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  • BellyQ Located in Chicago’s West Loop, Belly Q adds a unique flavor to the existing ‘Randolph St. Restaurant Row’. Chef Bill Kim, known for his widely acclaimed Urban Belly and Belly Shack venture, has teamed up with Michael Jordan and the Cornerstone Group to present a new look at Asian Barbeque.

    DMAC Architecture worked with Cornerstone and Kim’s creative team to maximize the restaurants experience through a variety of design elements. Among the restaurant’s many features are a full bar, grab-and-go area, built-in hibachi grille tables, a large flexible dining space, bar lounge seating and a separate private area which includes a karaoke room. Subtly nestled along the Randolph St. corridor, the building’s new glass storefront & setback entry pocket is able to connect with its context while allowing passersby to interact with the various restaurant activities happening inside. The relatively open restaurant and bar arrangement is designed to maximize opportunity and experience. The addition of the karaoke room and DJ booth add to the playful nature of the restaurant which makes it so unique.

    The furniture and finishes were keenly scaled back without sacrificing taste. Characteristics of the existing building are highlighted with a natural yet energetic material palette that embraces the building’s pickle factory origins. The central dining spaces offer a mixture of hot-rolled steel, brick, and concrete surfaces encompassing a large traditional open dining seating area and a row of 6 hibachi grille tables positioned along an arrangement of reclaimed wood booth screens giving patrons a variety of intimate and communal dining options. The dining space itself also has the flexibility of being subdivided for private or special events by 4 large movable wall screens whose dynamic graphics serve as a very lively backdrop. Another level of energy is introduced at the front bar with a large communal table and wing-back lounge chair seating areas situated below a number of industrial conveyor chandeliers. To reinforce the industrial quality of the space, the bar is comprised of a mixture of concrete, wood tiles & frosted wire glass serving as both a point of interaction and a divider between bar lounge & dining space.

    Belly Q blends a unique and straightforward palette through its aesthetic and menu. Distinguished food is mixed with the true industrial grit of what makes the West Loop and Randolph St. the place to be.
        2012 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Anthony Cristiano Salon Located on the mezzanine level of the Trump Tower, Anthony Cristiano Salon evokes a one of a kind salon experience. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame remarkable views of the Chicago River while the crisp monochromatic interior embodies the nature of what it means to be a salon.

    DMAC Architecture worked with the Cristiano team to develop the 3,400 square foot salon into an ideal space for the client and stylist. Frameless mirrors are strategically placed creating the illusion of an endless environment, while views out to the Chicago River pull the experience back into reality. The 24 stations are divided up evenly between cutting and coloring. The monochromatic palette was intentionally pushed to designate the functional difference between a cut, white leather chair, and a coloring, black leather chair.

    The comforts of home are combined with cleanliness and views that only the Trump Tower Chicago can offer. A heavy consideration to detail yet minimalistic approach to design allowed DMAC and the Anthony Cristiano Salon to put hair styling as the priority of this space.         2012 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Untitled 111 Located in Chicago's River North neighborhood, 'Untitled' is a restaurant and lounge evoking a timeless experience. The speakeasy concept allows patrons 'in the know 'to pass through oversized and unmarked doors only to encounter a fork in the road. A ground level storefront may appear to be the object of destination, however the lights, sounds, and aromas directed from the downward staircase act as a guide to entertainment.

    Artfully placed operable doors allow for a variety of experiences depending on the evenings function. DMAC worked with the more than 18,000 square feet to generate maximum flexibility in the design. Whether you are looking for a quiet dinner or to be the centerpiece of the event, Untitled offers a dynamic range of spatial settings with the ability to act as one large venue or several small intimate rooms.


