Located on Printer’s row in downtown Chicago, the Custom House Tavern is the third venue I designed for Chef Shawn McClain. The dining room pays homage to the history of the neighborhood, known after the Great Chicago Fire as the Custom House Levee district.
The floor-to-ceiling windows lining the restaurant’s three sides provide imposing views of the surrounding vintage buildings. I intended to replicate the feel of a 1950s private club with a design incorporating millwork in rich macassar ebony, a 23 foot long limestone ledge wall and a suspended see-though wine wall above the bar ( between the lounge and dining room). In the center of the dining room I placed plush suede banquette sections on an elevated platform to evoke the luxury and glamour of a Pullman dining car.