Texas Ale Project
Dallas, Texas | February 10, 2023
Introduction
When a commercial space serves more than one purpose, the challenge for the design team often hinges on creating a clear division between the operations while also achieving a cohesive aesthetic. Texas Ale Project, a craft brewery located in the Dallas Design District, contains manufacturing operations (including a laboratory, 30-barrel brewing system, and raw material storage), wholesale keg sales, office space, high capacity coolers, and a tasting room, all within 14,500 square feet of new construction near the heart of downtown Dallas.
Unlike the multi-use spaces of yesteryear, where manufacturing and back of the house operations were hidden from the sight of patrons, Texas Ale Project highlights the beauty of the brewing process by offering full views of the manufacturing floor from the tasting room, appropriately referred to as the “T.A.P. room.”
The Story
Staying true to the industrial feel of the space while also creating a more polished aesthetic, the team of Dallas-based design firm The Orion Collection turned to Crossville to find tile collections to finish the tasting room in the appropriate style. Dark, textural Crossville Porcelain Tile Panels by Laminam in Oxide 3 Grigio were specified for the T.A.P. room walls, while Oxide 3 Nero was installed on the columnar walls. For the floors, product specifiers opted for Crossville’s Basalt porcelain tile collection in the Bedrock color—a rich coordinate to the Laminam-skinned walls.
To bring more visual interest to the walls, the design team selected an antique spalted maple to contrast with the sleek Laminam porcelain tile panels. The maple wood was repurposed from an industrial warehouse and replaned to cover a portion of the remaining walls, as well as the base of the bar. The pairing of the tile with the wood creates a visual that is both quaint and sophisticated, an ideal, industrial chic appearance to blend view of the warehouse through the windows.
The brewery’s restrooms were also finished with Crossville porcelain. Basalt in Bedrock was specified for use on the floors, and the walls were clad with Basalt in the Caldera color option. Designers brought in Laminam Oxide 3 Grigio for application on the wall of the brewery space that leads to the office area, and Basalt Bedrock porcelain was used on the CEO’s office walls.
Conclusion
The team with The Orion Collection reports that Crossville’s porcelain tile panels and Basalt porcelain tile collection hit all the right marks for this high profile project. The Laminam porcelain tile panels, as well as Basalt’s distinctive field tiles, captured the look and rich, urban color palette that was desired for the Texas Ale Project design. In addition, the team appreciated the novelty of using Laminam, a material that is relatively new to the market, as a match to their client’s innovative style and leading edge approach to the otherwise tried and true business of brewing ale.