    Furthering the experience DMAC used a tasteful tradition of restored furniture and finishes that contrasts with leading edge audio/video equipment. Much like the operable nature of the surrounding environment, tv and projection screens are concealed within oversized mirrors allowing the space to commit to a true prohibition experience or open to the needs of a contemporary venue.         2012 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Canopy A buffet-style alternative that is like an outdoor pavilion in a forest, The Canopy beckons with its exterior wall of floor-to-ceiling, hand-cut wood ribs that undulate like rippling water. At both the principal and VIP entrances, guests are greeted by dense vertical hedges of live plants sustained by internal irrigation that depends on saturated coconut shells. The woodland fantasy, which relates with the Casino’s actual forest preserve neighbor, continues inside with natural skylights, a “window” that reveals yellow birch trees, and a DMAC-designed carpet that evokes the filtered, varied light on a forest floor. The natural palette of green, yellow and brown and the use of marble, limestone and a variety of reclaimed woods combine as an idealized natural environment that is a perfect place to recharge. Late-night, the three cash register stations are lit from both above and below and seem to stand as sentinels on the threshold between the gaming area and the “forbidden landscape” beyond.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Kavitha Marudadu, Siamak Mostoufi and Aaron Beyers [Project Architects]
    Jeremy Nye, Difei Yao and Michael Sikler [Project Team]

    Project Scope: 8,850 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Hugo's Frog Bar The finest in-house establishment and a destination in itself, Hugo’s departs from its downtown sister through DMAC’s clarification and modernization of the design, featuring a façade of dark wood blocks with openings that offer vignette views of the interior. Echoed by a unique patterning of wood frames installed along the back wall and in the custom-built wine lockers for high rollers, the rectilinear forms find their counterpoint in circular-patterned black and white floor tiling and the whiskey barrel-ringed ceiling. As a focal point, the private dining room features a mural-scale image of an underwater ship with a patina surface. The totality is a warm and familiar but more sensuous environment in which to feast and repose.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Aaron Beyers and Siamak Mostoufi [Project Architects]
    Jeremy Nye, Difei Yao, Kavitha Marudadu, and Michael Sikler [Project Team]

    Project Scope: 5,150 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Roka Akor Inspired by the flavors, textures and fresh ingredients of Roka’s sushi and steak menu, DMAC’s design echoes the integrity and pleasure of well-prepared food. With natural and reclaimed materials and an emphasis on creativity and craft, DMAC’s interior for Roka is warm and sincere yet highly evocative.

    The piece de resistance is in the main dining room: a sculpture composed of repurposed nails that DMAC commissioned as a large-scale pavilion over the open robata grill. Discovered in old barrels, the hand-cut nails had originally been part of a 100+ year old water tower in Iowa and are now welded together in an elegant Modernist cross-hatching. The sculpture is fitted over the robata grill hood, which illuminates the room with warm soft colors, adding a contemporary layer to the rustic material.

    The bathrooms were conceptualized as walking into an idealized forest in which a rectangular volume of space was carved out of mesquite wood poles. Light filters down from the suspended stumps above and the black lacquered walls offer soft reflections allowing the space to visually transcend itself.

    DMAC’s artful and generous use of metal, wood and stone contribute to a choreographed space in which guests are benevolently led to discover new sensory experiences throughout the designed environment: a veritable feast for the eyes.


    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Siamak Mostoufi and Jeremy Nye [Project Architects]

    Project Scope: 6,300 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Cube Beyond the restaurants, DMAC also unveils Cube, the nightclub that alternates from a sports bar experience to a full-fledged performance venue. Passing through ingeniously designed heavy dark wood doors that function as interlocking “steps” and reveal a rhythmic geometric pattern when closed, guests enter the sports bar replete with retractable monitors above a grand rectangular bar of hand-sculpted pine and mesquite wood blocks. Descending a half-flight to a dance floor, a shift in tone and function is palpable through the complex lighting system, acoustic web and additional sensuous textures and materials, including velvety gray drapes, chains as curtains, and even a backlit wall created from inverted baby bottle nipples that is surprisingly abstract and sophisticated. The stage as focal point, which is scaled and equipped for A-list performers, draws guests to the dance floor, which reflects the light effects and images cast from the ceiling. Just beyond stage left, an outdoor terrace offers the vibe of a boutique hotel rooftop, complete with a twelve-foot fireplace. With the attention to technical capabilities and a sleek, sexy design vocabulary, DMAC’s Cube is sure to become a hot spot for guests from within the Casino and beyond.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Aaron Beyers and Siamak Mostoufi [Project Architect]
    Jeremy Nye, Difei Yao, Kavitha Marudadu, and Michael Sikler [Project Team]

    Project Scope: 6,950 SF (5,050 SF inside + 1,900 SF outside)         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Lamborghini Gold Coast The Lamborghini Gold Coast Showroom is located in the heart of the famous Gold Coast - one of the most exclusive shopping and fine dining areas in Chicago on Chicago's historic Rush Street. Dwayne MacEwen the design principal at DMAC Architecture PC envisioned the space to compliment the beautiful precision automobiles it houses. The design is minimal and wonderfully detailed. It takes it's cues from modern museums and respects the line of the automobiles.

