Bacon Takes Flight
This is our second Bacon location, this one featuring a large roof-top patio. A big central bar grounds the restaurant and directs traffic. The seating plan is flexible, and with a long row of booths there’s not a bad seat in the house. Enjoy a flight of bacon in this large, bright mid-mod inspired space.
The Feedery at Grow + Gather is a literal farm to table experience. It is the restaurant component to the farm, market, and cafe. This project is all about heart, and serves the local community in a multi-purpose space that was once a neighborhood garage. Our focus was to make the space feel approachable and energetic without losing the cool auto-shop vibe. The feel is industrial, layered with the warmth of reclaimed surfaces and pops of fresh color. Custom furnishings and reclaimed materials from the building’s past life evoke that classic feel. Check out the Market at Grow + Gather too!
“Other than me and my partner, Melissa was the single most important person on this project team.”
— George Gastis, Owner
Frozen Gold is exactly what is served in this funky, disco inspired soft serve ice cream shop. The name inspired the space design — an interior that is cool enough for adults imbibing on boozy shakes, and fun for kids too. The energetic lighting design was critical to create a smooth day to night transition in service.
This rough old railroad building is the perfect backdrop for a craft winery. The end use is a wine production facility, along with a tasting room and blending room. We contrasted the exposed structure of the original building with luxe, sophisticated furnishings — white marble tile, sparkling light fixtures, feminine mingling with masculine. We designed a warm, cozy environment with divided seating to create a living room vibe. The temperature controlled barrel room is surrounded in glass and creates the centerpiece to the space. Bigsby’s is at once timeless and modern.
“Hiring Melissa Friday and the team at Xan as our creative partner was one of the best and most important decisions we made to transform our winery dream into reality. They took the time to really understand our project objectives and pushed the envelope to deliver the best they could while being respectful of financial goals. They made an extremely stressful process fun with their amazing sense of humor and ability to problem solve every step of the way, going above and beyond their set scope of work from start to finish.”
— Marla Yetka
Modern cafe meets daytime nightclub in this bright, graphic space. Chicago based G&B expands to Milwaukee. Our design focuses on the layering of strong geometric patterns with refined glass and brass accents. The feminine aesthetic, and cool palette combined with mid century furniture stirs the energy of the space. The lively neon and youthful vibe offers an approachable, all are welcome environment.
“Xan was a total pleasure to work with. They have the unique ability to have a sense of the operation, while at the same time a good design sense. The design of the space never appears compromised due to operation or functionality. They also got to know me right away and what I like and don’t like. The space is so beautiful and flows so nice. We could not have been happier or more impressed with Xan. We look forward to a long relationship with them and consider them our Company designers for the long haul. They will be with us till the very end.”
— Tamar Mizrahi Stone
Unearthed inside the Oxford Hotel in 1980 by Denver developer Dana Crawford, the space was discovered untouched. The design is modeled after a lounge on the Queen Mary, and features carved bas-relief wall panels of international revelers created by Denver artist Alley Henson in 1930. As long time Denver residents, we are honored to be responsible for restoring this magical place. The look is the same; we chose to elevate the finishes to a more luxurious version. We switched plastic laminate to quartz, and vinyl to leather, elevating history with the lift of a martini glass.
This amazing A-frame building once housed an iconic IHOP (International House of Pancakes) that fed hungry travelers back in the day. The space had more recently been abandoned and was in disrepair. We gutted it, and opened it up to the roof. Pete Turner, aka Illegal Pete’s, was attracted to this property because the large space outside the building was perfect for the creation of a huge patio. We designed the new space with a mezzanine addition, and branded it with our Illegal Pete’s finishes and vibe. It is now ready to serve delicious burritos and host live music events!
We have been fans of the SAGE Restaurant Group for years. It was an amazing experience to work with them on this historic Denver landmark. The restaurant’s design concept blends Colorado history and agriculture with cosmopolitan refinement. The space’s tangible history is honored and preserved, then enhanced with warm finishes, rich over-dyed leather throughout, and pops of color for added whimsy. Contemporary spins on Western classics lace the design with modern Western romanticism — steel spindled walnut dining chairs, oxidized brass light fixtures reminiscent of steer horns, and architectural plays on plaid in the large, multi-media wall sculpture.
“Xan has a unique ability to design for form and function and achieve both in a highly successful way. From sourcing, sustainability and design management they care about every little detail that goes into a space. They are fun to work with and their creative vision and passion for their projects shines through as an extension of themselves.”
— Sage Restaurant Group
How do you evoke a craft brewery atmosphere within a hardworking office? Our brewery design experience proved to be a perfect fit for this multi-purpose space. When all your clients are in the hospitality industry, you need an office that entertains. Guests are greeted by a custom, branded wall of repurposed beer barrels. The Microstar blue inspired custom details throughout the office — one of a kind details that make the space unique, not chosen from a website. The executive offices feature a working bar, complete with hard to find craft beers, making Microstar the ultimate host.
“Melissa is the ultimate creative professional. In addition to her outstanding creativity and design expertise, she was always on time and on budget; a rarity in the creative design world. She is also an excellent listener. Melissa adeptly melded our expressed needs for functional and efficient spaces while delivering a contemporary and unique style that perfectly suits our organization. It was a pleasure to work with Melissa and her team and we at MicroStar highly recommend her work.”
— Michael Hranicka
