Nola Food Hall is a restaurant, culinary school, bar and marketplace located in the Garden District of New Orleans, Louisiana. The design is inspired by traditional New Orleans architecture, in which balconies, shutters and hanging plants play a role in establishing public and private areas. The design is inspired by three qualities these elements create: obscurity, obstruction and porosity.

The marketplace has an open feeling, with connections to the outdoors created by folding doors and a skylight. An area in the middle offers table service, and shelving for grocery items lines the wall. The restaurant also has an outdoor feel, using the same folding doors and placing half of the tables outside. The outdoor area is surrounded by custom-designed ironwork which is covered with ivy. The ironwork is also reflected on a mirrored interior wall, giving the interior space an outdoor feel.

Whereas the restaurant is quite open, the bar has a more enclosed feel. The traditional New Orleans balcony is a central design element in the bar area, which is raised so when bar patrons are looking out, they are looking down into the rest of the restaurant. The bar area is also enclosed with fleur-de-lis ironwork. Each fleur-de-lis allows patrons to see out but still provides an obstruction. Scattered lights surround the bar and more focused lights are concentrated in the center, with shadows creating movement and engendering curiosity about what is inside.

Faculty for the project: Tina Manis & Sean Arrasmith

The marketplace has an open feeling, with connections to the outdoors created by folding doors and a skylight. An area in the middle offers table service, and shelving for grocery items lines the wall. The restaurant also has an outdoor feel, using the same folding doors and placing half of the tables outside. The outdoor area is surrounded by custom-designed ironwork which is covered with ivy. The ironwork is also reflected on a mirrored interior wall, giving the interior space an outdoor feel.
Whereas the restaurant is quite open, the bar has a more enclosed feel. The traditional New Orleans balcony is a central design element in the bar area, which is raised so when bar patrons are looking out, they are looking down into the rest of the restaurant. The bar area is also enclosed with fleur-de-lis ironwork. Each fleur-de-lis allows patrons to see out but still provides an obstruction. Scattered lights surround the bar and more focused lights are concentrated in the center, with shadows creating movement and engendering curiosity about what is inside.

Faculty for the project: Tina Manis & Sean Arrasmith