    DMAC Architecture PC has crafted many high end commercial projects and Lamborghini Gold Coast further enforces the firms dedication to detailing, craft and fabrication.

    Team : Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Greg Denisiuk [Project Architect]

    Project Scope : 3,200 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Flipt A burger is not just a burger under the flashing lights of the large “GOOD EATS” sign, visible at all times, that welcomes guests into the retro-with-a-twist, red and white interior of Flipt. With the contemporary red bands of light embedded in the ceiling and the creative use of aluminum cylinders that encircle the structural columns, all guests and especially those who garner the cozy “box seat” near the rear of the restaurant will certainly travel back to the future in this fresh take on a classic burger joint.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Jeremy Nye, Siamak Mostoufi and Aaron Beyers [Project Architect]
    Difei Yao, Kavitha Marudadu and Michael Sikler [Project Team]

    Project Scope: 2,250 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Coffee Spot The Coffee Spot is a bright place to revive with zebrawood, quartzite and sparkling terrazzo finishes backgrounded with stainless-steel tiles that surprisingly resemble coffee beans. The ceiling is even special with its undulating wood slats, visible at all times from the areas of play.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Jeremy Nye, Siamak Mostoufi and Aaron Beyers [Project Architect]
    Difei Yao, Kavitha Marudadu and Michael Sikler [Project Team]

    Project Scope: 1,375 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
  • Verma Residence This new 8,500 square feet, 2 story single family residence with full basement, sits on a double lot in the very dense urban neighborhood of Bucktown.

    The design is characterized by interlocking masses clad in Fiber C panels that floats over the first floor clad in wood and stone. The front end of the building is disengaged from the rear end by a central courtyard terrace that seamlessly connects the outdoors and the indoors. The house is separated from the 3 car garage at the rear end by a spa pool. The garage roof has a trellised roof terrace that looks down into the spa pool, with a waterwall cascading water from the garage roof to the spa pool.

    Terraced landscapes maintain a progressive continuity from the front yard all the way to the rear garage terrace, strategically placed windows and glazing provides visual continuity from the front yard through the central courtyard all the way to the rear pool.

    The interior spaces maintain fluidity throughout the first floor. A cantilevered stair with two story high glazing panel provides a transparent connectivity. Exterior finishes flow into the interior spaces, merging the line between the exterior and interior. The private section of the house is located at the second floor, with a long library/ gallery connecting the kids bedrooms to the master bedroom, while overlooking the central courtyard.


    Project Team : Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Kavitha Marudadu [Project Architect]

    Project Scope : Private Residence; 8,500 SF         2011 Architecture
  • Midtown Athletic Club - Bannockburn This modest 5,000 square feet addition to the existing 2 story fitness accessory facility at the Midtown Tennis club in Bannockburn provides a much needed relief to the programmatic requirements of a large open fitness studio , Yoga and Pilates studio.

    The design of the addition, while striving to seamlessly integrate with the existing structure, also portrays a modern exterior with large glazing panels, exterior sun shading devices, integrated LED lighting on the exterior. A metal clad sill along the east façade provides a transition between the old and the new. An exterior galvanized steel staircase with metal mesh screen terminates the new addition at the south end, while acting as a secondary entrance to the fitness studios from the outdoor pool deck.

    The remodeling of the existing indoor pool at the Midtown Tennis Club in Bannockburn seeks to revitalize the existing dark and cramped pool deck, while also providing a new Family Changing room and locker facility adjacent to the Indoor pool. Integrated LED lighting at the existing coves, along with new lighting around the pool soffit perimeter lightens up the pool deck, while creating a sense of openness. The finishes include tiled columns, Mesquite wood cladding at the end walls, along with a white mosaic tiled water wall behind the whirlpool that accentuates the fluidity of the space.

    Project Team: Dwayne MacEwen [Principal Architect]
    Kavitha Marudadu and Jeremy Nye [Project Architect]

    Project Scope: 11,500 SF         2011 Architecture, Interior Design
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