Mt. Prospect, Ill.-based designers Aumiller Youngquist P.C. work by the motto “rethink everything.” That could explain why they blended old and true with hip and new when they created Kramer & Eugene's, a 50,000-square-foot entertainment complex in Concord, N.C.
The multi-million dollar facility houses a 200-seat restaurant, an 80-seat sports lounge and a 20-table pool hall on the first level. Upstairs there are banquet facilities, a private business club and the “Nine of Clubs,” a billiards area for members only.
The designers gave the new construction a converted warehouse look. Industrial influences include arched trusses on the first floor and tabletops of galvanized metal. Light in the dining area emanates from 16-foot steel and copper fixtures that appear to be bolted together. Chrome-colored checkerplate (imagine factory stairs) are used on wainscots, while the billiards room features a masculine palette of hunter, burgundy, plaids and leather.
Client Design Team: Kramer & Eugene's, Concord, N.C. — Kenneth Arbogast, owner; Robert Griggs, owner; Peter Grills, vice president of operations
DESIGN: Aumiller Youngquist P.C., Mt. Prospect, Ill. — David Kasprak, principal-in-charge; Laura Stoops, project manager General Contractor: Choate Construction, Charlotte, N.C.
Suppliers: USG Corp.., Chicago, and Armstrong World Industries Inc., Lancaster Pa. (ceilings); Robert Allen, Mansfield, Mass., and Paul Brayton, High Point, N.C. (fabrics); Formica Corp., Cincinnati (fixture laminates); Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, Dalton, Ga., The Harbinger Co., Atlanta, and PermaGrain., Newtown Square, Pa. (flooring); Falcon Products Inc., St. Louis, and Brummitt Woodworking, Manchester, Mass. (furniture); Tech Lighting LLC, Chicago, GTF Lighting, Elmwood Park, Ill., and Kichler Lighting, Cleveland (lighting); Innovations in Wallcoverings, New York City, Architex/Liz Jordan-Hill, Northbrook, Ill., and Maharam, Hauppauge, N.Y. (wallcoverings)
Photography: Mark Ballogg, Steinkamp/Ballogg Photography