Experiencing Nature
Incorporating the Environment at a Cafe in Austin, Texas
by Camille Dodson, Editorial Assistant
Home to the newest locations of Austin, Texas, food truck favorites Veracruz and Dee Dee, Leona Botanical Cafe and Bar introduces a spot away from the home and the workplace, where people can gather, relax, and refuel to the small municipality of Sunset Valley tucked into larger South Austin. Leona is inspired by the welcoming, layered experiences of international outdoor food markets and has an approachable character that invites guests to spend time outside immersed in its gardens. Glass, steel, and wood are the predominate materials, lending simplicity to the design and allowing the buildings to blend into the landscape as they patina over time.
The design for this cafe was handled by Clayton Korte, an architectural studio out of Austin, Texas. Clayton Korte creates places that celebrate their environment and exalt the human experience at the intersection of architecture, interiors, authenticity, and craft. The studio specializes in work on houses, ranches, wineries, hospitality, mixed use, and public spaces. The local studio seemed like the natural choice for this new outdoor spot.
Located immediately off of busy Brodie Lane, visitors enter the five-acre site that unfolds into a meadow-like green space. A circular entry portal opens up to this central node where cafe, pavilion, and eateries are placed on the periphery. The organic forms of both the portal and site plan are important elements for the Leona identity, as they embody a deep connection to the environment essential to the experience of place at the cafe and bar. Informal and formal seating areas enhance the tranquil outdoor atmosphere allowing guests to relax, eat, and drink in a variety of settings.
The buildings are light structures that blur the boundaries between the interior and exterior. The cafe sets the casual tone for the site and is a metal and glass box surrounded by a generous porch, which comprises more than two-thirds of the square footage of the building. The porch speaks directly to a smaller pavilion across the central meadow where live music and more outdoor seating are positioned under the steel trellis framework.
“The subtle materiality and lightness of the buildings and trellises allow them to sit quietly within their surroundings, while providing essential shade from the Texas heat,” said Will Hachtman, Associate AIA, Project Designer at Clayton Korte. The design of the three nearby eateries reinforces this relaxing atmosphere. The black steel and grey ash-colored wood let these small buildings sit quietly under the trees with the trellis structure harboring more vegetation to protect the built-in seating and planters.
“This project is all about experiencing and celebrating the landscape while creating a tranquil and inviting hospitality experience, ” said Nathan Quiring, AIA, Partner at Clayton Korte. “The architecture is essentially part of the garden. It is immersed in it, looks out on to it, and invites it into the building.”
Raw stoneware tile defines the bar and cleverly placed lighting creates a sense of daylight deep in the heart of the cafe. Touches of weathered wood add warmth, and a sculptural ceiling element, hanging as a central feature above the bar, adds a sense of whimsy to the space. Foliage spills from planters thoughtfully placed at the perimeter and cascades of soft interior lights continue the twinkle effect of the garden and its lights during evening and nighttime hours.
This project will provide a new, permanent space for local food trucks to settle down as well as provide drinks from the cafe and bar areas to thirsty guests. The cafe will be opening up to the public sometime early this year, so for anyone who is interested in a beautiful outdoor dining experience with delicious local food and drinks, keep an eye on the Leona Botanical Cafe and Bar.
