Design Dish: Palmilla Cocina y Tequila
Author:Abigail StoneGulla Jónsdóttir brings her interpretation of Mexico’s luxurious coastal landscapes to Newport Beach
Pulling Gulla Jónsdóttir into a hospitality project assures that it will be a compelling orchestration of art and design. The award-winning Icelandic architect and designer is known for sensual and dynamic forms that work in harmony with their surroundings. Her environmental compassion brings unique spatial experiences that respond to nature and the surrounding site, always echoing the integration of organic beauty and function. Just witness the LaPeer Hotel in West Hollywood, which raised the bar for elegance on the western stretch of Melrose, setting the stage for the area’s subsequent renaissance.
Her latest project, Palmilla Cocina y Tequila—which opens this week—presents the dynamic, coastal cuisine of Mexico against a stunning backdrop that imports Jónsdóttir’s impressions of Cabo San Lucas and Tulum to the Newport Beach Peninsula. The sophisticated, yet inviting dining rooms utilize imported, custom-made furniture and decor to transports guests to these legendary landscapes, celebrating the elegance of our South-of-the-border neighbor and its singular mosaic of ancient, modern and European influences. “It’s my third project with these clients,” says Jónsdóttir, who also worked with father and son team Greg and Ron Newman on Esperanza Cocina de la Playa in Manhattan Beach and the flagship location of Palmilla in Hermosa Beach.
A brightly lit outline of the Baja Peninsula illuminates the free-standing white plaster building, located just steps from the water. “I remember going into all these fabulous homes in Cabo overlooking the ocean, so I designed it like a villa really,” Jónsdóttir gestures. “So you have a foyer with a tree and a little bit of a terrace, you have a bar, you have a kitchen, you have a dining room and a living room and it’s all surrounded by this trellis the surrounds the terrace so you have this sense of privacy but it’s still open to the environment.”
The asymmetrical arch motif that carries through the restaurant—from that trellis to the entry to the back of the bar area—was inspired by the rocky formation known as ‘El Arco’ where he Sea of Cortes and the Pacific Ocean. “It’s like a cliff, with this shaped arch inside of it and the two bodies of water splash each other inside of it,” Jónsdóttir laughs. “It’s quite dramatic!”
Cabo’s engaging colors also inspired the soft terrracotta Jónsdóttir used throughout the restaurant. “We used this beautiful, soft light terracotta plaster which reflects the sun in a warm way that isn’t harsh on your eyes,” Jónsdóttir explains. A parade of terracotta tiles covers the bar face; light pink terracotta flagstone covers the floors.
The handmade ceramic fixtures that hang over the bar were inspired by vintage Mexican jars; Jónsdóttir designed the sculptural raffia lights, which were crafted in Spain, to enable the interplay of light and shadow. “It conjures up that romantic, flickering light that you experience when you’re in Cabo,” she notes. Light inserts in a graphic play of forms give the main room a sexy, diffuse glow. Above, the geometry of woven fiber ropes is reminiscent of the interior of a palapa; it also helps with the acoustics. In the bar area, the retractable barrel ceiling is covered in a wallcovering dense with tropical flowers.
With Jónsdóttir deft blending of Mayan, Brutalist design and Modernist influences, the interior is undeniably captivating. Everything, from its intimate alcoves, its freeform tabletops to its cozy, upholstered chairs, evokes the pleasure, intimacy, delight and enjoyment of a meal by the water on a warm evening.
Certainly, it’s the ideal setting in which to fully enjoy SoCal’s Chef Ray Alvarez vibrant Mexican dishes and the restaurant’s vast selection of tequilas and mezcals.
Book your reservation at Palmilla Cocina y Tequila now, located at: 3110 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92663 (open from 4 pm to to 2 am, daily).