SMOKING PIG

Adding decorative heat to renowned Bay Area barbeque eatery

With a name like Smoking Pig, you know it’s going to be some amazing barbeque. In fact, the smoked brisket and other fare is so delicious that it earned a positive review from the Michelin Guide. That’s one reason why owner Paul Reddick decided it was time to expand from his small San Jose location to a larger space in Fremont.

But the new location brought some challenges. First, because the space was originally created for a restaurant chain, it had a drab corporate feel. The renovation had to fit with the city’s design guidelines. And like many small businesses, Reddick was working on a limited budget, meaning he couldn’t do a full-blown redesign.

A traffic-stopping design

With barriers in plain view, we worked with Reddick to develop a simple yet effective design strategy: Make the most of the square footage, and create an exterior so traffic and passerby would stop, take notice, and be compelled to see what this new place was all about.

Translation: We re-used much of the existing wood to create a natural feel, freshened table and seating finishes, and selected durable and cleanable commercial grade fabrics.

And to bring the Smoking Pig aesthetic to life, we chose fun and feisty colors for the exterior, interior window trim, and other painted surfaces. These colors not only aligned with the existing branding, they worked to grab the attention of anyone going past 3340 Mowry Avenue.

Most importantly, we put a smile on our client’s face:

“Spence Studio Interiors immediately understood our challenge. We wanted the building to appear different but had to limit our makeover to only new paint colors. We needed colors that complemented our branding but would be accepted as appropriate under the Fremont Downtown District guidelines. They made solid recommendations that met those challenges head-on and did not require a second thought from our standpoint.”

- Paul Reddick, Owner