Lucky Fins is located in downtown Boise directly on The Grove, a pedestrian plaza serving hotel, convention, sports and dining venues. The project includes a 3,000 sf remodel and 600 sf addition to a former restaurant, plus an expanded patio for multi-season enjoyment.
The owners wanted a restaurant with broad appeal for families looking for great food and adults looking for a lively bar environment. This required a design that flows from entry to bar to sit-down spaces with continuity, yet differentiation. Subtle variations in elevation, the bar itself and a dramatic wine display create different spaces in the restaurant.
Booths along the interior walls of the bar are step up from the main level giving patrons longer views within the bar. The bar space includes the serving bar and a long, narrow, blue-tinted concrete bar-height table that necessitates sharing. At the end of the bar space, a transparent water wall, flanked by neon-lit wine displays, separates the bar from dining area. The sound system is carefully zoned between bar and dining to maintain energy, but not overwhelm the dining room.
Natural tones of wood, stone and exposed brick combined with blue and green accents and high ceilings that are light and fresh. Where the bar seating is compact, the patio and dining room are more roomy. Two roll-up garage doors built almost entirely of windows, one each between the bar and patio and dining room and patio, open up during fine weather to fuse inside and outside environments. To extend the patio season tensile-strength shade devices help cool the patio during Boise’s hot summers, and fire tables supplemented by heat lamps warm during cool seasons.
