La Condesa / Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

The design of La Condesa is the unique collaboration of local designers, artists, and artisans to create a space inspired by the contemporary architecture of Mexico with a composition of contrasting textures, colors and levels of finish and craft.

More on La Condesa after the break.

Architect: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Location: 400A West 2nd Street, Austin, TX, USA
Project Team: Michael Hsu, Kevin Stewart, Maija Kreishman, Micah Land
Contributing Decorator: One Eleven Design
Landscape Design: D-Crain
Mural Design: Sodalitas Art Group
Project Area: 4,400 sqf
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Paul Bardagjy

A cast-in-place concrete stair rises within the center of the restaurant to Malverde, a separate bar above. A vibrant collage of colorful Mexican billboard pieces anchors the dining space and provides a backdrop for the cascading light fixture made from off-the-shelf parts.

Industrial materials, such as split concrete masonry block and raw steel, contrast with the warmth of wood and fabric to create a space that is rugged but finished, comfortable and engaging. Downstairs, is the historic beer vault, a remnant of an old general store on the site from the 1870’s, restored and repurposed as unique storage for the restaurant.