Supperland
When husband and wife restaurateur team Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown walked into the vacant 1946-built church hall in Plaza Midwood that would become Supperland, they knew immediately they could create a one-of-a-kind dining experience in Charlotte. “Everyone inquires about the wall treatments in Supperland, and I love answering that ‘those are just the untouched walls,’” says Brown. Avid DIYers, the couple designed every inch of the space themselves, building tables in their garage, sourcing 120-year-old pews from an old church in Colorado, and leaving as much character as possible.
“Our vision was clear when we walked in. A church potluck where the community could gather and eat soul-comforting food, but with a lingering awe-inspired feel of a cathedral,” says Brown. Placing the kitchen on a raised plane was intentional, as if to glorify the wood-fired food and family-style service, and chandeliers were kept shallow so as not to impede the visual worship.
The warmth is palpable in Supperland, and every bit of it radiates from the nostalgic, feminine design and the sophisticated southern food that graces the dining tables.
Salted Melon
When Thomas Coker of Reid’s Fine Foods approached designers Barrie Benson and Avery Castellow about designing the interiors of a new restaurant and storefront concept, the duo jumped at the opportunity. The project would be a spinoff of Reid’s, and Benson had designed the interiors of both the SouthPark and the Uptown locations. “Thomas wanted it to be a younger, hipper sister to Reid’s,” says Castellow. “He wanted it to be fresh and vibrant—a casual space to grab groceries and breakfast but elevated enough for fun cocktails at night.”
Castellow and Benson collaborated with The Plaid Penguin and decided on a bold palette of coordinating blues along with orangey-coral color-blocked hues that drove the rest of the space’s design. “There’s a wave motif that runs throughout, a nod to the shape of a melon,” says Benson, noting that the same design detail was incorporated into the restaurant’s custom wallpaper and other architectural details. Those bold design moves coupled with artwork the designers sourced from emerging artists at SCAD and others around the country resulted in a warm, cozy, and uber-hip space.