A new restaurant, Kostali (“coastal” in Maltese) has opened in the fifth-floor lobby of The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Chicago.
The restaurant is a partnership between The Gwen and James Beard Award-winning chef Carrie Nahabedian. DiamondRock Hospitality Company is the owner of Kostali and The Gwen.
Inspired by the countries that hug the Mediterranean Sea, the design of the 2,367-square-foot space, formerly Circa, was completed by Tom Nahabedian, principal of Bureau|AD.
Once guests pass through the bronze-toned metal screens inspired by satellite imagery and nautical maps of global coastlines, the transporting experience begins. Atop the nine-seat round bar in the lounge is an ocean-blue enameled lava stone. Underfoot, diagonally cut terrazzo tile, featuring marble from the Carrara mountains that hug the Italian Riviera coastline, are reminiscent of Old Italian palazzos.
The color palette used includes varying shades of blue and browns offset by brass-toned metals, most notably in customized wall coverings that flank opposite walls in the 68-seat dining room. Overhead is a custom light fixture composed of alternating panels of illuminated pale blue ribbed glass and stained white oak, all captured by a brass-toned aluminum frame. The thin composition extends the guest’s eye from the entry to the back of the dining room, culminated by a waterfall end that lands at the floor.
Michael Ditterline is the general manager of The Gwen.
Photo credit: The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel