One of the projects I came into at the beginning of my collaborating with Marsh Collective was the design for Side Track Coffee

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

Since I came in at the end, I had nothing to do with the actual design minus input on that bright green under the bar and shaking my head up and down that yes, I agreed a huge skylight should be placed in the center of the ceiling.  That credit goes to Ashely Marsh (Marsh Collective) & her team.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee | Restaurant Design

image credit–Lance Wheeler Photography

The coffee shop is now located in the center of the City Shops, right next door to Factory South.  Y’all…I don’t know.  I love this building.  Yes, the people are great, and always have been, but I just connect to that space.  May sound weird, but true, nonetheless.  It feels like a space people want to be in.

So you can get an idea of whence this beast came, here’s the before’s…

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

You can see the building had undergone the inevitable drop in ceiling and paneled walls, both covering the original surfaces.  John & Ashely and their folks first restored the spaces to highlight their original ceilings and brick and plaster walls.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

Ashely had her dad (Gary Tucker of MAK) create this gorgeous fixture for the space. It’s been around a while, and made it to the transition of the coffee shop, hanging almost directly under the giant sky light.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

The couches were scored from The Westin in Atlanta when they were sprucing up their own interiors.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

The guys built a custom menu display and the oversized menu letters were found on Amazon….and honestly, I think it’s the best feature in the space.  It, and the sanded natural floors.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

The guys wrapped the bar in sheet steel, and Ash’s son, Nelson, sprayed it with a high heat lacquer…one of the prettiest finishes I’ve seen.

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

That gorgeous green, which changes ever so slightly with the light, is Sherwin Williams Houseplant.

 

Perfectly Imperfect | Marsh Collective | Side Track Coffee Design | Restaurant Design

Ashely says, “I wanted the space to be light and cool…not like hey man, I’m 😎, but fresh and invigorating.  Almost like when you take a breath of something effervescent…I wanted it to feel like that.”  Lord, I’m laughing as I type this…perfect description, and I think the coffee shop does just that.  Nailed it, ma’am.

P.S. Side Track is a generosity-based business that, simply put, pays it forward. David gives creatives a space to work in where they can be comfortable, inspired, and be surrounded by other creatives.  Go check em out on Instagram & come see us all some time if you’re in the neighborhood.