvisation.
The Savoy by Emily Swartzer blurs traditional visual hierarchies, allowing materiality and spatial design to create a nightlife environment that prioritizes social interaction.
The Savoy revives the energy of Birmingham’s 4th Avenue Historic Business District by creating an immersive nightlife experience where architecture fades into the background, allowing social interaction to take center stage. Through a blurring of visual hierarchy, the space uses small-scale tiles, patterned fabrics and reflective surfaces to create a seamless, enveloping environment where materials are distinguished by touch rather than sight. Varied spatial and acoustical qualities across different zones, including an upstairs area that shifts focus to sculptural elements, ensure a dynamic and ever-evolving experience for patrons.
Queer Space by Isaac Haynes reclaims the assembly hall as a stage for queer culture, using lighting, movement and hidden spatial sequences to foster expression and play.
Queer Space envisions a vibrant, dynamic venue in Birmingham’s historic 4th Avenue North, reclaiming the assembly hall typology as a site for queer gathering, expression and play. Inspired by the evolution of underground queer spaces, the design embraces intimacy, mood and flamboyance, shifting from a listening bar and restaurant into a lively nightlife venue where tables disappear and dance takes center stage. With a discrete, speakeasy-like entry, reflective surfaces and a rich auditory atmosphere, the space fosters both connection and liberation, offering a place to celebrate identity under dim, colorful light.
Cheryl Morgan, FAIA, Emerita Professor and Director of Urban Studio, commented on the exhibition: “The work of this Interior Architecture cohort confirmed what I most love about exploring design in the pedagogy of the studio: the same site, the same design challenge and 16 different concepts and proposed solutions! It’s a great way to see that there is no singular ‘right answer’ to a design project.”
Dean Finley and Professor Pindyck
Student work at ARIA reception
Urban Studio alum Kayla Bailey and Alex Hamady reviewing ARIA student work
Projects being reviewed at ARIA reception
Professor Kevin Moore introducing the ARIA student work
Cultural Heritage, Community and Storytelling
A Seat at the Table by Caroline Hurry honors the role of shared meals in the Civil Rights Movement, using spatial design to extend the table’s unifying power across cultures.
A Seat at the Table reimagines the dining table as a powerful symbol of fellowship and reconciliation within the Birmingham Civil Rights District. Rooted in the historical role of shared meals in the Civil Rights Movement, the design celebrates the act of gathering as a unifying force across cultures. By amplifying this communal experience, the restaurant fosters connection, dialogue and inclusivity through both its spatial design and social intent.
The Kitchen of the People by Sophie Howard celebrates Black environmental stewardship through reclaimed materials and sustainable design, creating an inclusive space for community gathering.
The Kitchen of the People reimagines the restaurant as a space that honors the environmental stewardship of Black Americans through sustainable design. Using reclaimed, repurposed and recycled materials, the project creates an accessible and inclusive environment that fosters community and social equity. By integrating sustainable infrastructure, the design demonstrates how architecture can be both regenerative and deeply connected to cultural heritage.
Under the Canopy by Hunter Grace Niswender draws from Birmingham’s African-American history and park landscapes to merge indoor and outdoor dining with a sense of movement and discovery.
Under the Canopy seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor experiences, drawing inspiration from Birmingham’s historic African-American business district and nearby parks to create a communal dining space rooted in connection. With adaptable modular seating, flowing spatial forms and a dynamic lighting strategy that mimics natural transitions, the design fosters both versatility and engagement. A sculptural ceiling, reflective glass elements and a “squeeze and release” layout lead guests into a thoughtfully integrated backyard space, where fixed seating encourages interaction and a deeper connection to the surrounding environment.
Urban Tranquility by William Tang applies Asian principles to create a calming retreat within a historic district, blending natural materials and spatial sequences to promote serenity.
Urban Tranquility creates a serene retreat in a historic district, blending contemporary design with the Wabi Sabi philosophy. Divided into three distinct zones, the space transitions from a bright, open entry to a dimly lit bar and an intimate dining area with traditional Horigotatsu seating, all flowing into a peaceful courtyard. Natural lighting, textured fabrics and a restrained material palette enhance the calming atmosphere, offering guests a quiet escape from the bustling city.
Modular, Adaptive and Experiential Design
Elysian Delights by Shengcheng Fu crafts a dynamic dining environment with distinct zones that adapt to different dining experiences while maintaining a cohesive spatial flow.
Elysian Delights crafts a dynamic dining experience by blending natural limestone, strategic lighting and thoughtfully designed spatial zones. From vibrant bar seating by the windows to immersive bench areas and an intimate private dining space, each section caters to different dining preferences while maintaining a cohesive atmosphere. A central kitchen layout ensures harmony between lively communal areas and quieter, focused dining, enhancing both the ambiance and the culinary experience.
Social Flow by Olivia Smith organizes a café into a gradient of social interactions, where adaptable lighting and spatial divisions create seamless shifts between intimate and communal moments.
Social Flow explores how interior architecture can facilitate different types of social interaction within a single café space. Using a gradient-based design, the project creates distinct yet connected zones that support everything from intimate gatherings to large community events. Through undulating spatial divisions and adaptable lighting, the design seamlessly shifts to match the social needs of its occupants.
Abstracted Domesticity by Aynsley Norris reimagines domestic elements within public architecture, capturing movement, tradition and socialization to foster shared, empowering spaces.
Abstracted Domesticity challenges the ways modern design strips agency from individuals by rethinking the role of domestic elements in all spaces. By re-imagining movement, socialization and traditional home practices, the project explores how architecture can create shared environments that foster connection rather than isolation. Through abstraction, it highlights overlooked domestic values, transforming them into powerful design elements that shape how we experience space.
Related Articles:
Interior Architecture Students Go ‘Inside Birmingham’ at Urban Studio
See more in:
Faculty Collaboration, Faculty Recognition, Student Experience, Student Work, Urban Studio
Related people:
Alex Krumdieck, Jennifer Cloe, Kevin Moore, Jennifer Pindyck