Award-winning Chef’s Restaurant Set in the Heart of Glass Domes

The architecture and design marry traditional Italian cuisine with a contemporary glass and steel structure. The design team drew inspiration from the unique geometry of the building, as well as bright, airy environments of modern art museums and galleries. Enclosed within the spherical envelope, the area housing the restaurant proved an incredible – and inspiring – challenge, as much of the architecture is dictated by curves. Curved leather banquettes and booths hug the glass perimeter. Curved walls clad in painted wood pickets, inspired by the knurling on the sides of coins, define the dining room, and curved bars with Italian marble countertops fill the space.

Italian food and culture influence the material palette – a Margherita pizza or the Italian flag translates into softer pastel hues of white marble, pink tile, and mint and forest greens. White oak chairs, table tops, and bar stools provide a warmth that pair with brass accents and hardware. Custom curved liquor racks are fabricated out of solid brass, as is a custom brass sink and mirror in a uniquely located restroom at the edge of the building’s curved glass facade. The pink Moroccan tiles are a custom color from Ann Sacks. Original artwork by Ellen Lesperance is illuminated by brass light fixtures.

Jeremy Price of Price Erickson explains that “We made craft the main ingredient of the restaurant build-out,” which was complicated to construct due to the curved nature of the building and the sophisticated mechanical system above and below the restaurant, which runs The Spheres complex and keeps the plants alive. The faceted glass spherical building did not provide a lot of room to maneuver or load in large gas-fired pizza ovens. “It was like building a ship in a bottle,” says Mike Mora, principal at Heliotrope Architects.

The resulting architecture and interior design evoke classical themes written in a contemporary language. Timeless materials of marble, tile, and brass form organic curving counter tops rounded walls, and radiused shelves. At Willmott’s Ghost, the food and architecture meet in a space that honors the culinary traditions of Italy yet reflects the modern structure in which it sits.