Project Name: Bombo

Project Statement: Bombo Italian Kitchen and Bar is the first signature restaurant space in the new Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. The 6,800-square-foot Italian restaurant and bar is defined by culinary richness and architectural craft, with a warm, natural palette that welcomes convention goers and the public alike.

Located at the southwest corner of the convention center across from the historic Paramount Theater, Bombo faces the street and interior pedestrian alleys on all four sides. This prominent spot positions the space as a defining moment in the sequence of arrival to the convention center: from the street to the interior Seattle-themed “Mixing Zone” which draws visitors further into the center itself. Bombo serves as the concierge to visitors’ experience of the building, interfacing with the street and public plaza on the south and west sides, while maintaining a dialogue with the convention center through interior portals to the north and west.

The project itself functions as two separate experiences, with adjacent spaces on split levels joined by a single interior stair for expediting food between the two. A shared kitchen at the upper level serves both restaurant and bar.

From the upper plaza level, visitors enter the restaurant vestibule and are greeted by a warm and inviting dining room. The open pizza kitchen and hotline is highlighted by a woodstone pizza oven accented with a composition of terracotta tile, worn white subway tile and a blackened steel surround. The back of house interfaces with the public across a classic maple butcher block countertop and exposed oak shelves. Deeper into the space, glimpses of the bar at the lower street level appear through a screen of blackened steel and repurposed timber original to the project site. Along the exterior and main entry vestibule to the Mixing Zone is a 22-foot-long custom wood and steel bar ledge, providing space for convention guests to sit at a casual bar and watch people come and go through the main pedestrian corridor. Three large bi-fold doors completely open the corner of restaurant bar to the Mixing Zone, blurring the distinction between the restaurant and the convention center while reinforcing the spacious and welcoming quality of the design.

The entrance to the Bombo Bar is on 9th Avenue, a half story below the restaurant space. Contrasting with the rational nature of the restaurant above, the bar is a more elevated city-facing experience. Programmatically, the space is separated into lounge and bar. The lounge occupies the southern half of the room, facing Pike Street and the Paramount Theater. Sinuous high-backed, tufted leather banquettes with movable tables and chairs offer maximum flexibility. This area caters to both convention center guests connecting after an event or the downtown after-work crowd looking to unwind and relax. Unique floor tiles create a zoned seating experience that is visually separate from the polished concrete floor in the bar.

To enhance the 26-foot ceiling over the lounge area and create a visual draw from across the street and the plaza, a local lighting fabricator was hired to create a custom fixture to bring a strong vertical gesture through the space. In contrast, the bar has lowered slatted wood ceiling panels that enhance the feeling of intimacy. Two large bays of bi-fold fir doors can be opened to 9th Avenue in the warmer months, enlivening the space with buzzing atmosphere of foot traffic on the sidewalk and enhancing the indoor/outdoor connection.