Cook & Collins serves fun, fine American fare and Studio RED designed a hip, attractive and modern space to match, successfully implementing both indoor and outdoor changes to accomplish a total transformation in style and substance
[6/19/2014 – Houston] Owner Michael Paolucci and his team at Cook & Collins create their wonderful dishes by the motto, “Make it great!” Studio RED took that sentiment to heart creating the restaurant’s new space at 2416 Brazos Street. Tasked with giving a former Mexican restaurant a new identity, Project Lead Trung Doan and Interior Designer Brittany Spann have revitalized the space into an innovative, upscale dining experience.
Modern and stylish design notes impress throughout, including exposed brick, gleaming and pristine metal surfaces and an open ceiling that creates dramatic depth. Doan’s favorite is the one-of-a-kind bar, which includes nods to iconic Houston history, authentic decorative subway tiles and an overall look inspired by a classic Americana 1950’s lunch counter.
The Cook & Collins transformation is more than surface deep: improving functionality was a crucial design goal for Paolucci. Studio RED optimized the interior layout to increase seating capacity and provide greater comfort, added bi-fold doors to create a flexible indoor/outdoor patio space, and incorporated plenty of larger group seating on the patio’s second floor. The outdoor façade is rendered in warm, rich tones that set it apart visually from adjacent buildings and attract the attention of passersby.
Paolucci’s return to Studio RED was due to a successful prior bar design. “After collaborating with Studio RED on the design of the 3rd Floor Lounge at 2303 Smith, we were excited to take on the Cook & Collins project with their assistance again. The building where C&C is located is a 4th generation restaurant space that had a very small interior and an unfriendly two-level exterior outdoor structure. Existing space is great at times, but also provides many challenges. Brittany Spann and the rest of the Studio RED team provided me with a variety of options to change the look of the space, so that when customers walk in, they would have no idea this was previously a Mexican restaurant. Mission accomplished!”
The Cook & Collins redesign was launched June 2013 and fast-tracked to debut January 2014.
About Studio RED Architects
Trung H. Doan, AIA, founding partner of Studio RED Architects, brings over 20 years of design expertise in tandem with a distinguished academic background including the award of a Fulbright Fellowship in 1999. Throughout his higher education and career, he has been consistently recognized for achievement in design and has developed a unique passion for designing complex projects with a particular emphasis on assembly and entertainment facilities.
Brittany Spann, NCIDQ, IIDA, is an interior designer with Studio RED Architects. She graduated cum laude from Baylor University, is a member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and has been certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).
Studio RED Architects is a Houston-based architectural firm with a reputation for design excellence in cultural, entertainment, commercial, and worships facilities. Project examples include performing arts centers such as the Texas Southmost College Music Education Building, worship centers such as Lakewood Church, renovation projects such as Brennan’s Restaurant, sustainable projects such as City of Houston Permitting Center (tracking LEED Gold) and Amazing Place (LEED Silver), and educational projects like University of Houston Clear Lake – Pearland Campus.
