Monday, July 28, 2014

EOP Designs The Apiary

LEXINGTON, Ky., July 28, 2014 — EOP Architects has designed The Apiary, a new 15,000-square-foot catering and event space soon to open in Lexington’s fashionable Jefferson Street entertainment district.

"This project is another example of our commitment to downtown Lexington, where we have been located for over 30 years," remarked principal Brent Bruner, AIA, lead designer for The Apiary. "We enjoy projects of all sizes so The Apiary is a wonderful complement to our other downtown projects like Rupp Arena, the Lexington Convention Center, Shorty's, Main + Rose and the Old Fayette County Courthouse."

EOP is working with Matthew Carter Interiors and Jon Carloftis to create a one-of-a-kind experience at The Apiary. The largest venue is the 2,000-square-foot Orangery, which has a 10-foot by 30-foot skylight and 18-foot-tall windows designed to match antique shutters. There is also the 1,000-square-foot Winter Room, an intimate tasting room beside the kitchen, and a French limestone terrace that can accommodate large tents.

EOP used salvage materials throughout the design. Reclaimed brick, wood flooring and beams came from old tobacco warehouses. Stone was salvaged from a farm that belongs to the owners' uncle. Pavers were once part of a barn at Hamburg Place horse farm. Massive pine doors came from Argentina, and two antique stone fountains in the courtyard are from Europe.

The brick and stone courtyard walls are accented with custom wrought iron created by artists Matthew and Karine Maynard of Maynard Studios in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

"They wanted it to have a substantial feel that at the same time is modern and fits into an urban setting," continues Bruner. "The level of craftsmanship they wanted is not what you see a lot these days."

Since the kitchen opened, the owner has given rent-free office space to Seedleaf, a Lexington nonprofit. Seedleaf works to increase the supply of affordable, nutritious and sustainably produced local food for people at risk of hunger in Central Kentucky. It sponsors community gardens, restaurant composting programs and classes that teach cooking and food-preservation skills.