Boston, MA Architecture, planning and interiors firm PCA, Inc. completed design for the recent renovations of the award-winning seafood restaurant, Saltie Girl in the Back Bay neighborhood. The design expresses restaurateur Kathy Sidell’s Saltie Girl brand and her lifelong love for the ocean. “Growing up on the East Coast on a sailboat with my dad gave me a deep affinity for the saltiness of the sea, and for enjoying its fresh, local seafood and cuisine,” Sidell said.
Working with Sidell and her team, PCA developed a series of design ideas to enhance the guest experience within the restaurant’s multi-room, historic brick townhouse. The spaces leverage the feel of the beloved one-room bar where Saltie Girl had its start.
“PCA’s design not only reimagines the look and feel of the restaurant, it also creates a wonderful sense of connection as guests enter and move through the space,” Sidell said. “PCA’s design recommendations and enhancements help us in delivering a memorable experience, whether it’s someone’s first time here or their 50th.”
The design upgrades, including new finishes, wall coverings, tiling, furniture, lighting, and artwork, add visual delight and subtle touches throughout. “These elements provide new and different expressions of the original concept,” said Lindsay Bach, senior interior designer with PCA. “From a contemporary and dimly lit raw bar to a pink-hued dining room with tons of natural light, guests can make choices to match the mood and occasion. You can visit Saltie Girl five times and have a completely different experience each time.”
One of the challenges the team needed to overcome to accomplish the vision was to complete the buildout within a three-week window, a schedule dictated by the need to limit a planned construction closure. “Restaurant renovations are typically shaped by a need for speed, said PCA’s Dave Snell. “For Saltie Girl, we leveraged our creativity not only for the design itself, but also for all the planning, purchasing, and sequencing required to deliver a reimagined space within a short period of time.”
The reopened Saltie Girl at 279 Dartmouth St. serves lunch and dinner seven days a week, with a weekend brunch from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.