Gacek Design Group - A Taste of Napa Valley
Experiential Design. In the digital age of virtual connections, it is vital to engage consumers emotionally with a genuine connection. Gacek Design Group, leading and award-winning interior design firm, centers their design philosophy around this concept. They call it Experiential Design – an exclusive strategy to deliver an interior design that highlights the following key components:
-Provides an experience that tells a story and has impact;
-Creates a welcoming environment based on research;
-Addresses how consumers want to live in a space; and
-Delivers rooms with function and adaptability based on lifestyle.
Experiential Design is best illustrated with the interior design Gacek Design Group developed at Main & Vine, an American bistro located on the Main Line in Pennsylvania.
The History of Napa Valley. The first phase of conceptualizing a design begins with research. For Northern California, prohibition in the 1920s, as well as the insect infestation that killed vines through the valley, caused many wineries to shut down. This was the start of Robert Mondavi’s fame who broke away from his family’s Charles Krug estate to start his own winery. As the region’s wine reputation began to grow and expand to women in the 1960s, (who considered white wine the new drink of choice), Mondavi Winery attracted these new wine aficionados with the larger liter wine bottle for an image of affordable quality. Although Mondavi began to intrigue the industry, it wasn’t until 1976, when a bottle of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from Calistoga triumphed over nine Parisian Chardonnays in a blind taste test. This changed the international perception of Northern California’s wines and the region as prestigious.
As one of the world’s premier viticultural areas, many elements of Napa Valley attracted and influenced the design at Main & Vine. Its walkable towns; its land of grand estates, expansive tasting rooms, and quaint wineries. The natural environment, rolling green hills, and earthy color tones influenced the Main & Vine color palette. Experiential interiors from lavish resorts, charming bed and breakfasts and modern hotels offer classic and modern furniture designs and layouts. Its authenticity with exceptional gourmet dining where famous chefs work alongside farmers who tend the land for the best organics. Its perfect climate with rich soil and topography to harvest wine. The changing of the seasons motivate the use of natural elements to the interior design specifically the artwork, (In Spring: the emerging grape leaves turn hillsides brilliant green, plumed with golden swaths of mustard blossoms; In Summer: the earth warms up with colorful events and festivals; In Fall: vineyards bustle with workers; In Winter: the environment settles into a cool hush).
Welcome to Main & Vine: This California-inspired bistro offers a Napa-style casual and refined aesthetic, while highlighting locally sourced, clean eating in combination with the charm and convenience of the Main Line. The open floor plan comfortably seats 150+ guests and is zoned for casual, formal, or business settings.
The Interior Design. The design style is Classic and Modern. The restaurant promotes a tasting experience that is locally sourced and centered on clean eating. Clean, fresh and approachable cuisine. The design compliments that feeling by interpreting the following Napa Valley elements:
-Comfort - Easy Luxury, High quality and not off putting
-Luxury – 4-star hotel worthy, breathtaking lush views
-Classic - Modern amenities with quaint cottages, antiques
-Idyllic - Green space, pastoral location, serene hillsides
-Spacious – Open vistas, acreage for a sense of privacy.
A sophisticated style that is comfortable, authentic, and original. With a neutral color palette of gray, white, and charcoal, Main & Vine reflects clean lines in a refined way. Warm woods and concrete flooring surround the space and envelope seating shown in natural textures of linen, leather, and soft denim. Additional chairs wrapped in natural sisal warm the space. White marbled quartz tops, ebony and brushed bronze metals, and accents of collegiate blue welcome you in. Oversized original art shows off close up photography of herbs and spices that connect nature to the inside, with an experiential wall in the back highlighting a warm natural scenic field. Charcoal colored ceilings reflect exposed mechanicals in a refined way and dropped soffits are curved to define and soften areas. Lighting is geometric and placed at varying heights to create focal points.
The Front Bar section offers elevated comfort with stone quartz tops and leather/linen wrapped seating; The Main Bar section showcases a unique wine experience – a vault of glass custom made and designed to easily select a varietal of choice. An experiential herb garden sits on the bar to decorate specialty cocktails in an organic way. The Main Dining section consists of table seating and luxury banquettes, giving you a sense of comfort via natural elements; the Private Dining section can be closed behind doors for a private meal or conference. A handmade harvest table; experiential wall in a woven pattern; and oversized drum pendants contribute to the experience; and finally, at the Pizza Bar section, a casual meal at the live edge bar is a fun way to entertain family and friends while watching the chef cook behind glass. Each section of Main & Vine offers an experience that is clean, fresh, and approachable...including the cuisine.